Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku, on Saturday, raised a fresh alarm of plans by some elements to attack the state and called for extra-vigilance.

He raised the alarm in Jalingo in his remarks at the ongoing cultural carnival at the Jolly Nyame Stadium that brought people from all over the state together to celebrate the cultural heritage of the people.

He said that the strength of the people was in their unity of purpose and determination to live together as a people, despite their differences.

“I am aware of plans to attack the state imminently by certain elements in the country. We are working with the security agencies to forestall this from happening and I can assure you that these plans would fail. Taraba is truly nature’s gift to the nation and anyone trying to destroy the state either from within or without will fail. Our unity of purpose as exhibited here today shows that we can withstand any challenge.

“I urge you at this time, above all, to remain very vigilant and watchful. There is no need for panic as we are doing everything to make sure that the relative we have in the state now is not compromised. We would not tolerate any attempt to infringe on our peaceful coexistence by any force whatsoever,” he assured.

Ishaku, who commended his wife, Anna Ishaku, a lawyer, for Hope Alive Foundation, for convening the carnival, promised that his government would key into the initiative subsequently to make it a more elaborate annual event that would not only bring the peoples of the state together but would also attract tourists from all over the world, to witness the rich cultural heritage of the state.

He assured that in no distant time, Taraba would become one of the most sought-after states in the country by investors and tourists from around the world and called on the people to imbibe love and peace so that they could enjoy meaningful development and dividends of democracy.

Earlier, his wife noted that the initiative was in recognition of the key role that culture played as catalyst for peace, unity and development and the threat posed to the rich cultural heritage of the state that had suffered great negligence.

“Tourism is one of the most viable industries in the world and Taraba has all that it takes to become a major tourism hub in the region. Our rich cultural heritage is on the verge of extinction due to lack of platform for their exhibition. That is why I came up with this initiative to bring our people together to foster unity, peace and oneness,” she said.

The cultural carnival, the first of its kind in the state, is an initiative of Mrs Anna Ishaku through her Hope Alive Foundation, and featured grand display of rare cultural artifacts, cultural dances, display of cultural dishes and talent exhibition by upcoming artists in the state. (Sunday Tribune)

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