FULL TEXT OF A PRESS CONFERENCE ORGANISED BY KUTEB YATSO OF NIGERIA (KYN) IN CONJUNCTION WITH LIKAM AND AKENTE RULING HOUSES OF UKWE TAKUM, READ BY THE NATIONAL PRESIDENT OF KYN, COMRADE EMMANUEL UKWEN, ON JANUARY 23, 2024, AT NUJ PRESS CENTRE, JALINGO.
The attention of Kuteb Yatso of Nigeria (KYN), LIKAM AND AKENTE RULING HOUSES OF UKWE TAKUM has been drawn to the outcome of the consultative meeting, His Excellency, Governor Agbu Kefas had with LIKAM AND AKENTE RULING HOUSES OF UKWE TAKUM on Saturday, 20th day of January,
2024, wherein His Excellency told the ruling Houses of his resolve to demolish the Kuteb Takum Dynasty and do something else.
2. We wish to bring to the attention of the public that the journey for the paramount rulership of Takum known and called “UKWE TAKUM” started as from 1510.
Later when the colonial masters after due findings and consultations came to the irresistible conclusion in 1914 to upgrade Ukwe Ahmadu Gankwe (who was already Ukwe in the Kuteb succession lineage since 1912 as the paramount ruler (Ukwe) of Takum.
He reigned for 14 years and was succeeded by the following in this chronological order.
i. Ukwe Hassan Gankwe (1926-1929)
ii . Ukwe Ibrahim Kufang Zorto
(1929-1938)
iii. Ukwe Audu Gya’a Gankwe
iv. Ukwe Ali Ibrahim Kufang II
(1963-1996)
After the death of Ukwe Ali Ibrahim Kufang II in 1996, the stool had remained vacant.
Gentlemen of the press, the public is further reminded that several federal and state government commission of inquiries, panels, committees and intellectual write ups on the paramount rulership of Takum were set up and they have all recommended that the “Ukwe Takum” stool is an exclusive preserve of the Kuteb ruling houses of AKENTE and LIKAM.
The Taraba state government, in order to put an end to all the lingering issues in the paramount rulership of Takum once and for all, accepted all the recommendations of these commissions, panels, and committees sealed same by issuing a GOVERNMENT WHITE PAPER on 28th day of April, 2021 directing the Taraba State Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to set in motion the machinery for the appointment of new “UKWE TAKUM”.
Gentlemen of the press, on the determination by the governor to honour Gen. T.Y. Danjuma for his developmental strides in the state which is not in doubt, we wish to state emphatically that as lofty as such developments are, Gen. T.Y. Danjuma cannot be honoured with a traditional stool of UKWE TAKUM or any other traditional stool in the state. Traditional stool is distinct and separate from traditional title and so cannot be dished out to anybody outside the royal families.
In this wise, Gen. T.Y. Danjuma can be honoured with a “Traditional Title” not an existing chieftaincy stool. Ascension to traditional stools being subject to product of native law and custom are by Inheritance.
If this is allowed, even other traditional stools in the state will one day be given to any person in the state who had performed brilliantly and credibly well in his developmental strides. God forbid.
5. It is therefore clear from the foregoing that the paramount ruler of Takum is undoubtedly an existing stool based on Kuteb native law and custom. The present position of His Excellency that he will destroy the Kuteb Ukwe Dynasty and give others the right to ascend to the stool of the paramount ruler of Takum under Whatsoever disguise is akin to the Biblical story of King Ahab and Naboth’s Vineyard in 1Kings 21:1-16 (KJV).
Just as rightly stated by Naboth in verse 3… “the Lord forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my Fathers unto thee”.
The Kuteb see the UKWE TAKUM STOOL as the inheritance of their fathers and have no reason whatsoever to give or share it with any other non-Kuteb under whatsoever guise.
We wish to humbly state further that the position of His Excellency recently to destroy the Kuteb Dynasty of Ukwe Takum has no root and is quite unacceptable.
6. Gentlemen of the Press, in a meeting we had with the governor at Jalingo and Wukari, His Excellency said that he being from a royal lineage has no intention whatsoever to tamper with any already existing traditional set up.
Turning around now try to destroy the Kuteb Dynasty in Takum will amount to asking for the head of Kuteb.
We as a people know that though Gen. Danjuma is a mentor to Governor Agbu Kefas, but we also believe that he, being a prince knows the value of maintaining the culture of inheritance in traditional leadership succession process; we know Dr. Agbu Kefas as an astute preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ, an intelligent conflict resolution scholar, an advocate, a retired military officer who knows the need to protect lives and property of citizens; a democratic governor who has surrounded himself with government officials with great knowledge and experience of administration for good governance; we therefore believe that the governor for the sake of his integrity would not want to stoop low to abuse the state powers vested on him as Governor of Taraba state.
The method of Takum traditional stool being contemplated by the governor in the selection and appointment of Ukwe Takum is unknown to us and never applied in the cases of Aku Uka, Gara Donga, Lamdo Gashaka, Chief of Mambila and Kpanti Zing were selected.
Why is the state government using this method in the case of Takum?
9. This subtle plan by Governor Agbu Kefas to involve the 1st and 2nd class chiefs in the state in the traditional selection of chief or traditional rulers, if not halted will definitely set a bad precedence in the whole state.
Takum chiefdom will then become a reference point as there is no any chiefdom or Kingdom that do not have other tribes residing and carrying out business in the chiefdom e.g. Muri Emirate has Jukun, Kona, Mumuye, Wurkun, Jenjo etc. Wukari has Tiv, Kuteb, Kpanzo, Chamba and Ichen and Donga has Ichen, Kpanzo, Tiv and Kuteb.
10. In as much as we all respect Gen. T.Y. Danjuma, his development projects in Takum should not be used as a bait to attract some traditional rulers in the state to support the alleged proposal of the state governor to select a Chamba man to fill the vacant stool of Ukwe Takum as a reward to Gen. T.Y. Danjuma.
11. We wish to remind governor Kefas Agbu his covenant with Kuteb nation at Jalingo and Wukari in which he said: “I being from royal lineage would not do anything that will destroy the native law and custom relating to your tradition.
Moreso that traditional stools has something to do with felish practice you will even benefit more than others in my govt”.
12. We also wish to inform His Excellency Gov. Kefas Agbu that Ukwe Takum stool is not an exclusive affair of the Likam and Akenten ruling houses but a Kuteb nation affairs as a whole. So by always inviting the Akenten and Likam only to discuss the Ukwe Takum issue is not good enough.
13. The governor also told Kuteb delegation in a meeting on sat. 20th January, 2024 that all Kuteb leaders are dead and that Kuteb have enemies around them e.g. Tiv, Chamba, Fulanis, adding that how would they succeed as they have no one to stand for them, the governor failed to remind himself such as Tivs, Fulanis
and Hausas does it then mean that Wukari people will not succeed?
14. To your traditional rulers in the state they should know that they came to the throne of their fore-fathers through inheritance as such they should advise the governor on the right things to do in the case of Takum Ukwe stool. They are custodians of traditional and customs and should protect it anywhere by all cost. they should be mindful of nemesis.
15. To our security chiefs we call on them to advise the governor against instigating violence or crises in Takum. Our security chiefs should focus on the rampaging kidnapping and banditry in the state rather than allowing the
governor to cause mayhem in Takum which has being engulfed in crises in which innocent blood have been spilled over the years.
16. In this regard, we thank our brothers and friends who understood our plights and always stood by us in the great struggle.
We call on Kuteb youths to remain calm, law abiding and be cautious of the misuse of social media.
Thank you and God bless.
