By Okerafor Athanasius, Jalingo
Members of the Taraba State House of Assembly (TSHA) have denied allegations that they received a princely N150 billion from the state Governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas, as bribe before approving his request for a N350 billion bond recently.
Chairman, House of Assembly Committee on Information, Hon. Nelson Len, in a press conference at the State Assembly complex in Jalingo, denied the accusations, describing such as false, baseless and unfounded.
PeopleandPolitics.net reports that recently, a chieftain of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State, Alhaji Ardo Jika accused the Assembly members of collecting the bribe before approving the governor’s bond request.
Jika, who is Nigeria’s former Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, in a statement he signed and issued to journalists in Jalingo,the state capital, also described as worrisome that such sum of money for the bond would be approved without monitoring ways of its utilization and repayment.
The former envoy also expressed concern that despite all loans received by the State government since its accession to power, coupled with the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), there has allegedly been no meaningful development in the State.
But, Hon. Len, who represents Nguroje State constituency of Sardauna Local Government Area (LGA), called on people of the state to disregard the information, saying it was triggered by mischief makers who, to him, do not mean well for the state.
The legislator who further explained that no government can operate successfully without collecting loans, emphasized that his colleagues approved the governor’s bond request because it will give greater life to the State government’s projects.
“The lawmakers did not receive any financial incentives before granting approval.
“The funds will be accessed in N20 billion tranches and will be used for meaningful projects”, he said.
Denying an alleged claim also that the Assembly was a mere rubber stamp for Gov. Kefas, the Assembly spokesman insisted that the legislative arm of government remained independent and was committed to its primary objective of making laws.
Meanwhile, as Muslims in Taraba celebrate the ongoing Eid-el-fitr, state Chairman of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Hon. (Dr) Aminu Jauro Hassan, has felicitated Gov. Kefas and the Muslim Ummah.
Lauding them all for the successful celebration of the 2025 Sallah, Hassan, in a WhatsApp chat with our correspondent, said he is most grateful to Almighty Allah for the lives of the Ummah who successfully passed through the month-long Ramadan fast precedent to Eid-el-fitr.
He saluted Gov. Kefas for creating what he described as a conducive and peaceful atmosphere that led to the successful celebration of the Eid-el-fitr festivity.
The ALGON Chairman, who also holds the position of National Welfare officer of ALGON and Chairman, Jalingo LGA, further enjoined Muslims across the 16 LGAs of the State to always embrace peace, coexist peacefully with one another and steer clear of trouble.
Furthermore, he implored them to obey constituted authorities and laws of the land.
According to the ALGON Chairman, Eid-el-fitr commemorates the end of Ramadan fast and symbolizes gratitude to Allah for the strength given to the Ummah from dawn to dusk and/or sunset to perform the holy obligation.
Urging residents of Taraba to be committed to their various assignments, the ALGON boss emphasized that all hands must be on deck and align with the Moving Forward Agenda of Gov. Kefas.
“See yourselves doing things and contributing to the development of our dear State, Taraba.
“Always support the programmes and policies of His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Taraba State, Dr. Agbu Kefas for him to succeed”, he said.
