Taraba State

Taraba State is a state in north-eastern Nigeria, named after the Taraba River, which traverses the Southern part of the state. Taraba State capital is Jalingo. Its slogan is Nature's Gift to the Nation. The main ethnic groups are the Mumuye, Mambilla, Jukun, Kuteb, Wurkun, Yandang, Ndola, Ichen, Jenjo, Tiv, Fulani, Tigun, and Jibu. The northern part is mainly dominated by the Fulani, and Mumuye. The southern parts are dominated by the Jukun, Chamba, Tiv, Kuteb and Ichen. The central region is mainly occupied by the Fulani, Mambilla, Ndola, Tigun, Jibu, Wurbo, and Daka people. There are 77 distinct ethnic groups, and their languages in the State.

History
The Taraba state was created out of the former Gongola state on 27 August 1991 by the military government of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. The State is an amalgam of three former Divisions - Wukari, Mambilla and Muri Divisions.

Geography
Taraba state is bordered in the west by Nasarawa state and Benue state (for 109 km), northwest by Plateau state for 202 km (126 miles), north by the Bauchi state for 54 km and Gombe state for 58 km, northeast by Adamawa state for about 366 km and south by Northwest Region in Cameroon for about 525 km.

The Benue, Donga, Taraba and Ibi are the main rivers in the state. They rise from the Cameroonian mountains, draining almost the entire length of the state in the North and South directions to link up with the River Niger.

Boat mishaps In Taraba State
"Three children's bodies have been found after a boat carrying passengers capsized on Saturday while traveling from the Mayo-Renewo market to the Karim Lamido neighborhood of Taraba," according to diverse media reports.

On Sunday, October 29, 2023, Abdullahi Usman, the state's police spokesperson, confirmed the incident to TheCable. He added that it is still unclear how many people were on the boat. Given that they are passengers from the Mayo-Renewo market traveling to Karim Lamido, he said the exact number of passengers on that boat has not yet been determined.

Climate
The climate of Taraba state is marked by an annual average temperature of 33°C but high level of cold in January and an increased rainfall in August. The percentage of rainfall in Taraba state is 40.35% with 54.98% relative humidity. The state is usually very warm in March with 40.44°C, and an average wind of 8.84 km/h.

Flood
Many homes and commercial buildings in Taraba are affected by flooding, including those in the suburbs.

Healthcare
Taraba State has several hospitals and health care centers: some of them are:


 * Courage Hospital
 * Federal Medical Center (FMC)
 * Gateway Hospital
 * General Hospital, Bali
 * Sauki Hospital and Maternity
 * Totus Hospital and Maternity
 * Albert Healthcare Company
 * Taraba Specialist Hospital
 * kwararafa Hospital and maternity
 * Federal Polythecnic Bali Medical Center
 * First Referral Hospital
 * Biyama Hospital

Local government areas
Taraba State consists of sixteen (16) Local Government Areas (or LGAs), which are governed by elected chairmen. The local government areas are listed as follows:


 * Ardo Kola
 * Bali
 * Donga
 * Gashaka
 * Gassol
 * Ibi
 * Jalingo
 * Karim Lamido
 * Kurmi
 * Lau
 * Sardauna
 * Takum
 * Ussa
 * Wukari
 * Yorro
 * Zing

Languages
Languages of Taraba state listed by LGA include:

Other languages spoken in Taraba State are Akum, Bukwen, Esimbi, Fali of Baissa, Jiba, Njerep, Tha, Yandang, Yotti, Ywom.

Education
Taraba State has many schools and education centers.

Universities

 * Federal University, Wukari
 * Taraba State University
 * Kwararafa University, Wukari

Transport
Federal highways are:
 * A4 for 292 km north from Benue State near Kado as the Wukari-Murtum Biyu Rd across the Taraba River at Tella and Jalingo to Adamawa State at Mayo Lane, and
 * a stretch of A8 south from Burtol 166 km to Gembu, unconnected to A8 Highway in Adamawa State.

One road to Cameroon east from A8 at Gembu to N6 at Banyo.

Other major roads include
 * The Bachumbi Rd east from Plateau State at Zurak via Muri, Banyam and Bambuka to Adamawa State,
 * The Wukari-Ampei Rd north to Ibi on the Benue River,
 * The Garin Kunini-Zing Rd southeast from Dzhu’a-Khore via Pupule to Adamawa State at Bisa as the Zaridi-Mayo Belwa Rd,
 * South from Jalingo via Sunkani, Garbe Shege, Bajabure, Pangri and Mai Fula to Dogari Tiv,the Wukari-Takum Rd,
 * The Katsina Ala-Takum road west to Benue State at Dogon Gawa,
 * The Garin Jatau Bali Rd east from Takum across the River Donga at Manya and northeast to Mararaba,
 * The Rafin Kada-Gembu Rd southeast from Donga via Mararaba, and
 * The Mambila-Plateau Rd.

