Like a child’s play, the Mambilla Plateau Tea factory located in Kakara village of Sardauna Local Government Council of Taraba state, which had in the past two decades had been left unattended, has began to reduce youth unemployment in the state, as well boost the State’s Internal Revenue. This is evident as Quick News Africa made its findings following Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku intervention to revive the moribund industry.
Aside completing the abandoned 400 kilowatt hydro power dam that has made power available for the company to operate effectively, plans had been concluded by the state government to construct an additional 330 Kilowatt hydro power dam within the vicinity.
The presence of stable power in the area, as noticed by our reporter, has not only injected life into the tea factory which is popularly known as Highland Tea but led to massive explosion of business activities in the village as most of the youths who have in the past been idle have now engaged themselves in various treads which includes charging of handset batteries, hair dressing and barbing etc.
Admitting that the company that had in the past twenty years been unable to see the light of the day, its capacity to generate funds for the state provides peace in the area. The Governor is affirmative that rural development is a panacea for peace and security.
Rural communities, that wants to attract the state government attention and presence, the governor said ” must first of all give me peace, and I would in turn reciprocate by giving them development” stating that ” because I will not invest in any part of the state that peace is lacking.”
Collaborating the governor’s claims, the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Abel Peter Diah told Quick News Africa that it ” is impossible for any investor to throw his or her money in crisis area” hence the need for the people of the state irrespective of religion, ethnic and political party affiliations to give the much needed helping hands to our governor so that all the developments that had eluded us in the past can be able to find there ways back to our state”.
Some of the community leaders who bared their minds to our reporter during a visit to the area, were surprised that even when they failed to cast their votes for the governor in the last election, the governor deemed it necessary to mop up the drooling tears on their faces which they said was heralded by poverty.
A night in the community, Quick News Africa, observed was an indication that the mass exodus of the people to the urban center has no doubt been under check following the availability of power and a functioning tea factory.
” As far as we are now concern, the idea of leaving this place to Jalingo or any of the cities in the country in search of jobs, is now a thing of the past because what we are looking for in Sokoto had been made available to us here in our community.” says a community leader.
This was general believed of some of the youths who spoke to our correspondent through their leader, Ndoti Gabriel.
Also in his word, one of the village heads of the council, Jauro Usmane, was of the view that the ” kind of development that embrace peaceful societies can never be compare to the level of destructions that crisis often brings.”
” so as one of the leaders of this council, I will always join voice with our representative in government to ensure that peace, peace and peace continue to reign in every communities, our state and the country as a whole.”
Stressing their readiness to jealously protect the newly installed machines in the factor and other equipments which includes the dam, the community as generally agreed by them would eschew acts that would debar governments at all levels from extending olive branch to the people.
The present booming nature of the community, as further noticed by our reporter, has as well began to attract persons from the neighboring Cameroon Republic to the area.
Citing the recent commissioning of rural electrification projects in Bali council, more plans, to spread development to rural communities in the state, according to the Senior Special Adviser to the governor on Media Matters, Sylvanus Y. Giwa, ” are in the pipelines provided they will make peace available to my principal.”
