Tension In Taraba As Chief Of Staff Resigns

There is tension in Taraba State Government House as the Chief of Staff to the governor, Rebo Usman, tendered his resignation letter to Governor Darius Ishaku yesterday. A source told Vanguard that Rebo Usman, in the early hours of yesterday, went to the office of the governor to present the letter. According to the source, “he came in without his usual Police escort; he was calm and steady. He went in silently and came out without discussing with anybody.


“After a while, a private vehicle came in and his personal items were removed and parked into the vehicle, with which he left.” The source said there had been a rift between the former Chief of Staff and the governor. At a function at Jolly Nyame Stadium in Jalingo, Governor Ishaku had lamented the fall in internally-generated revenue, IGR, from timber sales. The timber sector, the highest revenue-earning sector in the state, was under the Ministry of Environment before it was moved to the office of the Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on Revenue through the influence of the Chief of Staff. Other people at Government House were of the opinion that the resignation was in connection with the political rift between the governor and the senator representing Taraba South, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, who is the political leader of Donga Local Government Area, where Rebo Usman also comes from. Contacted, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Bala Danhabu, said he was yet to be briefed on the matter.

He, however, promised to get back to Vanguard later. Meanwhile, at press time, Usman did not pick calls to his phone and also did not reply a text message.