Gombe state in the north eastern part of Nigeria, is currently witnessing rare transformation, given the developmental strides of Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo’s administration, since its inception in 2011.
Dankwambo, was re-elected in 2015 under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP as a result of his great transformations across the state.
Almost from the start of his tenure, differences between Alhaji Danjuma Goje, who was governor of the state between 2003-2011 and his successor governor Dankwambo began manifesting, and it peaked with the defection of Goje to the APC. This made it look like a tough job for Dankwambo to secure re-election in 2015, given Goje’s widespread influence and the tsunami-like reach of the APC coalition.
This was made more likely as Goje had previously unseated his predecessor, Alhaji Hashidu, and the feeling in town was that Goje would oust Dankwambo.
It was not to be, as Dankwambo, like a lurking lion in the savannah devoured his political opponent in the election.
Since becoming governor, Dankwambo, has tried to give Gombe a new face. His major achievements are in the area of road construction, education and infrastructure, especially water supply.
In the area of education, he set up the College of Basic Studies in Kumo, a College of Education in Billiri, and a School of Nursing in Kaltungo. The college of education, he said, needed to be set up because of the acute shortage of teachers for the primary and secondary tiers. In fact, he wants the teacher training colleges, long scrapped, back, to address these shortages.
What is more, Governor Dankwambo is executing uncompleted federal projects. He said he had to do this because at the rate at which the Federal Government funds the national budget, many of these projects will remain uncompleted for years, while the people continue to suffer.
The people of Gombe state, can attest to the fact that, the tactics and style of the Dankwambo led government is a different ball game all together, when compared to that of his predecessors as his administration centers on physical infrastructures, human capital development, and a host of other developmental agenda that could better the lives of the ordinary man.
In his five years in office as Governor, Dankwambo has taken the people of Gombe through a revolutionary form of governance looking at the series of infrastructural renewal which cut across the spectrum of policy areas such as education and agriculture where his administration held sway with the establishment of a model primary school in each of the 11 local government areas of the state; the establishment of a state polytechnic and a crash porgramme in the recruitment of over 1000 graduate teachers into the school system, believing that educational advancement provide economic empowerment and political participation.
In the agricultural sector, his administration procured almost 300 tractors from Mercy Ferguson at the cheapest cost of 3.5 million naira, each to assist farm labour with other related farm implements.
The governor has constructed more than 158 Roads networks, built 128 primary and secondary schools, established 11 Micro Finance Banks across the 11 Local Government Areas of the state.
The seriousness and total commitment with which the governor approached the governance of Gombe State on matters of education reached its high point within the larger intellectual milieu; the body of work and progress Dankwambo’s intervention translated in Gombe state politics in ways no other Governor before him has done.
Dankwambo is a political force in Gombe today, because he read the economic and social needs of the people accurately and transmitted his observations into policy implementation most suitable for comprehending them; Dankwambo has transformed Gombe state in just his five years as governor of the state, a transformation beyond human comprehension.
Under the Talban Gombe led government, the educational structures has been strengthened and a sense of purpose among the people, solidified.
For his love for education, Ibrahim Dankwambo built and inaugurated the College of Education in Billiri.
The governor made it known during the Inauguration, that government spent N1.6 billion on its permanent site. He gave his word that his government would provide the necessary facilities to train qualified teachers to ensure a sound education for students of the college.
“Government will do all within its means to ensure that this college meets all the accreditation requirements by the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), JAMB and TETFUND. As part of its commitment, the government has paid the sum of N5 million as registration fees with the NCCE,” he said.
According to Dankwambo, the government would fund the college with a monthly grant of N30 million, adding that the government had approved the purchase of two 32-seater buses and the supply of furniture worth N55 million for the college.
He advised the students to utilise the opportunity accorded to them to develop themselves in a manner that would make them useful to the nation. He also urged the college’s management to put in their best to ensure that its objectives were achieved.
The Provost, Dr Esrom Jokthan, said all academic staff had been given orientation on the curriculum of pre-NCE, adding that this had resulted in developing relevant curriculum for all subjects.
The provost commended the governor for his efforts in ensuring a good start for the institution at the permanent site in the next semester.
To make roads motorable within the Gombe metropolis, governor Dankwambo ventured into massive construction of roads in the state, which includes: Specialist hospital-tashan Dukku arabic teachers college, Kasuwan Mata Gombe state University; the Nasarawo crescent; Liberty junction Specialist Hospital, Bello Sabon Kudi road; Post Office-Gadan Mallam Pela, Idi praying ground-Emirs palace round about; Kasuwan Doya-Hassan Central Primary school; Bogon Dubino-Bolari Central Mosque; Gadan Mandola-Barunde bye pass; Miyetti junction-Gada Y.D, Yalanguruza-Kurata with two spurs, spurs to Gadan Dangusau and Yalanguruza.
On the Gombe Township roads that fall within the Shongo, Federal Low Cost estate are the Nana Aisha Secondary School to National Population Commission to Central Bank road with a distance of 1,034 meters; Federal Low cost to Ministry of Health, 997 meters and Dukku Road to Federal Low Cost 789 meters.
Other roads in the township are Fire Service station to Tudun Wada, 708 meters; Skill Acquisition Centre to Gandu Secondary School, 520meters; Tudun Wada to
Comprehensive Secondary School, 644 meters; NNPC-Mega Station to New Market, 460 meters; and Sabon Layi to K/Kumbiya quarters to lslamiyya to Land and Survey with a distance of 770 meters. Emerald Hotel to intersect Gadan
Dahiru Deba road that has a distance of 470meters and the Yalanguruza to Bye pass with a distance of 2 kilometers.
Others include Gombe Night Club to Bolari (Layin Waziri), 493 meters; Herwa Gana to Sabon Layi 530 meters; Kwannan Plateau to Pantami; 591m, 1.9km and 665 meters respectively.
There are also the Yalanguruza to Bye pass with a distance of 2 kilometers.
Recently, the governor has been on tour round the state, to supervise ongoing projects, in a bid to ensure that contractors do thier jobs with optimum standard.
The governor, who remains committed to the welfare of workers in the state, has since ensured that all workers in the state are paid salaries as and when due, even with the dwindling oil revenue in the country.
With all these wonderful works of Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo in Gombe state, it’s a clear indication that the governor has the Gombe people at heart and will do even greater things, if given the opportunity.
With Dankwambo, Gombe state will keep standing tall among other states in the country.
Collins Agwam can be reached via telephone 08039509281. Gmail agwamcollins@gmail.com
