Gombe: Yahaya’s bouncing into reckoning

The newly sworn in Gombe State Governor, Alhaji Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya, appears set, determined and ready to confront the challenges confronting the jewel of the savannah, Gombe state, head on. In the hustle for political ascendancy, it is on record that Inuwa Yahaya was defeated twice (2011 and 2015) by Dankwambo for the seat of […]

The newly sworn in Gombe State Governor, Alhaji Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya, appears set, determined and ready to confront the challenges confronting the jewel of the savannah, Gombe state, head on.

In the hustle for political ascendancy, it is on record that Inuwa Yahaya was defeated twice (2011 and 2015) by Dankwambo for the seat of Gombe state the Government House.

But surely, it is not whether you get knocked down but whether you get up, because failure is not falling down but staying down, and experience is the name everyone gives to their perseverance.

In Nigeria’s slippery and sophisticated political setting, Yahaya’s emergence as Governor has put him in position to aggregate the social and economic agitations of Gombe state, created in 1996, for harmonious resolution.

Born in Jekadafari, Gombe on October 9, 1961, Inuwa Yahaya graduated from the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting.

Having ventured into active politics in 2003, he is a founding member of APC and had been a commissioner for finance for seven years under the Danjuma Goje administration, so the new Governor is well informed about the challenges confronting Gombe people and he is equal to the task.

During the seven years he served as a commissioner and member of the state executive council, he was in-charge of Budgetary Planning and Financial control of the state and chairman of the board of the Gombe State Investment and Property Development Company Ltd.

But there are issues of which if not addressed, the people’s hope and aspirations may not be met easily, but now Yahaya has four years in which he could take the state to greater heights and make it an enviable one in the comity of states.

In an interview with newsmen in Gombe immediately after his election, Inuwa had said, “Going by the way Gombe was mismanaged in the last eight years of Dankwambo administration, I will like to believe that all facets of development particularly the issues of education, health, agriculture, security, rural development if well addressed will help to uplift the people out of their present bondage and servitude.”

He said he would pay attention to the development of rural areas which he believes would bring the state out of the shackles of underdevelopment and take it to the next level of modern development.

So the people of Gombe will watch the new Governor as he attempts to rekindle the much needed developmental competition and bridge the political divide coming on the heels of a keenly contested elections.

Gombe state is filled with plenty opportunities and majority of the people who are predominantly farmers and herdsmen who need economic lift in order to flourish.

And there are issues of which if not addressed, the people’s hope and aspirations may not be met easily. Issues of peace in the state should be harnessed and sustained.

Deepening democracy and entrenching good governance is vital, because democracy, which has its cardinal attributes that centers around the people’s interest, has given the electorates the chance of being partners in defining their political future.

Democracy around elective offices gives Inuwa Yahaya the opportunity to contribute to human and infrastructural development of the state and ingratiate into the hearts of those that voted for him.

The success of Yahaya, as he begins governance, will hugely depend on getting the right persons to get into offices for the betterment of the society they’ll represent.

There is therefore the compelling need to ensure that only those with track record of verifiable contribution to the growth of Gombe State are appointed to office.

The challenge before Inuwa’s new administration in Gombe is how to accommodate all the individuals and groups that contributed to his success but no doubt he is capable of facing the problems fronting the state head on.

The new Governor should be circumspect and be conscious of detractors and bring quality, inclusive and developmental representation. This will expand the frontiers of good governance and take Gombe state to enviable heights.

Water, like in other states, is a major problem of Gombe state and 20 years after, the issue has not been solved once and for all. And the issue of power supply is also confronting the north eastern region of the state. These are the two serious issues that need immediate solution and the people of Gombe will no doubt be happier if Inuwa will address them.

Then the issue of human capital development. Local contractors, as a matter of policy, should be patronised, this will check what the economists call capital flight. That is to say money that was supposed to be spent in Gombe were taken elsewhere thereby leaving the people in object poverty even though there are beautiful roads within the state capital.

Most of the infrastructures build or established by previous administrations are either in Gombe metropolis or in the southern part of the state at the expense of the northern part.

This is where Gov. Inuwa Yahaya must not fail, he has his job cut out for him, he must hit the ground running, should be resolute, rebrand Gombe state and lift it out of the shackles of poverty and slow growth as well as address issues and contentions in the land.

He must also give more priority to the education sector, education is the pillar point for societal development and government alone cannot shoulder the responsibility of providing education to the people of the state, hence the need for private participation.

The rallying cry towards effective delivery of education and educational facilities calls for renovation of schools, building new ones and encouragement in school enrolment, particularly the girl-child in many constituencies and the state at large.

In all these, expectations and hopes are high, Gov. Inuwa Yahaya needs the support of the people of Gombe state to enable him to succeed in the implementation of government programmes and policies that will help them escape from the clutches of poverty.

We congratulate the people of Gombe state for a smooth and unanimous choice of leadership and pray for a successful tenure and divine guidance.

Abdullahi Gombe wrote this piece from Bauchi road, Gombe.