Newspointer June 16th, 2024
Mumuye Youths
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE EMIR OF MURI HRH ABBAS NJIDDA TAFIDA Written 12th June 2024
Your highness Abbas Njidda Tafida,
It is with great concern that we the aforementioned wish to write to you at this critical moment of our society, when all citizens are battling to survive amidst the economic hardship of our dear country Nigeria and to draw your attention to some of your actions on Mumuye people in the recent past has downgraded your status from monarch (the father of all) to a hypocritical partisan politician.
We want to remind you of the longtime relationship that existed between Fulani and Mumuye people from time immemorial. Starting from Muhammadu Nya, to your immediate past predecessor who sustained this cordiality with the Mumuye people.
One will not be wrong to say that, it is Mumuye that open the door to the existence of Fulani in the present day Muri Emirate. Mumuye is the only tribe that can accommodate and tolerate Fulani man in the North -East geo-political zone and even the country at large.
Despite all odds, there has never been a day of war recorded in the close to two centuries of our togetherness with the Fulani people.
Unfortunately, your actions in the recent past have indicated a glitch if care is not taken may bridge the relationship; a threat to the peace and unity we are enjoying. One among the many is your modern slavery to the people of Kachalla village in Iware ward of Ardo-kola Local Government Area.
Although it is not part of your emirate, but you continuously put them in a siege using your farmland as an instrument. It is on record that the people of Kachalla have been renting your farmland for over (25) years for agricultural purposes through your farm manager Mr. Umaru Kona. After paying for 2024 rainy season and planted their crops, you ordered your tractors to plough their farms (destroying their crops) and you planted grasses for your cows.
Your actions and dehumanization has rendered over forty families farmless. This inhuman act is a clear indications that, you value your cows more than human beings!
All correspondences are channel to: The MCDA President Dr. Abraham Makoso.
One could be tempted to ask, as the chairman Taraba State Agricultural Sustainability and Food security, could it be another policy of your committee to destroy crops and plant grasses a way forward to Agric sustainability and food security? If yes, indeed the Taraba Agric sector will face food insecurity in the coming years and your committee will lead us to agricultural doom. Mumuye people form 40% of the farmers in Taraba state and your actions on Kachalla village, made us lost confidence in you as the chairman of food security in the state.
We are aware that every human being is a political animal but in the race of life, everybody has his own track and its better one maintains his lane than crossing to another lane. Be reminded that
you are a monarch and not a politician. We advise you not to mix pre -election and post – election matters. Bringing pre -election matters in post -election, is not healthy to our democracy and may have an adverse effect to your throne.
The alleged idea of fighting Mumuye people for not voting your son during the bye election is cowardice. Remember, you were not a supporter of PDP in the 2023 general elections but you are one of the few beneficiaries of the government that was produced by the Mumuye people!.
You are one of the many who are reaping from what they did not sow.
In furtherance to this, it is worrisome and the Mumuye Cultural Development Association is dismayed that a royal father who is supposed to be a father to all, can make decisive comments before us thus;
As long as he is alive no Mumuye will ever become a Senator or Member House Representative.
That for their refusal to vote his son, they have declared themselves to be his full blown enemies and his fight with them has just started.
Your message to the entire Mumuye people on your plan marginalization did not come to us with surprise because your voting behavior in 2011 general elections has clearly revealed it when your daughter, late Hon. Aisha Jummai Alhasan; the flag bearer of PDP for senate won almost all the pooling units in Jalingo and our son Nelson Kason Santi could not secure victory at almost
60% of the pooling units of the same local government in an election that was conducted on same date. Today, you have the mind to question why would PDP lost in some areas of Zing and Yorro in the presence of our critical stakeholders? To what extent is the argument tenable that no single Mumuye voted for your son during the bye elections? You were not a supporter of PDP during the 2023 general elections, yet one cannot generalize that all Fulanis in the state didn’t vote for PDP.
The above assertion, may cause more harm than good and is a serious setback to your son’s political career in the future.
Trading through the historical lane, there were three tribes that settled in Jalingo and the Fulani are the last to arrive. You must trade with caution to avert stimulating the Mumuye people on rotation of the throne among the three tribes as enshrined recently in the Taraba State House of Assembly using Takum chiefdom as a case study! A Mumuye man made you a first class chief amidst all challenges, he built your palace and today you called him “a woman”.
Mumuye stakeholders stood for your son against their son during the bye -election; you referred to them as “betrayers” forgetting the fact that you are the betrayer. Remember, not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that is counted truly counts! The generation of Mumuye today
is not the same as the past generation. So, stop living in the past!
The entire Mumuye youths are demanding for a public apology to our stakeholders from you and reverse your ill statement on Mumuye people within 72 hours. We are also demanding for compensations over the farms and crops you destroyed to the people of Kachalla village in Iware Ward of Ardo- -Kola Local government area in the interest of peace.
Signed:
EZEKIEL H. AUGUSTINE
National Youth President MCDAYW
Cc:
His Excellency, Executive Governor, Taraba State
His Excellency, Deputy Governor, Taraba State.
Speaker TSHA
SGS Taraba State
The Majority Leader, TSHA
The Minority Leader, TSHA
The Chairman Taraba State Council of Chiefs and Emirs
Commissioner of Police
The State Director DSS
Hon. Commissioner of Agriculture and Food Security, Taraba State
S.A Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs
