Community leaders from the Tiba Chamba tribe
Tiba Chamba tribal community located on the Tiba Mountains in Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State has declared that its communities, which accommodate over 50,000 people, including women and children, have been completely neglected by all levels of government.
The Chambas, who are from the same tribal lineage as former Minister of Defence, General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma (rtd), said their communities are located on the Tiba Mountain, more than 10 kilometres above sea level, along the border between Taraba and Adamawa states.
Community leaders, who spoke with NATIONAL ACCORD correspondent, said the communities are under the Daka Chiefdom in Gan-Tiba Ward of Bali LGA. They explained that despite existing for hundreds of years, the area has no hospital, school, police outpost, communication network, or source of clean water.
The district head of Tiba, Alhaji Muhamed Suleiman, told our correspondent that there is no access road for bicycles, motorcycles, or vehicles. He emphasised that the only means of transportation to the area is through the use of donkeys and horses.
“We have constructed traditional wooden beds. Whenever our women are in labour and experience difficulties during delivery in the hands of our traditional birth attendants, we use the wooden beds to convey them on donkeys to Genye, a nearby town in Adamawa State.
“There was a dispensary called Tiba Dispensary Health Centre, but the structures collapsed many years ago. No nurse has worked there for years. We also had a school called Tiba Primary School, but it has not existed for a long time. Our children do not know what a school is. They have never seen a moving vehicle apart from donkeys and horses.
“We have none of our indigenous sons or daughters employed at any level of government, whether local, state, or federal. No government official has ever visited us. All we know is that we have a representative in the Taraba State House of Assembly, Hamman Adams, who is the Deputy Speaker of the House.
“We produce farm products in large quantities, but there is no means of transporting them to the market. We trek to the nearest markets in Adamawa State, carrying our farm produce on our heads. Our own state has neglected us. We still live and die as if we are living in ancient times.”
Suleiman added: “It is true that we have tribal connections with one of the most popular retired generals, TY Danjuma. We are Chamba like him, but we only hear people talk about him and how generous he is. We are calling on our father, uncle, and son, TY Danjuma, to use his position and come to our aid.
“We are being treated in isolation. Let the state government create a Development Area for us. We want to have a sense of belonging in government,” Suleiman said.
