Taraba State
Taraba (Fula: 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤭 𞤼𞤢𞤪𞤢𞤦𞤢, romanized: Leydi Taraba) is a state in North Eastern Nigeria, named after the Taraba River, which traverses the southern part of the state. Taraba state's capital is Jalingo. The inhabitants are mainly the people from Mumuye, Fulani, Jenjo, Karimjo, Wurkun, and Kona tribes, who are predominantly resident in the northern part of the state, while the Jukun, Chamba, Tiv, Kuteb and Ichen tribes are found predominantly in the southern part of the state.The central region is mainly occupied by the Mambila people, Chamba, Fulani and Jibawa. There are over 77 different tribes, and their languages in Taraba State.
Taraba 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤭 𞤼𞤢𞤪𞤢𞤦𞤢 | |
|---|---|
Mambilla Plateau of Taraba State | |
Seal | |
| Nicknames: Nature's Gift to the Nation (French: Le cadeau de la nature à la nation) | |
Location of Taraba State in Nigeria | |
| Coordinates: 8°00′N 10°30′E / 8.000°N 10.500°ECoordinates: 8°00′N 10°30′E / 8.000°N 10.500°E | |
| Country | Nigeria |
| Date created | 27 August 1991 |
| Capital | Jalingo |
| Government | |
| • Body | Government of Taraba State |
| • Governor (List) | Darius Ishaku (PDP) |
| • Deputy Governor | Haruna Manu (PDP) |
| • Legislature | Taraba State House of Assembly |
| • Senators | C: Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf (APC) N: Shuaibu Isa Lau (PDP) S: Emmanuel Bwacha (APC) |
| • Representatives | List |
| Area | |
| • Total | 54,473 km2 (21,032 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 3rd of 36 |
| Population (2006 census) | |
| • Total | 2,294,800[1] |
| • Rank | 30th of 36 |
| GDP (PPP) | |
| • Year | 2007 |
| • Total | $3.40 billion[2] |
| • Per capita | $1,446[2] |
| Time zone | UTC+01 (WAT) |
| postal code | 660001 |
| ISO 3166 code | NG-TA |
| HDI (2018) | 0.501[3] low · 26th of 37 |
| Website | tarabastate.gov.ng |
History
Taraba state was created out of the former Gongola state on 27 August 1991, by the military government of General Ibrahim Babangida.
Geography
Taraba state is bounded in the west by Nasarawa state and Benue state, northwest by Plateau state, north by Bauchi state and Gombe state, northeast by Adamawa state, and south by Northwest Region in Cameroon.
The Benue, Donga, Taraba and Ibi are the main rivers in the state. They rise from the Cameroonian mountains, straining almost the entire length of the state in the North and South directions to link up with the River Niger.[citation needed]
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.[4] 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 8.84km/h.[5]
Healthcares
Taraba state has many hospitals and health care centers, some of them are:
- Courage hospital
- Gateway hospital
- General hospital bali
- Sauki hospital and maternity
- Totus hospital and maternity
- Albert healthcare company
- Taraba specialist hospital[6]
- kwararafa hospital and maternity
- Federal polythecnic bali medical center
- First referal 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:
Languages
Languages of Taraba state listed by LGA include:[7]
| LGA | Languages |
|---|---|
| Ardokola | Fulfulde, Kona, Mumuye |
| Bali | Fulfulde; Ichen Language Fam; Gbaya, Northwest; Jibu; Jukun Takum; Kam; Mumuye; Ndoola; Chamba Dakka; chamba leko; Tiv; |
| Donga | Ichen Language, Ekpan, Chamba Leko, Tiv. |
| Gashaka | Ndoola, Fulfulde, Chamba Daka; Yamba Tiv |
| Gassol | Fulfulde, Wapan, Tiv |
| Ibi | Duguri; Dza, Tiv, Fulfulde, Wanu |
| Jalingo | Fulfulde, Kona, Mumuye; |
| Karim Lamido | Karimjo Jenjo Fulfulde; Dadiya; Dza; Jiba; Jiru; kodei; Kulung; Kyak; Laka; Munga Lelau; Loo; Mághdì; Mak; Munga Doso; Mumuye; Nyam; Pangseng; Wurkun-Anphandi; Shoo-Minda-Nye; Yandang; Hõne; Kwa; Pero. |
| Kurmi | Ndoro; Ichen language; Tigun language; Abon; Bitare. |
| Lau | Fulfulde, Dza; Loo; Yandang, Laka |
| Takum | Mashi; Bete; Ichen Language; Jukun Takum; Kapya; Kpan; Kpati; Kuteb; Lufu; Acha language Acha; Tiv; Yukuben |
