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Joseph Tarka

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Joseph Sarwuan Tarka
Senator for Benue East Central
In office
9 October 1979 – 30 March 1980
Federal Commissioner of Communications
In office
1971 – 1 August 1974
Preceded byAminu Kano
Succeeded byMurtala Mohammed
Federal Commissioner of Transport
In office
12 June 1967 – 1971
Preceded byZanna Bukar Dipcharima
Succeeded byR. A. B. Dikko
Member of Parliament for Jemgbar
In office
1954–1966
Preceded byposition established
Succeeded byposition abolished
Personal details
BornJuly 10, 1932
Igbor, TIv Division, Nigeria (today in Benue State)
DiedMarch 30, 1980(1980-03-30) (aged 47)
London, UK
Political partyNational Party of Nigeria (1978–1980)
Other political
affiliations		United Middle Belt Congress (until 1966)
Children
Simeon

Senator Joseph Sarwuan Tarka CFR (1932–1980) was a Nigerian politician from Benue State and a former minister for Transport and then Communications under General Yakubu Gowon. He was one of the founding members of the United Middle Belt Congress, a political organization dedicated to protecting and advocating for the country's Middle Belt.[1]

Background

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Tarka was born on 10 July 1932 in Igbor, Benue State to the family of Tarka Nachi and Ikpa Anyam. His father was a village teacher of Tiv origin[2] who later became a headmaster and then chief in Mbakor, Gboko area. He attended Native Authority Primary School, Gboko and Katsina Ala Middle School. After completing his education, he became a teacher at Katsina-Ala Middle School before going on to further studies at Bauchi Rural Science School. He was a member of the Tiv Native Authority Staff Union and of the Northern Teachers Association.[3][4]

While still working as a teacher, Tarka became interested in politics, drawing inspiration primarily from the radical intellectual Sa'adu Zungur, the writings of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, and the speeches of Nnamdi Azikiwe.[4]

First Republic

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In 1954, on a ticket that was allied with the Middle Belt People's Party, Tarka was elected to represent the Jemgbagh constituency in the Federal House of Representative. In 1957, the Middle Belt People's Party merged with the David Lot led Middle Zone League to form the United Middle Belt Congress. Tarka then emerged as President of the United Middle Belt Congress (UMBC), the party soon formed an alliance with the Action Group, the dominant party in the Western Region. Action Group wanted support for the merger of Ilorin and Kabba with the Western Region and UMBC wanted the creation of a Middle Belt State.[5] Tarka was a nominated member to the Nigerian Constitutional Conference of 1957 and was also the representative of the Middle Belt zone to the Willinks Commission of 1958. In 1958, he was appointed as a shadow minister of commerce.

Tarka's UMBC, a predominantly Christian party contested the pre-independence election of 1959 and the subsequent election of 1963 against the mainly Moslem Northern People's Congress. Both elections led to violence in the Middle Belt, which contributed to the Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu's inspired military take-over on January 15, 1966.[6] Tarka was an advocate of state creation to give politically and economically empower minority groups within the country. He supported the creation of a Middle Belt state before the republic was truncated.[5]

In April 1961, a year after a crisis in Tiv land, Tarka was detained for three weeks in Jos under the cloud of investigation for treason and inciting unrest during the Tiv disturbances., his arrest was a month away from regional elections.[5] In 1962, UMBC which was partly funded by the Action Group decided to end their alliance for a new one with NEPU. The new party was called Northern People's Front with Aminu Kano as President and Tarka as General Secretary.[5]

In 1962, along with other Action Group leaders, he was arrested on charges of treasonable felony but was acquitted for lack of evidence.[2]

Later career

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After General Gowon took charge in August 1966, Tarka was appointed Federal Commissioner of Transport and then of Communications, resigning in 1974 after allegations of corruption from a fellow-Tiv named Godwin Daboh were published.[7] Daboh's action was allegedly instigated by Paul Unongo and Benue-Plateau State Governor Joseph Gomwalk[8] and a police probe into the allegations was led by Sunday Adewusi.

In the lead-up to restoration of democracy with the Nigerian Second Republic, Tarka aligned with northern politicians to form the National Party of Nigeria, on which platform he unsuccessfully competed in the Presidential elections. He was elected Senator for Benue East in 1979, and was appointed chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriation, a position he held when he died on 30 March 1980, aged 48.[3]

His son, Simeon Tarka, was elected to the House of Representatives in 1979.[2]

The Tarka local government area in Benue State is named in his honour.[9][10]

References

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  1. ^ Falola, Toyin (1999). The History of Nigeria. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-30682-6.
  2. ^ a b c Jubril Olabode Aka (2010). Great People, Great Country, Nigeria the Beautiful: East Or West, Home Is the Best. Trafford Publishing. p. 79ff. ISBN 1-4269-1831-3.
  3. ^ a b "Senator Tarka: the man and his monument". Power Magazine. Retrieved 2010-04-25.[permanent dead link‍]
  4. ^ a b Daily Times (1969). Nigeria Year Book 1969. p. 295.
  5. ^ a b c d Dudley, Billy J. (1968). Parties and politics in northern Nigeria. London: Cass. pp. 95, 96, 184, 195. ISBN 0-7146-1658-3. OCLC 310217.
  6. ^ Francis, James. "History of Coup D'etat in Nigeria". Info-Naija. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  7. ^ Jakande, L K (1979). "The press and military rule". In Oyediran, Oyeleye (ed.). Nigerian Government and politics under military rule, 1966-1979. Internet Archive. New York : St. Martin's Press. p. 117. ISBN 978-0-312-57272-3.
  8. ^ Nowa Omoigui. "Military Rebellion of July 29, 1975: The coup against Gowon - Part 5". Dawodu. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  9. ^ Charles, John (2019-08-25). "Tarka: Statesman who took Middle Belt to national relevance". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 2024-11-17.
  10. ^ "Tarka Local Government Area – I am Benue". Retrieved 2024-11-17.
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