Minister Jacob Zhimomi, MLA and Advisor for CAWD Kudecho Khamo with other officials during the inauguration programme of new living quarters for administrative officers in Niuland, on September 14.
‘Replicating camaraderie Nagas share outside the state’
Morung Express News
Niuland | September 14
Nagaland Minister for Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) and Cooperation, Jacob Zhimomi, has called for moving away from the entrenched culture of groupism and the formation of blocs based on tribe and geography. He said that the Naga society is fragmenting as a consequence of inward-looking interests.
Speaking at an inauguration programme of new living quarters for administrative officers in Niuland, on September 14, Zhimomi stated that collective survival depends on parity and fair representation rather than sectarian affiliations. “Whether in politics, in church, or in social organisations, if people only think for their own group, the Naga people are finished. CNTC must also end, TPO must also end, ENPO must also end,” the Minister said, referring to the Central Nagaland Tribes Council, Tenyimi Peoples’ Organisation, and Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation.
According to him, the mutual support, goodwill and camaraderie shared by Nagas living outside the state should be replicated back in home turf as well. “Once we return to our state, it disappears. All of us are working for our own supremacy, to be very frank— be it the state government, overground government, underground government, or CSOs,” he said, adding that leaders from all spheres must lead from the front to overcome the fissures in the Naga social fabric.
Pointing to the splintering of the Naga political movement into 30-plus different groups, he questioned whether Nagas are uniting or disintegrating. “And if we ‘overground’ also keep dividing like this, we will be finished,” he held.
.webp)
Defending the creation of Nagaland state, Zhimomi said the 16-Point Agreement was “inked in blood” and provided Nagas with a recognised identity. Since the installation of the first elected assembly in 1964, he said that the state government has consistently held the position of a facilitating body, ready to pave the way whenever an honorable and acceptable political solution is reached.
He said that a clean and balanced politics is necessary to ensure development reaches every district rather than remaining one-sided.
Reflecting on the Sumi community, Zhimomi said past generations committed much of their lives in the Naga political struggle, and in the process missed out on education. However, he noted that the younger generation has turned to education, securing positions in the civil services through competitive examinations. Despite a rough and tumble public impression, he described the Sumi as a straightforward community, who would lay bare their heart on the table.
The Minister credited MLA and Advisor for CAWD Kudecho Khamo and Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio for what were described as taking keen initiative to develop the administrative headquarters of the recently created districts.
Khamo said the state has more than 1400 General Administration buildings, including offices of Deputy Commissioners, Additional Deputy Commissioners, Sub-Divisional Officers and Extra Assistant Commissioners, besides government guest houses. In Niuland, the upcoming Deputy Commissioner's Office Complex will accommodate various line departments under the district administration and bringing different departments under one roof.
The one-storey building — A Flat Type Quarter (Type-C) for Administrative Officers — which was inaugurated by the PHED Minister was started in 2023 and completed in 2026.
Daniel H Lotha, Assistant Engineer, CAWD, said that the building has 1417 square feet per unit with rainwater harvesting. The work was undertaken by contractor Isaac Zhimo.