Airports include
 * Jalingo Airport

Agriculture
The major occupation of the people of Taraba state is agriculture. Cash crops produced in the state include coffee, tea, groundnuts and cotton. Crops such as maize, rice, sorghum, millet, cassava, and yam are also produced in commercial quantity. In addition, cattle, sheep and goats are reared in large numbers, especially on the Mambilla Plateau, and along the Benue and Taraba valleys. Similarly, the people of Taraba state undertake other livestock production activities like poultry production, rabbit breeding and pig farming in fairly large scale. In February 2024, the World Bank in Nigeria announced plans to empower 5,200 female livestock farmers in the state. Communities living on the banks of River Benue, River Taraba, River Donga and Ibi, engage in fishing all year round. Other occupational activities such as pottery, cloth-weaving, dyeing, mat-making, carving, embroidery and blacksmithing are also carried out in various parts of the state.

Natural resources
Taraba state has abundant natural resources for industrial and commercial use, these include:

Mineral raw materials

 * Barytes
 * Bauxites
 * Graphite
 * Limestone
 * Gypsum
 * Kaoline
 * Feldspar
 * Mica
 * Pyrite
 * Uranium
 * Gemstone

Agro-raw materials

 * Maize
 * Millet
 * Sorghum
 * Rice
 * Groundnut
 * Cassava
 * Fish
 * Gum Arabic
 * Cotton
 * Timber
 * Palm oil
 * Cocoa
 * Citrus
 * Sugarcane
 * Soy Beans

Culture
The government has made concerted efforts to improve areas of tourist attractions like Mambilla Tourist Center, Gumpti Park and game reserve in Gashaka. Karimjo Abedahh festival and the Nwunyu fishing festival in Ibi, all this is usually held in April of each year where activities such as canoe racing, swimming competition and cultural dances are held. Other festivals are Purma of the Chamba in Donga, Takum and Jibu culture dance in Bali, the Tagba of Acha People in Takum, Kuchecheb of Kutebs in Takum and Ussa, Kati and Bol of the Mambilla and host of others. Taraba is called "Nature's gift to the nation" as the state is rich and has many ethnic groups, including Kuteb, Chamba, Yandang, Mumuyes, Mambila, Karimjo, Wurkums, Jenjo, Jukun, Ichen, Tiv, Kaka, Pena, Kambu, Kodei, Wawa, Vute, Fulani, Hausa and Ndola. A striking historical fact about the State is that it encompasses part of the Mambilla Region which is famed as the Bantu cradle, having been occupied for some five millennia to date (Schwartz, 1972; Zeitlyn & Connell, 2003).

Notable people

 * Aisha Alhassan - Former Nigerian Minister of Women Affairs, Former Senator of Northern Zone of Taraba
 * Emmanuel Bwacha - Former Senator Representing Southern Taraba.
 * Theophilus Danjuma - Nigerian soldier, Politician, Businessman, Nigerian Chief of Army Staff (1975–1979), Minister of Defence (1999–2003)
 * Anna Darius Ishaku - Barrister, Wife to the former governor, Darius Ishaku
 * Darius Ishaku - Former Governor of Taraba state
 * David Jimkuta -Current Senator Representing Southern Taraba.
 * Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama - The current Archbishop of Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja
 * Agbu Kefas - Current Governor of Taraba State
 * Abdullahi Bala Lau, popularly known as Sheikh Balalau, is a Nigerian Islamic scholar, cleric, mufassir, and preacher.
 * Shuaibu Isa Lau - Senator representing Taraba North
 * Saleh Mamman - Nigerian minister of power
 * Mahmud Mohammed - Nigerian Jurist and former Chief Justice of Nigeria
 * Jolly Nyame - Former Governor of Taraba state
 * Danbaba Suntai - Nigerian pharmacist, Politician, Former Governor of Taraba state
 * Abbas Njidda Tafida - Current Emir of Muri
 * Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf - Senator Representing Central Taraba, Member of the All Progressive Congress(APC),Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC)

Politics
The state government is led by a democratically elected governor who works closely with members of the state's house of assembly. The capital city of the state is Jalingo.

Electoral system
The governor of the state is selected using a modified two-round system. To be elected in the first round, a candidate must receive the plurality of votes and over 25% of votes in at least two-third of the state local government areas. If no candidate passes threshold, a second round will be held between the top candidate and the next candidate to have received a plurality of votes in the highest number of local government areas.