By Egena Sunday Ode
Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku on Tuesday met with President Muhammadu Buhari behind closed doors at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa Abuja, to seek assistance on how to contain any further invasion by Ambazonia separatists from Southern Cameroon.
According to the governor, the state would need some assistance in that regard through the establishment of security base along the borders to check people coming into and going out of Nigeria.
Speaking to newsmen after the meeting, Ishaku expressed optimism that President Buhari will speedily address the worrisome security situation.
He said: “First is that I came to see, Mr. President, on security issues. If you remember, some weeks back, there was an attack in Taraba state, specifically, at Manga, which is Taraba state and has boundary with Cameroon, it was invaded by Ambazonia separatists from Southern Cameroon, they killed 11 people, including the chief of the small town. And I have not been able to see Mr. President because of his busy schedule and his travels. So I’m fortunate today to have an appointment with him, to brief on details, about what transpired and need to give us some assistance in that axis. It was a very usual discussion and I am happy.
Answering a question on his confidence that the Buhari administration would be able to handle the current situation and prevent a reoccurrence, the governor said:
That’s why I’m here to see Mr. President because he alone can give the order for us to strengthen our border there by security men along the border. Once we have that i think we secure that border. Incidentally we have about the longest border with Cameroon. So thare is absolute need to secure it and strengthen it. And this particular area of Manga is by the lakeshore because of the damming of Kasimila, the water has gone almost like six kilometers into Cameroon.
“So people now find it easy just to come in and go out. So we might also need a naval base to be able to secure, police and monitor the people that go in and out. And also an immigration posts. All these are requests and I think Mr. President has assured me that he will do something about it, I’m very hopeful.
Governor Ishaku said he also asked President Buhari to provide some assistance to the state to help shore up its rice production.
According to him, if such assiatnce is given, Taraba State will be able to produce enough rice for the Nigerian market.
“I told Mr. President that Taraba can supply the country with rice, which he knows very well because he knows Taraba absolutely well.
“If you remembered, he was our governor in those days as the North East Governor. So, I’m seeking for more aid towards the farming of rice, particularly the dry season rice, where we get three, four times of that one of the rainy season and more and more people have been encouraged into this farming. I have empowered well over 20,000 people and they are all interested in the dry season farming.
“And I thought that if we are assisted , we should be able to produce enough rice in this country because we have the land. These are some of the things discussed with Mr. President.”
He pointed out that the help he needs would include access to loans and tractors.
“First, there are loans that have been approved but we have not received our own through the CBN. We also have gotten assistance from Czech Republic to give us long term loan, we have actually manufactured about 2000 tractors. For over two years it is stuck in Czech Republic, we have not been able to get those shipped to our farmers. And there are other assistances that comes from the federal ministry. Some have reached us which we are utilizing very well. But I imagine that without getting this soft machinery assistances, you will not be able to encourage much more people than we already have. Because, if they have this small medium tractors, which we had ordered, with their chemicals, fertilizers, and so forth, which usually comes from ministries and the federal government.”
