Following the signing into law of an executive bill to create one rotational first class chief and three third class chiefs in Takum local government area of Taraba state, the state governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas, has given life to the law by approving the appointment of two 3rd class chiefs.
The State Commissioner of Information, Zainab Usman Jalingo, who announced this, said the approval followed the selection done by Takum Kingmakers.
She informed that the governor has ratified the selection of HRH Uhwe Bala Ephraim (Tsohon Jukun Takum) and HRH Barr Sopiya Ahmadu Gboshi III (Gar Chamba Takum) as 3rd-Class Chiefs.
Meanwhile, the Kuteb Ethnic group, which according to the new law, is also expected to have one 3rd class chief in the area, has expressed dissatisfaction with the state government’s move.
National Secretary of Kuteb Yatso of Nigeria, a socio-cultural association of the Kuteb people, John Irash, who spoke, insisted on not denigrating their ancestral stool, against the wishes of the state government.
According to him, “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 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 Chief of Takum stool created by governor Agbu Kefas with a strange rotation policy.”
He therefore urged the state government to expedite action by presenting staff of office to their selected Ukwe Takum.
