Taraba Governor Kefas urges citizens be more united, encourages them to be hopeful in new year

By Yusuf Salihu Sansani, Jalingo

Governor of Taraba State Dr. Agbu Kefas has urged citizens to be more united and encouraged them to be hopeful and steadfast as they celebrate the new year.

The Governor who stated this in his Christmas message to the people of the state, maintained that 2025 is not just a new year but a new chapter filled with opportunities and expressed confidence that with God’s guidance, commitment by his administration and the support of every citizen the state will achieve greatness.

“I urged Tarabans across ethic, religious and political lines to unite for the the common good, the strength of our diversity lies in our ability together towards a shared goals let us foster the spirit of togetherness that has always defined us as Tarabans,” the Governor said.

Reflecting on the year 2024, Governor Kefas said his administration embarked on an ambitious journey to transform Taraba State and despite several challenges he was proud of the strides the administration made together with the people in the area of peace and security.

“Peace is the foundation of progress, we have been able to Strengthened security across all 168 wards in the State with other Security Agencies through the Joint Intelligence Network and expansion of the Taraba Marshall, working closely with traditional institutions and neighboring states” Kefas boasted.

He said health and wellbeing of the people are paramount to his Government, the administration has built and still building new healthcare centers, to provide free medical care for children, pregnant women and vulnerable groups, and increased investments in maternal health programs procured a new mobile clinic van equipped with modern medical facilities which can be deployed to support clinical services in hard to reach communities in Taraba State.

“Our children are the future of Taraba state we have successfully launched free and compulsory education for Primary and Secondary levels, this year, we would continue to improve school infrastructure, recruit qualified teachers and ensure access to quality education for all, Modern schools are going to be constructed in all 16 Local Government Areas in the State using innovative building technologies and
our youth skill acquisition programs and entrepreneurship support will remain top priorities” the Governor promised.

On Unfrastructure, he disclosed that so far there are plans on improving the road networks, he will focus on road construction and bridges, and urban facilities such as water supply systems and modern motor parks and markets in major cities like Jalingo, and other Local Government Areas

“AsTaraba is blessed with vast Agricultural potentials, we will revolutionize Agriculture and increased yields, we have remodeled several of our Agricultural Facilities; farmers were supported with modern farm inputs, youths were trained and empowered to handle advanced farming systems and in order to respond to the threat of hunger, we have procured 3,500 metric tons of assorted grains and reserved for our citizens our target is to procure up to 10,000 metric tons of assorted grains”. the Governor further promised.

Governor Kefas said to secure Taraba State future, the Government must enhance the capacity to generate revenue internally which means tapping into the vast agricultural, mineral and tourism potentials, already the administration has prioritized measures to improve tax collection systems, eliminate revenue leakages, and ensure accountability.

“Our civil service is the engine driving Governance, to ensure it operates at maximum capacity, we are implementing comprehensive reforms this includes capacity building programs, regular payment of salaries, pension and gratuities, and full implementation of the New National Minimum Wage we are committed to creating a civil service that is
responsive, transparent and
accountable to the people this is not just a promise but a responsibility we owe to every Taraban,” Dr. Kefas promised again.

The Governor also harped on Tartiary Institutions and Justice to the People,

“Transparenrency remains cornerstone of this administration, in 2025, we will strengthen mechanisms for citizen engagement and ensure that every naira spent is accounted for together, we will continue to build trust and mutual respect” Dr. Kefas said.

The Governor urged citizens of Taraba State-across ethnic, religious, and political lines-to unite for the common good adding that the strength of the diversity of the people lies in the ability to work together toward shared goals.