By Keke Jako, August 28, 2026.
Taraba State Governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas, has called for a deliberate shift from celebrating the state’s vast natural endowments to converting them into tangible prosperity and improved living standards for citizens.
Kefas made the call on Thursday in Jalingo during a media briefing to mark the 35th anniversary of the creation of Taraba State, with the theme, “Taraba at 35: Consolidating Progress, Confronting Today’s Challenges and Building for the Future.”
The governor said the anniversary should provide an opportunity for the government to account for its stewardship, acknowledge outstanding challenges and clearly define the direction of the state.
According to him, 35 years after the creation of Taraba on August 27, 1991, the central challenge is no longer to demonstrate that the state has potential, but to transform its abundant land, water, minerals, agricultural resources, livestock, forests, tourism assets and energy opportunities into prosperity.
He said his administration, since assuming office on May 29, 2023, had been guided by the responsibility to improve the lives of citizens, particularly children, farmers, women, workers and young people.
Kefas identified education as the foundation of his administration’s development strategy, saying the government introduced free and compulsory basic and secondary education, reduced the financial burden on students in state-owned tertiary institutions and supported the payment of public examination fees.
He added that the government had also invested in learning materials, school infrastructure, supervision and quality assurance.
The governor, however, acknowledged that access alone was insufficient, stressing that the next phase of the education reform would focus on quality, discipline, teacher competence, accountability, technology and measurable learning outcomes.
He described education as not only a social service but also a long-term security, poverty-reduction and economic development strategy.
On healthcare, the governor said his administration had expanded interventions for vulnerable citizens, deployed mobile hospitals and undertaken projects in health facilities across several parts of the state, including Jalingo, Wukari, Karim Lamido, Bali, Zing, Takum and Warwar.
He said the administration would continue working to bring healthcare closer to underserved communities.
On infrastructure, Kefas said Taraba still faced significant deficits in roads, bridges, drainage and public facilities, noting that government was continuing interventions across the state.
He disclosed that the administration was also improving the Jalingo Airport, stressing that better connectivity was essential to the development of tourism, agriculture, commerce and investment.
“Infrastructure is economic policy. It is social policy. And, in many places, it is also security policy,” the governor said.
Kefas announced the Taraba Water Systems Plan, designed to move the state away from emergency repairs towards a sustainable water management system.
He said the plan would focus on understanding, protecting and developing the state’s water resources while establishing sustainable frameworks for urban and rural water supply.
“Water is health. Water is agriculture. Water is dignity. Water supports communities and industries,” he said.
The governor said his administration was determined to move Taraba’s agricultural sector from subsistence production to commercial agriculture through mechanisation, irrigation, storage, aggregation, processing and improved market access.
He said the Taraba Agricultural Transformation and Development Project (TAARD) would play a significant role in strengthening the agricultural value chain.
“Our farmers must no longer remain poor while feeding the nation,” Kefas declared.
On mining, he warned against illegal and environmentally destructive activities, while assuring genuine investors of a transparent and secure environment.
He said the state would increasingly pursue local value addition in the mining sector to ensure that mineral resources generate employment, technology, revenue and tangible benefits for host communities.
Kefas also identified energy as a major priority, noting that Taraba had significant hydro and solar potentials. He said government was working towards expanding rural electrification and attracting private investment to improve electricity supply across the state’s 168 wards.
On security, the governor said the administration had strengthened collaboration with security agencies, traditional institutions, local authorities and communities.
He said government had provided operational vehicles and motorcycles, supported security formations and intensified attention to vulnerable corridors, forests, border communities and areas exposed to criminal activities.
Kefas maintained that security could not depend solely on military or police action, noting that drug abuse, cultism, youth unemployment, criminal recruitment, illegal mining and land disputes must also be addressed.
He urged citizens to report suspicious movements and criminal activities before they escalate into violence.
The governor described traditional institutions as indispensable partners in governance, peacebuilding and community security.
He said traditional rulers were strategically positioned to provide early warnings, mediate communal disputes and help government understand challenges confronting citizens at the grassroots.
However, Kefas urged traditional rulers to remain neutral and serve as fathers to all, warning against the use of traditional authority to promote partisan politics, ethnic division, intimidation or discrimination.
Addressing the economic hardship confronting citizens, the governor acknowledged that families were struggling with high food prices, transportation costs and healthcare expenses.
He announced the Taraba CARES, a six-month Social Investment and Poverty Relief Programme scheduled to run from October 2026 to March 2027.
According to him, the programme will provide targeted food assistance, household support, temporary community employment, agricultural inputs, livelihood equipment, health and nutrition outreach, school-family assistance, emergency water interventions and support for vulnerable elderly persons and people living with disabilities.
Kefas stressed that the programme would not be a political sharing scheme, insisting that beneficiaries would be selected based on verified need, transparency and community accountability.
The governor also used the briefing to explain his decision to join the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the move was strategic and intended to strengthen Taraba’s relationship with the Federal Government and expand development opportunities for the state.
He said the decision did not amount to abandoning the people or his principles.
“I did not change my commitment to Taraba. I strengthened the platform from which I pursue that commitment,” Kefas said.
He pledged to work constructively with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Federal Government, National Assembly members, development institutions and other partners where such cooperation would advance the interests of Taraba.
Another major initiative announced by the governor was the Taraba Development Master Plan, which he said would provide a long-term framework for coordinated development across the state’s 16 Local Government Areas.
The plan, according to him, will cover roads, housing, agriculture, education, healthcare, water, energy, industry, tourism, sports and environmental management.
Kefas said the objective was to end what he described as “accidental development,” where projects are started and abandoned with changes in administration.
“Taraba will no longer develop accidentally. We will develop deliberately, scientifically, systematically and sustainably,” he said.
As political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 elections, the governor urged political actors to compete based on ideas and avoid exploiting ethnicity, religion and young people for political violence.
“Nobody’s ambition is worth the blood of a Taraba citizen,” he warned.
He called on security agencies to remain professional and impartial, while urging traditional rulers, religious leaders, political leaders and young people to play responsible roles in preserving peace.
Kefas declared that Taraba was not poor but possessed enormous resources that required proper organisation and investment to generate prosperity.
“Taraba is not poor. Our State is rich in land, water, minerals, agriculture, livestock, tourism, culture, sports talent, energy possibilities and human talent. Our challenge is to organise these blessings and convert them into prosperity,” he said.
He said the next phase of his administration would be judged not by announcements but by measurable results in education, healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure, security, investment, youth development, women empowerment and institutional reforms.
The governor said his vision was to reposition Taraba beyond the tenure of any individual administration.
He summed up the direction of the state as a transition “from potential to performance, from dependency to productivity, from division to unity, from isolated projects to planned development, from emergency responses to sustainable systems, and from promises to measurable results.”
Kefas urged Tarabans to unite across ethnic, religious, political and regional lines, stressing that the future of the state depended on collective responsibility.
“Elections will come. Administrations will come and go. But the development of Taraba must continue,” he said.
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