The Spirit And Essence Of ‘Je Suis Gombe’ Beckons On Inuwa Yahaya To Unite, Build
The Oasis Reporters
March 11, 2019
By Abu Ubaida Kuna, Gombe
The verdict of the mandate, freely given by the good people of Gombe state is fully out. With a total vote count of 364,179 in favour of Inuwa Yahaya and Bayero Nafada of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP coming second with 222,868, Inuwa Yahaya of the All Progressives Congress, APC has emerged the governor-elect of Gombe state in North East Nigeria, the oasis of peace in the region, as well as being the Jewel In The Savannah.
With a margin of 141,311 votes, the people of Gombe State have overwhelmingly decided who their next governor should be.
Congratulations, Alh. Inuwa Yahaya. As a worthy son of the state, you are the first to know about the huge burden placed on your ebullient shoulders, to carry and deliver the destiny of the state for the next four years to greater heights. The people expect no less.
All concerned citizens of Gombe State usually feel proud and count themselves extremely lucky to have had governors who carry with pride, the ‘Je Suis Gombe’ ( I am Gombe) ethos. And they show it in their uncommon commitment that the term is beyond party politics, and that it is a call to higher zeal to build Gombe State as they strive to unite the people of Gombe State.
Gombe people recall with happiness how Governor Danjuma Goje, (2003-2011) worked hard to build the then young state that was basically rural, with infrastructure.
By the time Goje’s tenure came to an end in 2011 and he handed over to the young and dynamic Dr. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, Gombe State saw the firm hands on the plough and knew that yes, ‘espiritus Gombe’ was a deep and ongoing ethos that would be sustainable. In just four years, Dankwambo changed the face of the state, reaching hitherto far flung and cut off portions of Gombe State by integrating them into mainstream modernity with tarred roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, etc.
The strides of Dr Dankwambo were so loud and so visible to even the deaf and the blind that when the gale of the Buhari ‘Change’ tsunami swept across the entire northern region, people of Gombe State smiled and asked the wind of change not to settle in Gombe. It should pass them by.
Therefore, as neighboring North Eastern states were falling like a pack of cards as well as the North West and the North Central to the APC, Gombe State remained the PDP state standing, and Dankwambo was returned to office for another four years for the final governorship tenure.
It was a freely given decision of the Gombe people, who ultimately hold the fate of every politician in their hands.
This time around, people’s power in Gombe State has spoken, that Inuwa Yahaya is their choice. With this onerous responsibility, he is hereby advised to eschew all political differences, put his hands on the plough and focus on building Gombe State, like his worthy successors all did.
Take for instance, the way Dankwambo looked beyond party politics, tribe or district to build the state.
Though from Gombe North, Dankwambo opened up Shongom, Yamaltu-Deba by linking them with access roads and bridges in Gombe Central. There was no discrimination, no neglect, it was all about integration and unity in the ethos of ‘Espiritus Gombe’
Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya can do no less. Emulate the previous administrations of Danjuma Goje and Ibrahim Dankwambo in this regard.
As well as uniting and integrating Gombe North, Central and South into one people, indivisible and bound in peace, like Dankwambo did, education, health and youth empowerment should be prioritized, amongst many other sectors.
Party politics should not be allowed to interfere with the abiding good faith in Gombe State, and by treating each and everyone of the people equally, irrespective of religious, tribal or political differences, the peaceful coexistence among the good people of Gombe State would be sustained and the state would achieve its deeper essence in leaps and bounds.
That was what Dankwambo did as his legacy of politics without bitterness, just to keep Gombe a safer State in the midst of the turbulence in other parts of the North East region.
The huge electoral success of the APC did not come without the youth and women who contributed almost 70% to his victory. Therefore integrating them into the administration is a sine qua non to success.
Implementing these words of advice will make Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya a great leader as well as being a part of the positive history of the state.
Once again, congratulations to Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya over his well deserved victory. We look forward to a greater Gombe State.
Written by Abu-Ubaida Ibrahim Kuna.
SSA (New Media) to H.E. Dr. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo.
He writes from Gombe City, North East Nigeria.
