In the time past, life in Gombe State was a nightmare because of the level of violence unleashed on the people of the state by some restive youths, who were known as ‘Yan Kalare’. But today, barely two years since Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo was sworn in as the governor of the state, one can authoritatively say Gombe is a restive-free state, or if you like, a Kalare-free state.
This is because of the series of youth development and empowerment programmes and policies evolved and religiously implemented by the governor. Mainly executed through the Ministry of Youth Empowerment and Poverty Alleviation, the issues of making life better for Gombe youths is the bottom line of every developmental stride executed in virtually all the sectors of the state.
The ray of hope that people saw when the governor first dissociated himself from youths restiveness and then publicly proscribing them during his inauguration has developed into an awe-inspiring atmosphere of friendliness in the state.
This followed the deliberate pronouncement and implementation of policies and programmes designed to‘re-orientate’ and rehabilitate the hitherto restive youths with a view to reintegrating into the social environment in the state. More so, that these policies and programmes are deliberately aimed at aiding them to be useful to themselves, families and the state in general.
Accordingly, in the first batch of reorientation and rehabilitation programme, a total of 1,200 youths were recruited, out of which 1,197 successfully completed the three-week rehabilitation at the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) permanent orientation camp in Malam Sidi, headquarters of Kwami Local Government Area. After they were trained, the youths are now serving as ward, traffic and environmental marshals in the state.
“The testimonies are there and people are very happy with the programme; even the youths themselves. Friends of those that participated in the rehabilitation exercise have seen the advantage and can not wait to be part of it,” said the Commissioner of Youths Empowerment and Poverty Alleviation, Alhaji Mijinyawa Labaran while commenting on the Corps Marshal scheme established by the government.
The success story and many other testimonies underscore the untold turnaround in the life and fortunes of the youths that went through the three-week reorientation cum rehabilitation exercise initiated by the Dankwambo-led administration in Gombe state to set the stage for return of peace and tranquility to Gombe State.
These marshals have so far made tremendous impact in the areas of ferreting information, sanitation, traffic control, maintaining orderliness and lots more. A good number of them were part of those selected from the state during the last army recruitment exercise.
In recognition of their exemplary commitment, 330 of the marshals were selected and trained at the Citizenship and Leadership Training Institute in Shere Hills, Jos-Plateau State. After their training, they now serve as supervisors and Monitors of the marshals.
Considering the huge benefits and growing yearnings by youths to enroll in the marshal programme, government has concluded plans to enlist another batch of 1,200 youths for the reorientation and rehabilitation programme.
“We are just waiting for the current batch of the National Youths Service Corps to finish orientation exercise at the camp, after which we will move in and commence the training”, Labaran further explained.
Preceding the rehabilitation programme was another intervention to empower 320 youths through trainings in seven different trades from four skills acquisition centres across the state at the cost of well over N480,000 each. The graduate trainees were resettled with tools of the trades they learnt while the governor approved that an interest-free loan of N200,000 be given to each of them after fulfilling some conditions to enable them set up businesses.
The programme has now been scaled up to accommodate 520 youths and 16 trades where government is expected to expend N228 million in the training, allowances to both the trainees and trainers. At present, the training manual has been developed by the consultant and any moment, the training will commence for the youths. After they complete the training programme, government plans to provide them with similar tool kits for the setting up of their businesses.
According to Alhaji Mijinyawa Labaran, “The youths would equally upon completion of their training receive a credit facility of two hundred thousand naira with kits of the trade they have learnt to enable them start-off. But during the training period, each trainee would be given a monthly stipends of N6,000 to augment their transportation to the centre and to sustain their interest and commitment to the scheme.
The Dankwambo’s policies in empowering the youths, has concluded arrangements for the distribution of 867 tricycles (Keke-NAPEP) to youths in the state. The aim is to alleviate poverty and enhance their economic empowerment.
In the same vein, a tricycle assembly plant has been established to train 1,000 youths who would be engaged in assembling the Completely Knocked Down (CKD) parts of 550 units of tricycles to be brought from Pakistan and subsequent importations of tricycle CDKs. A reasonable number of fully coupled tricycles will be supplied from Steyr Nigeria Limited, Bauchi.
The interesting thing about the programme is that the 1,000 youths to be engaged in the assemblage of these tricycles would be employed by government while the plant will also serve other neighbouring states.
Another programme which the present government has embraced to alleviate poverty is the Condition Cash Transfer (CCT) scheme in collaboration with the Federal Government. As a programme under the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs), the state enrolled 1,500 beneficiaries, comprising the poorest of the poor, the disabled and other less privileged persons in the state.
To sum up the benefit of this scheme, at the end of the year, its multiplier effect will have touched the lives of 3,000 persons. To expand the programme to other numerous poor, government plans to scale up the scheme to accommodate about 5,000 beneficiaries across the state.
As an agrarian state, the Gombe State government also plans to collaborate with the Federal College of Horticulture, Dadin Kowa town of Yamaltu Deba Local Government of the state to engage 1,000 youths who would be given one hectare of land each to engage in farming. Government has began talks with a Chinese firm to train youths in modern farming techniques in animal fattening, fishery, poultry and crop production.
The Dankwambo-led administration has also taken advantage of the federal government’s Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) where another batch of 3,000 youths were engaged for various poverty alleviation programmes.
Youths are unarguably central to the development of any society because they are the strongest, most vibrant and obviously the future leaders. Therefore, every future plan must be built around them to ensure that they are given proper attention that would translate to a brighter tomorrow for individuals and the nation at large.
This is the impetus behind the various intervention programmes and other indirect programmes in education, agriculture, sports development, health among other sectors of the state.
Today, the youths are indeed having a better deal than ever; no wonder the atmosphere of restiveness hitherto witnessed in the state has given way to a hospitable situation as everybody is now busy engaged in one activity or the other for self sustenance and development
•Mela writes from Federal Low Cost
Housing Estate, Gombe
