VISION TO STAGNATION: When the Sky fell on Taraba! From Danbaba’s Golden Years to the Present Struggle

By: Kamal Hammajo Adam 

Freelance Journalist | +2347069274878

Taraba State stands out as one of Africa’s most naturally blessed regions, offering breathtaking landscapes, biodiverse reserves, robust agriculture, mineral wealth, cultural traditions, and clean energy prospects. With continued investment and conservation, its potential for tourism, research, and sustainable development is boundless.

The State is nature’s masterpiece in Nigeria’s northeast, a land where misty mountains touch the clouds, where waterfalls tumble down green escarpments, and where the Mambilla Plateau stretches like a painting in the sky.

From the dense green embrace of Gashaka  Gumti Park to the towering Zing rocks and hills, from the swaying palm trees of Kurmi Forest to the fertile farmlands of Bali, Gassol, and Karim-Lamido, Taraba is as rich in beauty as it is in minerals and culture. The River Taraba and River Donga carve their paths through this blessed land, watering fields and sustaining livelihoods.

It is also a State of vibrant traditions, the colourful Ibbi Wunyo Fishing Festival, the historic Pepe Wurkun Festival, the royal elegance of the Fulani Durbar in Jalingo, and the rich cultural displays of the Jenjo, Mumuye, Ichen and Tiv peoples among others. These festivals are living theatres of heritage, each waiting for Government support to shine on the National and Global stage.

By all accounts, Taraba is one of Africa’s most naturally blessed regions, a sleeping paradise waiting to be awakened. But paradise, too, can stumble.

THE DANBABA ERA: A Time of Confidence and Clarity

There was a time when Taraba’s future felt certain. At the helm stood Pharmacist Danbaba Danfulani Suntai, a man whose quiet confidence and firm vision gave the State a sense of direction.

He did not see roads as just concrete; he saw them as bridges to opportunity. Every Local Government was to have township roads. Schools were being rebuilt, hospitals upgraded, agriculture revived, and cultural tourism was beginning to receive genuine attention.

Danbaba’s Taraba was not content to remain in the shadows of Nigeria’s development. He was pulling the State into the light, crafting a place where industry could thrive, sports could flourish, and traditions like the Durbar, Wunyo Festival, and Pepe Festival could attract visitors from far beyond Nigeria’s borders.

OCTOBER 25, 2012: The Day Everything Changed

It was a Friday evening. The wind was restless, the air heavy with the kind of stillness that comes before a storm. Across the State, life went on as usual, until the news broke.

Governor Suntai’s plane had crashed.

For many, it felt as if the sky itself had fallen. Hearts pounded like the thunder outside. And as the reality sank in, it wasn’t just a man who had been struck down, it was Taraba’s momentum, its confidence, its unifying dream.

Projects slowed. Plans froze. The architect of modern Taraba was gone from the scene, and in his absence, the grand vision began to fade.

AFTER DANBABA: The Long Pause

Governor Architect Darius Dickson Ishaku’s years were marked by minimal growth. While the world around Taraba moved forward, the State seemed trapped in pause.

Insecurity worsened, kidnappings became too common, and communal clashes scarred rural communities. The roads Danbaba dreamed of fell into disrepair. The optimism that once defined Taraba’s people gave way to frustration and fear.

The “Nature’s Gift to the Nation” was losing its shine, and even the forests, rivers, hills, and festivals, from the Durbar to the fishing and cultural celebrations, waited in vain for the attention they deserved.

THE KEFAS MOMENT: Hope Waiting for Action

When retired Colonel Agbu Kefas took office on 29th May 2023, Tarabans dared to hope again. Support poured in, even from political opponents, united in the belief that the State could rise from the long slumber.

Security and roads became the loudest cries from the people, because without safety and connection, even the most beautiful land cannot prosper.

Yet, two years later, the progress has been slow. The people are watching, waiting, urging this administration to match Danbaba’s pace, if not his passion. Meanwhile, Kurmi Forest’s eco-tourism potential, the fertile plains of Bali, Gassol, and Karim, the palm groves, Zing’s rock wonders, and the cultural power of the Durbar, Wunyo, and Pepe Festivals, and the heritage of the Jukun, Jenjo, Mumuye, Ichen and Tiv remain untapped treasures.

THE LAND STILL WAITS

Taraba’s mountains still standing, her rivers still flowing, and her soil remains richly fertile. The Mambilla Plateau still wears its crown of clouds, the Kurmi Forest still breathes life into the air, and the Chappal Waddi of Gashaka-Gumti Park, the highest mountain in Nigeria, still towers in majesty. The cultural drums of her many peoples continue to beat, awaiting the hand that will lift them into the light.

What is missing is not nature’s blessing, but leadership’s courage.

Taraba’s story is not over. But for it to have the ending her people deserve, today’s leaders must remember that history will not only recall the beauty they inherited, it will remember what they built with it.