IN THE BEGINNING…...…….(WAS FROM 1981 - DATE)
What is today known as Donga Local
Government was created in October 1981, during the Shagari Administration in
the second Republic. In the past 35 years, Donga Local Government has had a
good number of political leaders elected and appointed.
After
the creation of Donga local government by the Shagari Administration in 1981,
Bala Zhema, an indigene of Wukari Local Government area was appointed the first
Sole Administrator of the New Donga Local Government Area.
BALA ZHEMA
Popularly known as Evangelist Bala
Zhema, was born on 4th January 1934
in Wukari, Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State.
He attended Ebenezer Primary School from 1958 to 1964. He also attended Federal Training Centre,
Kaduna from 1968 to 1969 and between 1972 and 1976; he was at Kaduna
Polytechnic where he graduated with Diploma in Local Government Administration.
Zhema ruled the affairs of the Donga Local Government Area for just few months and handed over to J.D. Manga, an indigene of Donga and the then Chairman, Great Nigerian People’s Party (GNPP), in Donga in the year 1982. J.D. Manga’s Administration was considered action packed. During his administration, the state Government mounted and wired the Electrical Poles in Donga town and Pipe Bone water (Pump).
However, the Second
Republic, which kicked off on 1st October 1979 was not destined to last. This
was because series of Elections, which ushered in the Second Republic was said
to have been riddled with electoral malpractices and the ethnicity of political
parties at the time accelerated the pace of its demise. Hope and anxiety later
defined the first two years of democracy in Nigeria and the New Donga Local
Government Area. But hope soon petered out. Anxiety yielded way to tension,
then to crisis in the country. Shagari was then accused of mismanagement of the
Nation’s Economy. In the process, the second Republic became a celebration of
rigging and mindless looting that faintly foreshadowed the great looting to
come.
On 31st December, 1983, four months into J.D. Manga’s second term of office,
the soldiers led by Mohammed Buhari, a Major, Stroked in the history of the
country. Sani-Abacha, then a brigadier told Nigerians in an early hour
broadcast to the Nation that Shagari and his men had been sacked from position
of state power. Mohammed Buhari was later announced as the new Head of State
and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
JONATHAN MANGA
J.D. Manga was born in Donga, Donga
Local Government Area in 1930 and attended Donga Native Authority Elementary
School between 1940 and 1944.
He
is also a household name in Donga Local Government Area. He was one of the core
founders of Donga District Secondary School (Now GSSS), Donga. He left school and went into business and
farming in 1965. By 1962 he was appointed Caretaker Chairman, Dauda Kwancha
Primary School, Donga, after his participation in the SRDK course held in
Wukari. J.D. Manga later went to Gindiri for another course between 1964 and
1965.
When Buhari took over,
he sacked all political machineries and new Sole administrators were to take
over all affairs of the state and local governments in the country. A new Sole
Administrator, Lezuya Ismaila, an indigene of Donga town was later appointed
immediately to manage the affairs of Donga Local government. In the wake of time, Donga local Government that was created by Shagari Administration was scrapped by the new administration of Buhari/Idiagbon and was then merged with Takum Local Government to form part of it. Since then, Donga became a part of Takum local government area.
ISMAILA LEZUYA
Ismaila Lezuya was born in Wukari
Local Government Area of Taraba State on April 28th 1939 to a Chamba
family. He was educated at Benue Middle
School, Katsina-Ala between 1955 and 1956; from there he went to Institute of
Administration, Zaria in 1968. He
attended Personal Management and Industrial Relation at ASCON, in 1983. He then proceeded to Institute of
Administration again, where he later obtained his Advance Diploma in Public
Administration.
However, the
Buhari/Idiagbon Administration was later severely criticized for Violation of
Human Rights and dictatorial tendencies. But some Nigerians believed that the
regime was the best the country could afford at the time. General Ibrahim
Babangida didn’t share this opinion. He toppled the Buhari/Idiagbon
Administration in the early hours of August 27, 1985.
Babangida decreed into
existence 2 parties funded by the government, namely, the Social Democratic
Party, (SDP), and the National Republican Convention, (NRC). Since these
political parties had no founders, all Nigerians were directed to join either
of them. This was seemed to have solved the problem of hijacking the political
parties by individuals. But some politicians refused to join the two parties
and called them government parastaltals.
Local government
elections were conducted across the country towards the end of 1990 and elected
council officials assumed office in January, 1991.
JOLLY BWEFA YERIMA
Bwefwa Yerima was born on 20th
August 1958 at Nugwii, the present Nyivu in Donga Local Government Area of
Taraba State. He was named after Late Ambassador Jolly Tanko in remembrance of
the late Ambassador's first appointment as a Provincial Secretary and his
subsequent election into the Northern Nigeria House of Assembly, Kaduna.
Jolly attended Nyita Primary School
and completed his Primary Education at Faki Road, Tudun Wada, Kaduna in July
1974. He was admitted into Kufena
College (then St. Paul's College) Wusasa Zaria and completed in 1979.MARKUS DAUDA IKITSOMBIKAA
Markus Ikitsombika was born in
Nwuhwa, Donga Local Government Area of Taraba State on 1st August, 1945. He received his primary education at EKAS
Junior Primary School Nyita from 1958 to 1963 and EKAS Senior Primary School,
Baissa between 1964 and 1966. He was at
TTC, Mubi from 1967 to 1971 and Advanced Teachers College, Zaria from 1967 to
1976 where he obtained his Grade II and National Certificate in Education,
Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) in Science Education and a Master Degree (M. Ed)
in Planning Administration from ABU, Zaria and University of Jos respectively.
