By Kabiru Danladi Lawanti
Every October 1 is a very special day for the people of Gombe. Nigeria is celebrating its independence from the British colonialists, on the other hand, we are celebrating the day Gombe State was created. On October 1, 1996, the then military Head of State, General Sani Abacha announced the creation of more additional states, Gombe inclusive. A journey that began in 1979, Gombe was top of the list of recommended states to be created. This culminated into the 1996 event of October 1. What was on the minds of the founding fathers and the people of the region was the yearnings for development, self-reliance, peace and unity.
Today we celebrate these founding fathers as heroes, for it was their sacrifices, selflessness, and their commitment that actualized the 1979 dream in 1996. Today, 24 years after, Dr Suleman Kumo, Mr A.J Filiya, Alhaji Ali Gombe, Alhaji Abubakar Habu Hashidu are all smiling in their graves for the giant strides made by people they handed the state to. Also, Alhaji Danjuma Goje, Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo have all written their names in the state book of history. From 2019 to date, Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya is also doing the same by making people central to his development policies. What this taught us is the commitment, zeal and patriotism of the founding fathers, the governors that steered the affairs of the state from 1996 to the present Governor, Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya, whose main aim was to leave Gombe better than he met it.
Gombe as a state first was managed by military administrators Group Captain Joseph Orji and Mohammed Inuwa Bawa. These gentlemen tried their best to put the state in the path of development in preparation for the country’s return to democracy. In 1999, when the state returned to democracy, it began on a path of not only peace and unity, but of unprecedented development. The state is blessed with a succession of good governors. A great effort in infrastructural development, empowerment, health care and education to environmental management, the state has witnessed a massive leap from a rural state to one of the most developed states in the entire north-east region surpassing older states in the region.
Luckily, for the past 20 years, since the first civilian Governor took office, the Governors who governed the state appear to know what the state needs and committed themselves to provide a key socio-economic infrastructure which has led to the rapid development of the state when compared to its ‘age-mates’ created the same time as it. This is not a theoretical postulation, from the border towns with Bauchi state, Adamawa, Borno and Yobe one will see evidence of a state in rapid development. Already the state has an International airport, university (ies), FG university, numerous urban roads and many more, all within these 20 years of democracy.
However, governance is a continuum. The state has gone through different parties from 1999 to date, however, each tried to stay on course in achieving the vision of the founding fathers. Each of the governors whether in APP, PDP and now APC stayed on course over the years and have either left or trying to make their marks in all sectors of human development and growth. The idea is to harnessed the state’s resources to achieve the mission and vision of the founding fathers for the creation of the state. This is what we see over the years. The coming of the administration of Inuwa Yahaya did not derail from this fundamental vision.
That Gombe is an economic hub of the northeast is not debatable. The challenges of environmental degradation for instance was taken with all seriousness it deserved. In 2002, the state government raised an alarm that over 250, 000 of the population of 1.5 million in the state are being threatened by desertification and in 2017 the situation has not changed. It placed Gombe state as one of the ecologically endangered states in the region. Environmental experts, after examining the situation in 2017 advised that; to address the issue of desertification, the state needs to think GREEN. A challenge the present government took in 2019 by coming with the 3G environmental policy. The policy was a brainchild of Governor Inuwa’s administration. The Governor’s policy was meant on one side to address the state’s environmental challenges and on the other provide direct jobs to thousands of people across the state. It is a remarkable state that sees the establishment of eight 20-hectare woodlots in nine local government areas of the state and planted over 20,000 trees along the major roads within Gombe metropolis.
Apart from the environmental challenges the present government face squarely, the present administration has also put giant stride toward the industrialization of the state. The Dadin Kowa Hydro Power plant presents a huge opportunity to tap from the economic benefits it offers. The plant will generate at least 50 megawatts of electricity. The power generated in Dadin Kowa will help the government effort at establishing an industrial hub in that vicinity. The chain effect is unprecedented. The power plant can also help improve and stabilize power supply as well as promote socio-economic development of the northeast region and the country in general.
Youth empowerment, industrialization over the years was also met by enhanced school enrolment. In 24 years, the school enrolment has moved from just less than a 50000 to over 350,000 in 2020. This is not just a coincidence, but a concerted effort of what these governors and specifically the Inuwa Yahaya’s administration’s BESDA programme and Teachers Resource Centre. These programmes see to the distribution of teaching materials and enhancing teachers’ capacity in the state. This in turn improved students’ enrolment and teachers’ capacity.
What other states lost in succession crises moving from bad to worse, Gombe state is lucky to have a good succession process that helped to see continuity in development. All the governors over the years have stayed within the vision of the state’s founding fathers. The founding fathers were unanimous of why the state was created in the first place. True to what they stand for, we have leaders who through self-sacrifices and meeting the yearnings and aspiration of our people have ensured they laid a concrete foundation for the state. This foundation is what Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya met, and this is what he continued building through quality leadership, commitment and vision. This vision was the founding fathers’ dream. Today, this dream is coming true.
Looking at these giant strides over the years, and what is happening today, as citizens of the state we have cause to celebrate and reflect today as we mark the 24th year as a state. And no better than what we see in Gombe state of today. The developments we see made us proud and made us beat our chest anywhere and shout that we are Gombites.
Kabiru Danladi Lawanti, Department of Mass Communication, ABU, Zaria.
