Follow Us on Google
From Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo
Rev. Jolly Nyame is the First Governor of Taraba State and served for ten years. In this exclusive interview with Daily Sun, he regrets that some of his legacies are in ruin due to negligence by his successors. He also speaks on the challenge of building a new state, his vision and regrets.
What was your vision for Taraba State on assumption of office at its creation?
My vision was to set the foundation for a very vibrant state that offers opportunities for citizens to get the best for themselves. It was a very big task, because when the state was created, Jalingo was a Local Government Headquarters. Transforming a Local Government Headquarters to a state headquarters was actually a herculean task. I was looking at what to do to in terms of infrastructural projects that will promote the state.
And so, I prioritised Health Care and agriculture because as far as I am concerned, the state is agrarian in nature and what you could do to assist the people of the state at that time, even up till now, is to invest in agriculture. We had to start developing everything from the scratch. Road network inside Jalingo town was a nightmare. So, in 1992, I had to lobby through the then Head of State, Gen. Babangida to assist me with extra funds, otherwise some of the road networks would have been impossible. I sincerely thank God that some of the road networks we made back then are still existing, though with so much potholes, because the town has grown huge now. Also looking at the potentials in the state, we started the airport, which many considered a white elephant project back then. We also started the idea of a state University.
Of course, we were thinking so much about opening the state for accelerated growth. That is why we built that stadium that was one of the best in the country at the time. We also built the Specialist Hospital, the Taraba Motel, also one of the best back then. So, my vision was very clear and I must say we were able to achieve a lot of it. Sadly, funds were a major challenge so there is so much we would have done but couldn’t.
Will you say your successors have built on this vision?
Pharmacist Danbaba Suntai took over from me and handed over to Architect Darius Dickson Ishaku and now we have Dr. Agbu Kefas. I believe all the governors have done their best. People have different perceptions, perhaps due to their upbringing or how they think they can develop the state. So, it is not actually right for me to start apportioning blame to any of them. But I must commend Danbaba, because he helped in the aspect of road networks. He followed the master plan. He also made the dream of a university a reality. We wanted to build a School of Nursing that was going to be state- of -the- art. We had a place chosen for it; we had the plan but then we left. So, when Danbaba came, he started implementing these things. He did his best.
How do you feel when you look at the state of some of the projects you did and what do you expect the present government to do in order to change the narrative?
As I said earlier, I commend the present governor for what he has started. But my heart bleeds when I realise that some of these things cost us the state’s funds and we are seen this nonchalant attitude. Our maintenance culture is almost zero. I feel sad when I look back at some of these projects and where they are now. I look up to the governor as he continues remodelling some of these structures. We need to step up our development drive.
If you go to the hotel at the stadium, it is an eyesore. The Taraba Motel, I think may be because of the need for security around us or lack of accommodations for the military officers, has been converted to military accommodation. It is sad because the military need not to be stationed within the city. They should be outside the city. That is what is obtainable everywhere in the world. I hope they will be moved to a more suitable place soon and the governor will start working on rehabilitating or remodelling the motel for commercial purpose that it was built.
Taraba State has been a theatre of communal crisis. What do you think are the root causes and what should be done to bring lasting solutions?
You know, the world is evolving. things we used to know, we know them much more now. So, things have actually changed. The mindset of people all over the world has also changed. Different ethnic groups in Taraba think very differently. They think very dynamic. Some want to be more independent, more possessive and some want recognition. Tribes and ethnic groups that are suppressed will always find a way of venting their anger and in most cases, these comes through physical fight. Some feel they impose on them those traditional rulers.
Let us take this house as an ethnic group. If you come into this house and you decide to belittle me as the head of this household and bring someone from outside to come and take charge of this house, if there is anything I can do to eliminate that person, I will do, because he does not belong here. So, some of the conflicts are as a result of dissatisfaction from the various ethnic groups. That is why I keep on saying, that governments at all levels including chairmen of LGAs should listen to the yearnings and aspirations of the various ethnic groups in their domains because some individuals are like a big entity on their own. If you don’t listen to them, they will create problems for you.
Another aspect is the issue of religion. During my time, the issue of religion was very minimal. In 1992 when I needed a Deputy Governor to run with, I as a Christian and a clergy, I wanted a Muslim and I wanted a Jukun man from Wukari. At the end of the day, they said put religion aside, we will give you somebody. That is how Dr. Gani came in. So, during our time, religion was not a big deal. But as I said earlier, human thinking evolves and it is dynamic. So even relationship and religion too, go the same way. If you want to suppress a Muslim, the Muslim will revolt and vice versa.
What happened in the last election is a typical example. Though we have different political parties each with Muslims and Christians but when it came to election, both APC and PDP all decided to go for the candidates of their faith. But as an elder and a former governor who has symbiotic relationship with this state, I will like to call on all the religious adherents, Muslims and Christians to come together as before. If we worked well in unity during our time, why can’t it work now? The leadership of the state too has to take responsibility. It has to take an action. If we can live together in harmony, you won’t talk about tribe or religion. So, these are things I consider as our biggest problems that have caused some of these conflicts and the conflicts would continue to hunt us even in this present generation as long as these things are not taken into consideration. I mean our character of ethnic and religious bigotry must have to be corrected to curb these crises.
In retrospect, what do you wish you had done differently during your time?
If I had more funds at that time, I would have done much more developments than I did before I left office in 2007. Unfortunately, there was no enough funds. It was shortly after we left government that money in pounds and dollars was released for the state. Again, I did not pay much attention to the issue of traditional stools. We actually started creating districts but it was all on paper before we left. If we had created it before we left, may be some of these problems that we are facing after our government would not have occurred.
What will you consider your most enduring legacies as governor of Taraba State?
My greatest legacies are the structures that we put in place that are being utilised now. For instance, the airport. When we conceived the idea of the airport, we were not thinking of the now, we were thinking of the future. I remembered when I landed there with one of the assembly members, he ran to me and said ‘Your excellency, we did not believe with what you wanted to do. We thought it was a white elephant project but we have seen how it is being utilise now.’ We also built the Specialist Hospital and stocked it with latest equipment. There were numerous people coming from Sokoto, Zamfara and other parts of the country to access treatment here because we had state -of -the- art equipment, and for each of these equipment, we had a spare in the store. It is really sad that some of this equipment have found their ways to private hospitals. The same set of people that were working there, carted away these equipment. So, there are those projects that we conceived and birthed that are still shaping the name of Taraba.
The stadium, before it gets to its present condition, they were playing leagues there. So, we were thinking ahead. For leagues to be given to us, it requires an airport, it requires a good hotel and a good hospital. We tried to put everything in place before we left government, but unfortunately, people did not take it seriously. The stadium is now dilapidated; the hotel is non-existent. When you have people that are supposed to take care of facilities and they don’t do it and instead, have their own, then you have nothing to do but shed your tears in silence.
What are your future political plans?
As long as I am alive, strong and healthy, anything my people want me to do for them, I will do. I see Taraba State as my baby and I know I still have a lot to offer the state. What I would not do is to show desperation. But if I am called to serve in any capacity, I definitely will avail myself.
What is your take on the level of political representation in the country?
People have their various views. There was this time that Journalists asked one of the prominent Nigeria politicians why he was appointing only his friends into government. The politician told the Journalists that when they become governor then, they can appoint their enemies. Every leader will always appoint people who understand him and his manifesto. People who understand what he has as a president or governor. The only thing is that the Federal Character has to be maintained. If it is not maintained, that is where problem comes. Ordinarily, the ethnicity or religion of the people should not be an issue.
