By Femi Bolaji

JALINGO — Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, has announced the introduction of Taraba CARES, a six-month social investment and poverty relief programme aimed at cushioning the impact of economic hardship on vulnerable residents.

The programme is scheduled to run from October 2026 to March 2027.

Kefas made the announcement in Jalingo during a statewide media briefing to mark the 35th anniversary of the creation of Taraba State.

He said the intervention would provide targeted food assistance, emergency community employment, agricultural inputs, healthcare outreaches and direct support for persons with disabilities and the elderly.

The governor warned against politicising the programme, stressing that beneficiaries would be selected based on verified need, transparency and community accountability.

“Taraba CARES will not become a political sharing programme. It does not belong to any political party, tribe, or religious group; it belongs to vulnerable Tarabans. Selection must be based on verified need, transparency, and community accountability,” he said.

Kefas also unveiled the Taraba Development Master Plan and Taraba Water Systems Plan, describing them as blueprints aimed at institutionalising long-term development planning across the state’s 16 local government areas.

He said the plans were designed to address the culture of abandoned projects and uncoordinated policy implementation.

“For too long, development in our state has depended on the personal preferences of whoever occupies office.

“One administration starts a project, and the next abandons it.

“Taraba will no longer develop accidentally; we will develop deliberately, systematically, and sustainably,” the governor said.

Reviewing his administration’s achievements across various sectors, Kefas said the state’s free and compulsory basic and secondary education policy was entering its second phase, with emphasis on teacher competency, technology integration and measurable learning outcomes.

On infrastructure and economic development, the governor said ongoing upgrades at the Jalingo Airport and rural road corridors were aimed at unlocking the state’s tourism and agricultural value chains under the Taraba Agricultural and Rural Development (TAARD) initiative.

Kefas also warned against illegal and exploitative mining activities in the state.

He said while Taraba remained open to legitimate investors, the government would insist on local value addition, environmental protection and tangible benefits for host communities.