He was appointed Chairman, Donga
Local Government in April, 1994.
WAZIRI SALIHU MAMMAN
DANJUMA AUDU
Audu was born on 15th May 1959, in
Sanso Donga Local Government Area, began his Primary Education in Donga West
Primary School, Donga from 1968 to 1970 and was at Chanchanji Primary school,
Takum Local Government Area, between 1971 and 1974.
He
got admission into Government Secondary School, Takum in 1974 and completed his
Secondary Education in 1979. Audu
attended school of Nursing, Yola from 1980 to 1983 and Psychiatric Nursing
School, Abeokuta, Ogun State between 1986 and 1987.
YASSIE JIMON
Yassie Jimo was born in April 1949
in Furmi, Sardauna Local Government Area, Taraba State. He attended Junior
Primary School, Nguroje, Senior Primary School, Serti, Governemnt Teachers
College, Mubi, Advance Teacher's College Zaria and later ABU, Zaria where he
bagged a degree in Education.
BABA AMBITUNI
Baba is a Revered Gentleman. He was born in Sanso, Donga Local Government
Area. He started his Primary Education
from 1961 to 1967.
He
was at Teacher's college from 1968 to 1973 and ABU Zaria from 1978 to 1980
where he holds a Grade II certificate and a Diploma in Law respectively. Baba was a teacher, Court registrar, Election
officer and Area Court Judge before he was Elected Chairman, Donga Local
Government Area in November 1998.
He
is blessed with four (4) children and has interest in politics, sport and
fishing.
ALH.
ABETIKA AMINU
Abetika was born in 1950 at Kumbo in
Donga Local Government Area. He attended
local Education Area Primary School Donga, between 1960 and 1966. He was at Toro Teacher's College from 1971 to
1975 where he obtained Grade II certificate.
In 1988, he was at Jos Shere Hills, where he attended Leadership
certificate training.
He obtained his Higher National
Diploma in Local Government, at ABU Zaria between 1988 and 1989. Abetika was at ABU Zaria again in the year
2000 where he obtained a Public Finance Management Certificate.
ABDUL-AZEEZ
ABWAGE
Abwage
was born in July 1967 at Bibinu in Donga Local Government Area, Taraba
State. He attended Tudun-Wada Primary
School, Donga Local Government, and Government College, Maiduguri and ABU
Zaria, Congo Campus where he read Diploma in Insurance.
He
started out as Account Clerk with Samu Enterprises Nigeria Limited, Jos and
later Magari Agro Allied Limited, as manager between 1989 and 1992.
DANLADI USHIKI
Eng. Danladi Ushiki was born 1st
January, 1961 in Nyimui, Donga Local Government Area of Taraba State. He attended Ekas primary school, Nyita from
January 1970 to June 1976, and Mbiya government secondary school, Takum,
between September 1976 and June 1981. He
graduated from Federal University of Technology (now Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
University) Bauchi in June 1987 where be bagged Bachelor Degree in Civil
Engineering.
JOEL SUNGBAA
Joel
was born in Akate, Donga Local Government Area on 27th April 1965.
He attended Local Education authority Primary
School, Akate between 1973 and 1979, and from 1979 to 1984, he was at Mbiya
Government Secondary School, Takum where he obtained his General Certificate in
Education, GCE. He was also at Federal
University of Technology, Yola between 2000 and 2001 where he bagged a Diploma
in Public Administration.
CAPTAIN YAHAYA DOUGLAS NDATSE
A combatant soldier turned
politician. He thrives in controversy and political pressure and do not succumb
to pressure. He was born on 15th January, 1960, in Donga town, enrolled into
Primary School for his formal education in 1965 and completed in 1971.He gained
admission into Government Commercial Secondary School, Takum and completed his
Secondary Education in 1976.
In 1982, he enrolled into Nigeria
Defence Academy, (NDA) Kaduna and was commissioned second Lieutenant in
December 1984. He rose to the rank of Captain and voluntarily retired from
service on 10th July, 2000.
Hon. Capt. Douglas Ndatse Yahaya
ventured into politics in the year 2001 and later became the care-taker
chairman, Donga local government area from 2006 to 2007. He contested and was elected
Executive chairman of the Council from 2007 to 2011 and was reelected again in
2012.
HON. BARNABAS IBRAHIM PASOKI--- PRESENT CHAIRMAN
Barnabas
indeed came on board when almost everything has fallen apart in Donga local
government. Apart from his village, Pasoki that was turned-part by the
Tiv/Fulani crisis, he was appointed at the time the local government was in a
financial mess. His predecessor, Capt. Douglas left behind unpaid salary
arrears of 3months. An unsolved battle he was to face.
Ibrahim,
a Jukun by tribe was born in Pasoki, Donga local government area of Taraba
state on 8th May, 1965, attended Gidan Jatau Primary school from 1975 to 1981
and Government Day Secondary School, Mararraba all in Donga local government
between 1982 and 1986.
NEXT................................. THE POLITICAL HISTORY OF WUKARI LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTED AND APPOINTED CHAIRMEN AND SOLE ADMINISTRATORS FROM 1976 TO DATE
