Chieftaincy Tussle: Taraba govt spearheading injustice against its own people- Kuteb Yatso.
By Worldview Magazine.
As the wrangling over the Ukwe Takum Stool continues to deepen, the Kuteb Yatso of Nigeria, have accused the taraba state government of spearheading injustice against its own people.
The group who aired their grievances through a press briefing held in jalingo on Tuesday, also restated their dismay over the governor’s approval of the rotation of the Ukwe Takum Stool.
They described the stance of the government as a preconceived injustice against the peace loving Kuteb people stressing that the move is unconstitutional and targeted at destroying the cultural and traditional heritage of the ethnic group.
“It is baffling that the incumbent governor came on board with an agenda hell bent on trying to achieve his godfather’s biggest lifetime ambitions by coming up with an absurd idea of rotational chieftaincy between three distinct tribes in takum which is a cultural and traditional genocide to the Kuteb Dynasty of the Ukwe Takum paramount stool.
“The government is now the one spearheading injustice against its own people. It is completely against the constitution and law that is targeted at an ethnic group to destroy their cultural and traditional heritage in their community”
The group also alleged that the governor had influenced the passage of the law at the House of Assembly, adding that the majority of those who made presentations unanimously rejected the mischievous bill.
On their reasons for boycotting the meeting held in Jalingo to discuss the issues, they said
“How can we participate in the Jalingo arranged selection that we have from the onset rejected the ill-conceived law? it is common sense that you cannot not build something on nothing and expect it to stand or thrive.
“We unanimously boycotted the exercise because it is against our culture and tradition to exchange the Ukwe Takum stool for a alien chief of takum stool created by Governor Agbu Kefas with a strange rotation policy.”
They further clarified that the Ukwe has been selected according to their rights and government should step in and ensure the officials presentation of staff to the said person in the interest of peace.
“Ukwe Takum has been selected according to the tradition and custom of the kuteb people with all the necessary rites observed and there wasn’t any form of disagreement between the ruling houses. This was done in line with the taraba state 1997 order signed by the state military administrator oyakhire as recommended by various panels and committees reports on Takum chieftaincy issue.
“We therefore urge the government in the interest of peace, fairness and justice to step in and initiate the process of presenting staff of office to officially recognize the selected Ukwe Takum and not to initiate a strange and alien selection process that has no historical or sociocultural background nor existence ever before now as being shoved into the throats of the Kuteb nation by the current Taraba state government” they said.
They made emphasis on the fact that they cannot be a part of what they described as a daylight robbery by allowing the Ukwe Takum stool to be destroyed.
“In conclusion, we still want to state that we can never be part of such daylight robbery and illegality by allowing our revered Ukwe Takum stool to be destroyed by some unbridled and clearly sponsored merchants of anarchy in government” the said
