A former Minister of Defence, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, on Saturday commended Governor Agbu Kefas of Taraba for resolving the prolonged Takum chieftaincy tussle by appointing a king after 28 years.
Danjuma gave the commendation at the inauguration ceremony of HRM. Sopiya Ahmadu, the new traditional ruler of Takum.
He said the history of Takum as advanced by the Kuteb people was false and only known to those trying to cause trouble.
“The Kutebs are the people of the hills and cannot lay claim to be sole ownership of Takum,” he said.
Danjuma advised Kefas to be ready to face more litigations on the chieftaincy issue, assuring him that he would win over falsehood.
He urged the young people in the area to go to school and acquire knowledge that would be beneficial to the community.
While congratulating Ahmadu on his ascension to the throne of his great grandfathers, Danjuma called on him to see it as a call to service and treat all people equally.
Kefas recalled the challenges on the way to reconciliation, fairness and unity, appealed to the people to give peace a chance.
“Today, we bring peace and unity to Takum. As the chief of Takum, you must rule with integrity and respect for all. This is not a moment of victory, but a moment for shared prosperity and a great future for Takum.
“We pledge to ensure that all displaced people return to their homes and to assist those in need to return to normal lives for a brighter and inclusive future,” he said.
On his part, former Governor of Plateau state, Jonah Jang, while congratulating the people of Takum, called on the governors in the country to demand for state police to enable them to police their territories well.
Meanwhile, Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo state called on Tarabans to embrace peace to harness God’s given resources and talents of the state.
“Today marks the beginning of a new dawn and prosperity in Takum and Taraba. With the inauguration of the new chief of Takum, prosperity and peace will be restored and the people will be happy,” Obaseki said.
In his vote of thanks, HRM. Sopiya Ahmadu the new chief, called on all ethnic in Takum to forget their differences and join hands to build the chiefdom.
He pledged to focus on security to ensure that peace was accelerated for the good of the land.
The Takum chieftaincy stool, usually referred to as, “Ukwe Takum” as resolved for the Kuteb ruling class has now been amended by a law assented to by Governor Agbu Kefas. The stool is to now rotated among the Chamba, Kuteb and Kpanzu peoples of Takum.
However, the Kuteb people had in a press conference recently rejected the rotational arrangement, saying they would not recognise the new chief, who is of Chamba extraction since the Takum first class stool is the sole traditional dynasty of the Kuteb people.
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