Sen Bwacha Weeps Over Rising Taraba Debt Burden 

By Andrew Ojih,  Jalingo. 

The 2023 Taraba state governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress APC in the last general elections, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha on Friday lamented over the debt burden of the state. 

Bwacha while speaking during his declaration  to contest for the governorship seat come  2027 expressed worried that the debt profile of the state has risen alarmingly.

He highlighted that the debt profile has risen from about 237 billion naira in 2023 to over a trillion naira.

“Our debt profile has risen alarmingly from about 237 billion naira in 2023 to over a trillion naira today. This raises serious concerns about prudence, accountability, and leadership capacity.

Before October 2012, under the leadership of the late Governor Danbaba Danfulani Suntai, Taraba was on a clear path of progress. After the unfortunate plane crash, the state began to decline” he expressed worried. 

He expressed dismay that Taraba state stands on the brink, stressing that challenges exist, but  what the state is going through goes beyond challenges. 

“We see a lack of transparency, disregard for the rule of law, fiscal irresponsibility, waste of public resources and  poor economic planning” he added. 

He stressed that governance has drifted away from the people, noting that public service has been replaced with self-serving interests.

He hinted that  poverty has worsened, infrastructure has decayed, insecurity has spread across Taraba communities, agriculture has weakened and scandals have become frequent.

He added that his  decision to contest the seat in 2027 under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was as a result of abysmal performance of governor Agbu Kefas that has inflicted untold hardship on the people of the state. 

“If given the opportunity to serve Tarabans,  I will pursue a clear break from the present system and  focus on meaningful, structural development that would improves the lives of our people and not cosmetic projects.

I will invest in education where teachers training, improve staff welfare and  proper funding will strengthen policies and partners with institutions and technology hubs to modernize learning.

In agriculture I  will unlock our full potential, build value chains, connect farmers to markets, and make agriculture attractive especially to young people and women” he added.