Wilberforce Juta
Encyclopedia
Wilberforce Juta was Governor of Gongola State
, Nigeria
in 1983 during the Nigerian Second Republic
, and later was appointed Nigerian High Commissioner to Zimbabwe
.
by origin from Adamawa State
, previously part of Gongola State.
He received a bachelor's degree from Concordia College, Morehead, Minnesota in January 1970, and then studied for a Masters degree in English Literature at the University of Iowa
.
resigned early in 1983, Juta was appointed Governor.
In January 1983 the state was affected by an outbreak of rinderpest. Despite a massive vaccination program, Juta reported that by June 1983 over 70,000 cattle had died.
Juta left office in October 1983, when he was succeeded by Bamanga Tukur
, who had been elected on the National Party of Nigeria
platform.
On 31 December 1983 General Muhammadu Buhari
took power in a military coup.
On 17 April 1985 Juta was sentenced to 21 years imprisonment by a tribunal established to try ex-governors accused of corruption and abuse of power.
Later that year the sentence was reduced to five years plus a fine.
In July 1986, he was barred for life from holding public office. At the same time, his sentence was reduced to a three-year term.
in Adamawa State
in 1998. The PDP won the state and national elections in 1999.
President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed him High Commissioner to Zimbabwe
.
Juta toured strife-ridden farms in August 2001 shortly after 21 white farmers had been released from jail. He urged Zimbabwe to resolve its problems in the interests of all its people irrespective of race.
However, Ambassador Juta tended to whitewash Zimbabwe's simmering political and economic crisis.
As chairman of the Middle Belt Forum
, in November 2009 Juta called for true federalism, with every state taking total control of its resources and paying a 75% tax to the center. He said that would ensure that every state develops their resources effectively and promote healthy competition, leading to prosperity for all.
Gongola State
Gongola State is a former administrative division of Nigeria. It was created on 3 February 1976 from Adamawa and Sardauna Provinces of North-Eastern State, together with the Wukari Division of the then Benue-Plateau State; it existed until 27 August 1991, when it was divided into two states -...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
in 1983 during the Nigerian Second Republic
Nigerian Second Republic
The Second Republic was the republican government of Nigeria between 1979 and 1983 governed by the second republican constitution.- Founding :...
, and later was appointed Nigerian High Commissioner to Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
.
Background
Juta is a NjanyiNzanyi language
Nzanyi is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Nigeria in Adamawa State in the Maiha LGA, and along the border in Cameroon. Dialects are Dede, Hoode, Lovi, Magara, Maiha, Mutidi, Nggwoli, Paka, and Rogede.- References :* -External links:**...
by origin from Adamawa State
Adamawa State
Adamawa is a state in northeastern Nigeria, with its capital at Yola. It was formed in 1991 from part of Gongola State with four administrative divisions namely: Adamawa, Ganye, Mubi and Numan. It is one of the thirty-six States which constitute the Federal Republic of Nigeria.-Geography:Adamawa...
, previously part of Gongola State.
He received a bachelor's degree from Concordia College, Morehead, Minnesota in January 1970, and then studied for a Masters degree in English Literature at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
.
Second Republic and subsequent military regime
Juta was elected as Deputy Governor of Gongola State on the platform of the Great Nigeria Peoples Party (GNPP) in 1979. When the Governor Abubakar BardeAbubakar Barde
Alhaji Abubakar Barde was Governor of Gongola State, Nigeria between October 1979 and September 1983 during the Nigerian Second Republic.Barde was of Fulani origin....
resigned early in 1983, Juta was appointed Governor.
In January 1983 the state was affected by an outbreak of rinderpest. Despite a massive vaccination program, Juta reported that by June 1983 over 70,000 cattle had died.
Juta left office in October 1983, when he was succeeded by Bamanga Tukur
Bamanga Tukur
Bamanga Tukur is a prominent Nigerian businessman and politician who was a Minister for Industries during the administration of General Sani Abacha. He is one of the high profile civil servants and military officers who acquired large areas of farmland along the various River Basin authorities...
, who had been elected on the National Party of Nigeria
National Party of Nigeria
The National Party of Nigeria was the dominant political party in Nigeria during the Second Republic .-Formation:The party's beginning could be traced to private and sometimes secret meetings among key Northern Nigerian leaders after the proscription of political parties in 1966 by the military...
platform.
On 31 December 1983 General Muhammadu Buhari
Muhammadu Buhari
Muhammadu Buhari was a military ruler of Nigeria and an unsuccessful candidate for president in the 2003, 2007 and 2011 presidential elections...
took power in a military coup.
On 17 April 1985 Juta was sentenced to 21 years imprisonment by a tribunal established to try ex-governors accused of corruption and abuse of power.
Later that year the sentence was reduced to five years plus a fine.
In July 1986, he was barred for life from holding public office. At the same time, his sentence was reduced to a three-year term.
Fourth republic
Juta was one of the founders of the People's Democratic PartyPeople's Democratic Party (Nigeria)
The People's Democratic Party is a political party in Nigeria. Its policies generally lie towards the right wing of the political spectrum. It has won every single Presidential elections since 1999, namely: 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011, and is the dominant party in the Fourth Republic.-History:In...
in Adamawa State
Adamawa State
Adamawa is a state in northeastern Nigeria, with its capital at Yola. It was formed in 1991 from part of Gongola State with four administrative divisions namely: Adamawa, Ganye, Mubi and Numan. It is one of the thirty-six States which constitute the Federal Republic of Nigeria.-Geography:Adamawa...
in 1998. The PDP won the state and national elections in 1999.
President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed him High Commissioner to Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
.
Juta toured strife-ridden farms in August 2001 shortly after 21 white farmers had been released from jail. He urged Zimbabwe to resolve its problems in the interests of all its people irrespective of race.
However, Ambassador Juta tended to whitewash Zimbabwe's simmering political and economic crisis.
As chairman of the Middle Belt Forum
Middle Belt Forum
The Middle Belt Forum is a regional socio-political group in Nigeria that promotes the interests of the people of the Middle Belt region, a loosely-defined area between the Moslem and Hausa-dominated North and the predominantly Christian Igbo and Yoruba areas of the Southeast and Southwest. The...
, in November 2009 Juta called for true federalism, with every state taking total control of its resources and paying a 75% tax to the center. He said that would ensure that every state develops their resources effectively and promote healthy competition, leading to prosperity for all.