By Danjuma Attah, Gombe
The Tangale Community Development Association (TCDA) in collaboration with Elders of Tangale land has cried over deliberate neglect and marginalisation of its people by the administration of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State.
TCDA and it’s Elders have therefore explained these as the reasons why they totally and unanimously reject all forms of coercion to pay homage to the Governor.
They stated these during a press conference delivered by it’s National President, Comrade Danladi Bako, in Billiri, Wednesday afternoon.
According to them, the Tangale people have endured systemic neglect, marginalization, and repeated injustices that threaten not only their development but also the survival of their cultural and political voice.
They said, “Recent developments—including a planned visit to Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State and a resolution allegedly issued by the Tangale Traditional Council purporting to speak on behalf of our people—represent direct challenges to the authority, rights, and will of the Tangale people”.
They emphasized that the office of Mai Tangle (the paramount traditional ruler of the Tangale people), is currently being contested in a court of law, stressing that until the constitutional and traditional process concludes, no one—individual, proxy, or group—has the authority to act, negotiate, or claim legitimacy on behalf of the Tangale traditional institution. To this end, the outcome of the meeting lacks legitimacy”.
The TCDA particularly highlighted that due to the neglect and marginalisation of the Tangale people, resulting in near absence of Government presence in their land, they had to mobilize resources for community-driven development projects.
They said they have been supporting educational programs and provided school materials to children, assisted communities affected by attacks or crises, established healthcare interventions, including health outreaches, preserved cultural practices and promoted conflict resolution mechanisms among many others.
Parts of the statement reads: “We state clearly, neither the planned visit nor the purported resolution reflects the views, consent, or interests of our community.
“Both are deliberate attempts to coerce, manipulate, and bring the Tangale people under the influence and control of external forces.
“In the face of such threats, we speak today to reaffirm our unity, our independence, and our unyielding commitment to the protection of our heritage, self-governance, and rightful place in the Middle Belt of Nigeria.
“There have been attempts to coerce Tangale sons and daughters into travelling to Gombe for a so-called “Homage” to Governor Inuwa Yahaya. The TCDA completely dissociates itself from this event and any attempt to act in the name of the Tangale people.
“We emphasize: the Governor of Gombe State does not deserve homage from the Tangale people. Under his administration, the Tangale community—a minority group in southern Gombe and a vital part of the Middle Belt—has witnessed injustices, neglect, and repeated provocations that continue to affect our social, economic, and cultural development.
“Therefore, any staged in the name of Tangale is not only misleading but deeply insulting to our collective history and sacrifices”, the statement stressed.
End.
