On the Sudden Death of Taraba Speaker

devastating and sad news of the sudden death of the Honourable Speaker of the Taraba State House of Assembly, Right Honourable Haruna Tsokwa at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jalingo in what looks like a case of heart failure even though other factors are being speculated as possible causes. The final say on this though […]

devastating and sad news of the sudden death of the Honourable Speaker of the Taraba State House of Assembly, Right Honourable Haruna Tsokwa at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jalingo in what looks like a case of heart failure even though other factors are being speculated as possible causes. The final say on this though rests with the anticipated Doctor’s report.
Since all human beings are mortal, death is therefore to be expected and how it comes is, most often, unpredictable if not even mysterious; leaving in its wake, pains, agony, regrets, trauma, emotional scars, broken hearts, shattered dreams and prolonged lamentations. Death is the most daring and potent predator ever known to mankind which, within a split second, can snuff life out of the body of even the most healthy or strongest person in his/her sleep, while bathing, swimming, eating, drinking, driving, flying, running, sitting, reading, standing or during prayer sessions. Cases of sudden or instant deaths abound everywhere and are relatively common and ordinary especially in a developing society like ours where the life-expectancy level is between 45 and 55 years.
However, there are situations in which sudden death of an individual may appear uncommon or extraordinary based on the personality of the deceased and the crucial role of the public/official position he/she is holding in his/her society in relation to existing unfolding socio-political developments. This is exactly the case with the death of Hon. Tsokwa; as the huge state and nation-wide interest it is generating clearly has to do with the complexity of the prevailing socio-political melodrama playing out in the state, particularly since the return of the recuperating executive governor, Danbaba Danfulani Suntai from the United States of America (USA) over two months ago.
It is important to stress here though, that whatever may be the cause of the Speaker’s death and the attendant pains and sorrows we all share with his family, TSHA, Takum Local Government Area (LGA) and Taraba State as a whole, we should not lose sight of the delicate and anxious situation on ground in the state at the moment and the strong need for all of us to exercise restraint and patience in our perception, understanding and interpretation of events. Peace and tranquility of the state should come first and above all our emotions/interests since the deceased is even known to be a peace-loving, selfless and patriotic leader who lived and died as a good servant of Taraba State.
At times like this, rumours and counter rumours, allegations and counter allegations are bound to dominate public discourse in the state depending on one’s line of thinking or interests. But Tarabans should not go to the extreme through conscious or sub conscious aggregation to themselves, the designated roles of relevant government agencies or appropriate authorities with the mandate to handle all matters arising from the occurrence of this kind of events such as the hospitals (FMC, Jalingo in this case), legislature (TSHA), executive (offices of both the executive and acting governors respectively), security outfits and judiciary, as the case may be.
Whatever that is happening in Taraba State in the last one year or so is under the full watch and control of the almighty Allah (SWT) and it is very important for all Tarabans to intensify prayers in mosques and churches for divine intervention so that all the devils who do not mean well for Taraba State but pursuing only their selfish interests should be defeated and put to shame. We should not use the death of the Speaker as an excuse to engage in acts capable of overheating the polity; which, in the long run, may lead to the breakdown of law and order.
Right honourable Tsokwa has now gone down on record as the first Speaker of the TSHA to have died in active service (joining few other members who died some years back such as the greatly intelligent late Honourable Abdulrahman Njidda Tafida) and until he breathed his last, he has proven to be a symbol of rule of law, a pillar of democratic structures, a champion of democratic honesty, a dependable ally in democratic struggle, a brilliant star of legislative duty, a fearless political warrior and a genuine martyr of democracy whose legacy of selfless legislative service within the relatively short period of about seven months that he held sway as Speaker will forever remain a reference material in the annals of legislative re-engineering in Taraba State.
Zongre, a public affairs analyst, resides along Yerima Bappa Sanda Road, Turaki “A” Ward, Jalingo, 08067771017, [email protected]