| Wukari | Jukun, Ichen Language; Ekpan; Kpati; Kulung; Tarok; Tiv; Wapan |
| Sardauna | Fulfulde, Áncá; Batu; Buru; Fum; Lamnso'; Lidzonka; Limbum; Mambila; Mbembe, Tigon; Mbongno; Mvanip; Nde-Gbite; Ndoola; Ndunda; Nshi; Somyev; Viti; Vute; Yamba, kaka |
| Yorro | Mumuye, Fulfulde |
| Zing | Mumuye, Nyong; Rang; Yandang |
Ussa. Kuteb language
Other languages spoken in Taraba state are Akum, Bukwen, Esimbi, Fali of Baissa, Jiba, Njerep, Tha, Yandang, Yotti, Ywom.[7]
Agriculture
The major occupation of the people of Taraba state is agriculture. Cash crops produced in the state include coffee, tea, groundnuts and cotton.[citation needed] Crops such as maize, rice, sorghum, millet, cassava, and yam are also produced in commercial quantity.[8] In addition, cattle, sheep and goats are reared in large numbers, especially on the Mambilla Plateau, and along the Benue and Taraba valleys.[citation needed] Similarly, the people of Taraba state undertake other livestock production activities like poultry production, rabbit breeding and pig farming in fairly large scale. 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.[9][citation needed]
Natural resources
Taraba state has abundant natural resources for industrial and commercial use, these include:[10]
Mineral raw materials
Agro-raw materials
Culture
The government has made concerted efforts to improve areas of tourist attractions like Mambilla Tourist Center, Gumpti Park and game reserve in Gashaka; and Karimjo Obedah Festival in Karim Lamido and the Nwunyu fishing festival in Ibi, which 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,[12] Kati 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).
Gallery
Transportation In river Lamido, Taraba State
A Mountain in Gembu
The Mambilla Plateau
Donga River, Taraba state
Loop traditional dancers from Taraba State
Cijin Lake in Gembu, Taraba state
Ngel Nyaki Forest Reserve, 2012
Gashaka Gumti National Park Taraba State
Notable people
- Late Aisha Alhassan - Former Nigerian Minister of Women Affairs, Former Senator of Northern Zone of Taraba
- Emmanuel Bwacha - Senator Representing Southern Taraba, Deputy Senate Minority Leader at National Assembly
- Theophilus Danjuma - Nigerian soldier, Politician, Businessman, Nigerian Chief of Army Staff (1975-1979), Minister of Defence (1999-2003)
- Anna Darius Ishaku - Barrister, First Lady of the state/Wife to the Executive Governor, Darius Ishaku[13]
- Darius Dickson Ishaku - Current Governor of Taraba state
- Agbu Kefas - Governorship PDP Flag Bearer, 2023 Election[14]
- 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)
References
- ^ "2006 PHC Priority Tables – NATIONAL POPULATION COMMISSION". population.gov.ng. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
- ^ a b "C-GIDD (Canback Global Income Distribution Database)". Canback Dangel. Retrieved 20 August 2008.
- ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- ^ "Worlddata".
- ^ "Tcktcktck.org".
- ^ Mkom, John (16 October 2022). "Mosquitoes: Patients Berate Taraba Specialist Hospital Over Poor Environmental Sanitation". Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ a b "Nigeria". Ethnologue (22 ed.). Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- ^ "About". TARABA STATE GOVERNMENT. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
- ^ "Jobs in Taraba State". Retrieved 25 February 2022.
- ^ "Natural Resources Natural Resources Available in Taraba State". TARABA STATE GOVERNMENT. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ Hunkuyi, Magaji (29 October 2022). "How groundnut boosts economy of Taraba town". Daily Trust. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 9 June 2013.
- ^ "Taraba governor's wife gets award for empowering youths | The Nation Newspaper". 6 June 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ Online, Tribune (25 November 2022). "Appeal Court affirms Kefas as Taraba PDP governorship candidate". Tribune Online. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
External links
- Official website