Gombi is one of the 21 local government areas in Adamawa state. It is situated in the central zone of the state.
Gombi local government area has been is cosmopolitan, hosting virtually every tribe in Nigeria. The Bura, who are predominantly in Garkida, a missionary based area of Ekklisiyan Yan’uwa A Nigeria (EYN), Hona, Ngoƃa, Gaanda and Lala are the indigenous tribes of the local government area.
There are also large numbers of other tribes such as Fulbe, Hausa, Kilba, Margi, Kanuri, Chibok, among others, that constitute Gombi local government area.
It might interest one to know that the seemingly silent local government area has produced great women of international
repute and achievements in many fields of human endeavour.
These high profile women of Gombi origin have since the era of the defunct Gongola state, now Adamawa state, carved a niche for themselves as women of timber and caliber.
Mrs Wahir D. A. Mshelia FCCA; FCA; MBA, a professional accountant of global reckoning, is a woman from Gombi. She has attained great heights with tremendous achievements.
Mrs Mshelia, due to her outstanding performance accounting, was the first female deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.
This erudite accountant is a Certified Chartered Accountant of England and Wales, FCCA, the first female from Northern Nigeria to achieve this feat.
Mrs Mshelia worked in Borno state in various capacities. She rose from being a senior accountant to the chief accountant. She was an acting bursar at the University of Maiduguri.
This woman of great substance was appointed into the Borno State Executive Council as Honourable Commissioner for the Ministry of Social Development, Women Affairs, and Sports; and, subsequently, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism.
Mrs Mshelia served at the CBN as a senior manager, and later director of the internal audit department
The first female professor of Adamawa state hails from Gombi local government area. She is Zainab Alkali, a professor of English.
The first female novelist in Northern Nigeria hails from Garkida village in Gombi local government area. She is currently working at the Nasarawa State University Keffi.
The first female medical doctor in Northern Nigeria, Dr Uratu Yerima Balla, is also from Gombi. Dr Balla, a surgeon, studied in Germany and Switzerland.
The first female professor of economics in Adamawa state is Ummu Jalingo. Professor Ummu holds sway in econometrics, currently in Bayero University Kano. She is also a non-executive director at the CBN.
It might interest one to also know that Ambassador Fatima Balla Abubakar was the first female chief information officer in the defunct Gongola state, first female permanent secretary and the first female to be conferred with a traditional title in Adamawa Emirate.
As chief Information officer, Ambassador Abubakar established and edited the weekly Scope newspaper, which is still the only newspaper in Adamawa state. She is a politician and a veteran journalist, a nationalist whose record of achievements earned her the Officer of the Order of the Niger, OON, National recently awarded to her by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Gombi local government area has equally produced the first female admiral in the Navy in Northern Nigeria, Rear Admiral Jamila Sadiq Malafa. She of Hona tribe, Guyaku village of Gombi local government area.
The first female senior police officer is an Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Aishatu Abubakar Baju, a veterinary doctor by training. She hails from Gombi local government area.
The Lioness and the renowned brave hunter, who fought and killed many Boko Haram terrorists, hails from Gombi. Hajiya Aishatu Bakari Gombi has proved to the world that African women are brave and can dare every lion king in the jungle by fighting the deadly Boko Haram insurgents in the North-east. Aishatu is currently a senior adviser on security to Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno state.
DCI Larai Adamu Yadiya is a Nigerian immigration senior officer presently serving in Italy. She is Hona by tribe and the first in the North-east to attain this height.
These women of Gombi origin have, inarguably, made history by being first in the most unique professions not just in Adamawa state but also in the entire Northern Nigeria.
Gombi is a hidden jewel in the Savannah of Northern Nigeria for which little is known but houses the most distinguished women of Adamawa state.
If there are these great women in Adamawa state, one can imagine the great men in each of the 21 local government areas of the state. No wonder, the state is famous for producing great academics, politicians, and business moguls.
For Admiral Malafa, Ambassador Fati, DIG Aisha, Dr Abubakar, Prof Ummu and Prof Zainab, Wahir ,and Larai is the saying that “What a man can do, a woman can do better”.
These women are just a few among many others across the 21 local government areas of Adamawa state, who are excelling in their respective career.
Garba (B.Tech, MA. FIMC, FBDFM, SPSP) is a journalist, a political analyst, and an opinion writer.
He writes from Yola, Adamawa state via [email protected]; 08172570959
