The ultra-modern International Conference Centre in Gombe built by Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo |Ephraim Adiele/Gombe State as one of the states in the country that has had its own fair share of insurgency, has before now, been in the news for unpleasant reasons as a result of the activities of insurgents. This situation like it is with other affected states had further impoverished the state and caused a near-fatal disintegration of its socio-economic fabric.
However, the impoverishment has since
been arrested and restoration of the dignity of the average Gombe
indigene enthroned, thanks to the executive governor of the state,
Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, Ph.D., who has shown exemplary and unmatchable
wealth of experience in the prudent management of resources for the
greater good of the people.
Dankwambo and his team have been working
tirelessly to improve the conditions of the people of Gombe State
significantly through meritorious deployment of scarce resources into
very critical areas of the state like education, agriculture,
infrastructure, health, security, rural development, urban renewal among
many others.
A visit to the state will leave one
amazed at what is going on in Gombe, a State many outsiders think is as
barren as a desert and as unproductive as a castrated mouse. The
infrastructural development of the state is not only massive and classy
but also of international standard ahead of many even in states far
above its league in terms of financial buoyancy.
While almost all the roads in Gombe city
are well tarred with deep, solid and well-connected drainage system
including spurs and feeder roads, they are also well adorned with
non-blinking generator and solar-powered street lights that leave the
city not only well-lit everyday from 6.00pm to 6.00am, but also add to
the city’s beauty that would attract fatal envy even from Abuja and its
residents. The fact is, side by side with Gombe, Abuja might be standing
overrated after all.
This has greatly contributed to the
peace and tranquility which Gombe is enjoying today as criminals who
thrive in darkness have been forced to give up their criminal endeavours
for something more meaningful and productive since Dankwambo has
dispelled the darkness in which they used to operate by massively
lighting up the state. Gombe now passes as one of the most peaceful
states in Nigeria.
In addition to this is the linking of
several local governments which hitherto had been cut off and disjointed
from each other and could only be traversed on makeshift bridges
hanging dangerously on thin planks and ready to cave in at any time,
with standard bridges and roads spanning several kilometres.
More and more people now throng Gombe
for business and social activities, leaving the city bubbling with life
like never before. Both Christians and Muslims observe their respective
religious obligations freely, and without let or hindrance from any
quarters. The state which many might want to refer to as a Muslim state
is among the very few states in the north that has Christians as its
deputy governor, Chief of Staff, Head of Service and other very senior
government officials appointed by Gankwambo. This goes a long way to
show that Ibrahim Dankwambo, as governor of the state is a man beyond
primordial considerations and father to all.
To cater for the socio-political needs
of those thronging into Gombe for socio-economic activities or to settle
down, the governor has built a world class International Event Centre
that could host conferences, rallies, shows and other fun activities.
There is also a sprawling Petrol Tankers Parking Bay with needed
facilities that could conveniently take 300 tankers built by Ibrahim
Dankwambo’s administration so as to curb the menace and danger the
disorderly parking of trailers on the streets pose to residents.
As a man who has attained the peak of
education himself, Dankwambo knows that the best way to liberate
humanity is to get as many indigenes educated. This is the reason one
will hardly find almajiri children on the streets with bowls in their
hands begging for crumbs like it is commonly found in States in the
region. In Gombe State where the governor has not only provided many new
schools but has also renovated/reconstructed many more just to ensure
that as many children as possible are given the opportunity to learn in
conducive environments, a high number of the children are in school.
There are state-built almajiri schools
just like there are conventional schools dotting every nook and cranny
of the entire Gombe landscape. What is more? While pupils/students of
almost all other states in Nigeria still have to grapple with the
misfortune of learning under trees and on the floor without writing
materials, the schools in Gombe are well equipped with modern facilities
like e-learning centres, e-libraries, ICT centres, laboratories,
expansive classes, furniture, soothing ambience, well-motivated staff
etc all of which have seen the state improve tremendously in external
exams its students write.
For example, at Doma Government Girls
Secondary School, the students there scored 100% in Chemistry, Physics,
Food and Nutrition, Geography, History, and Office Practice in the 2015
WAEC examinations. Is it not also interesting that in a State like
Gombe, students of the same school scored high in both Islamic Religious
Knowledge and Christian Religious Knowledge just like it recorded
impressive grades in all the other subjects the students sat for that
year? While one admits that there is still room for improvement,
Dankwambo, no doubt, has put the state on the upward movement above its
neighbours.
His incurable commitment to education
has seen the governor establish several tertiary and specialized
institutions to cater for the higher education needs of the people.
Among such institutions are the Gombe State College of Education,
Billiri, Gombe State College of Legal and Islamic Studies, Nafada, Gombe
State College of Nursing and Midwifery, Dukku, Gombe State University
of Medical Colleges, etc.
As part of its industrialization
process, the Dankwambo administration paid a counterpart funding of
N500,000,000.00 to enable the state get a loan of N1bn for the
establishment of the Gombe Groundnut Processing Mill which has formally
employed about 4,600 people, 326 heavy duty machines milling 150 tons of
groundnut, 80 tons of groundnut oil and 70 tons of groundnut cake
respectively per day. (To be continued)
Jude
Ndukwe is a political analyst who lives and works in Abuja, Nigeria. He
is a member of The Trent’s Elite Columnists. His column is published
every Friday. He tweets from @stjudendukwe.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
0 comments:
Post a Comment