By Usman Santuraki
In the history of Gombe State since its creation in 1996 by the then Gen. Sani Abacha’s military administration, quite a number of military administrators and civilian governors have ruled and governed the state but until recently, there has not been a conscious effort to develop the state, restore the lost glory of human value system and transform the infrastructural cum socio-economic potentialities of the Jewel of the Savannah for the better.
The military administrators did little or no effort to deliver the dividends of governance to the people while the state did not witness considerable development as the key sectors of the state’s socio-economic arena were remained stagnated and even deteriorated to the disaffection and disenchantment of the state’s citizenry. It may be due to the nature with military and despotic rule, they were unelected and equally felt unaccountable to none and largely saw themselves as wayfarers and lone rangers in the corridors of power and so acted like the wayward pirates of ancient lore, plundering and pillaging the natural resources of the territories they passed through oblivious to none at all.
However, with the advent of civilian rule in 1999, anxious and hopeful Gombians expressed confidence that it would be different this time around as they would elect their own leaders who would be accountable to them and act in consonance with the wishes and aspirations of the people and so, Alhaji Abubakar Habu Hashidu of ANPP was elected and sworn in as the first civilian governor of Gombe State amidst fanfare, pageantry, hope and high expectations. A lot of promises of rapid developmental and progressive change were made by Alhaji Hashidu and his cabinet and the people felt that indeed they were in for good times as never before but alas, mid-way into his tenure, the ANPP governor’s regime was carried away by politics seemly due to his quest to seek power for the second term which eventually led to its derailment and the subsequent lower rating on the radar of performance. At the end, Hashidu’s bid for second term crashed on the rocks as the PDP wrestled the reins of state power from his iron tight grasp and he left the Government House, Gombe unsung and unfulfilled with the Gombe citizens holding the short end of the stick as usual.
The one term of Hashidu’s could not in any way be compared with Danjuma Goje’s 8 years of the locust which ravaged and pillaged the state mercilessly and remorselessly. At the start of his tenure, the uncompromising Danjuma Goje left no one in doubt that he was out to favour his inner circle of henchmen and enforcers and any one that dared to brook his leadership style was prone to be visited with acts of thuggery and violence by the political thugs masquerading themselves as Yan-Kalare. The state was virtually cowed and none dared to speak or criticize the numerous excesses else they fell victim to the Yan-kalare’s sadistic style of democracy by force or coercion.
However, after darkness surely comes a light and as the Almighty Allah will have it, a defiant and unrepentant Goje was replaced by a vibrant and forward looking Dankwambo who has so far brought succor and hope to the people of the state and to large extent signposted a refreshing era of government of the people, for the people and by the people. A lot of achievements were successfully recorded almost in all the sector of the economy within three and half of modest stewardship of the Talban Gombe. To chronicle the landmark achievements and milestones of a super achieving Dankwambo may take quantum space and time, and it is only pertinent to state that as seeing is believing, only a visit to the Jewel of the Savannah will reveal the true scope and breadth of the Talban Gombe’s transformational policies and programmes that have continued to draw deserved honours, awards and accolades from far and near.
While the electioneering processes have since begun, Dankwambo’s administration has continued to deliver the dividend of democracy to our teeming population and the most recent one was the presentation of the seven hundred and fifty naira soft loan to Gombe traders and farmers association.The presentation of his ‘score card’ recently has equally demonstrated his political commitments to the welfare of his people and if achievements and performances are anything to go by. It is obvious that Dankwambo has no match in 2015 governorship elections in Gombe.
Dahiru Hassan Kera wrote from Gombe
