The Nation Newspaper

Tag: GOMBE

  • Gombe youths oppose ministerial nominee

    •’Her nomination okay’

    The plan to appoint Hajiya Amina Ibrahim Azubir as a minister from Gombe State has attracted criticisms.

    A youth group, the Youth Salvation Awareness Forum, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari not to appoint her.

    The group’s coordinator and spokesman, Abubakar Umar, said: “It is very disheartening that Amina Azubir was not part and parcel of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its development in this state.

    “She is not a card-carrying member of the APC. She has not contributed to the success of this government. So, it is surprising and ridiculous to hear that she is to be appointed a minister.”

    He said the list of ministerial nominees showed that 95 per cent of them were card-carrying members of the APC in other states, wondering why Gombe was an exception.

    Umar said: “If it is the issue of credibility, I think there are people more credible and capable than Amina.

    “Many APC members suffered for the party. This is the time for them to reap the fruits of their labour.”

    He enjoined President Buhari to consider the growth of the APC in making appointments, to ensure the party has a solid foundation.

    The Special Adviser to Dr. Orji Kalu, Prince Kunle Oyewumi, has hailed President Buhari for  nominating Amina, the special adviser on Post -2015 Development Planning to the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Kin- Moon, as a member of the Federal Executive Council. He said her character and profile were a testament to her commitment to good governance and the country’s progress.

    Oyewumi, a one-time special adviser on Millennium Developments Goals (MDGS) to the Oyo State Government, said Amina was a seasoned development expert, stressing that she would bring to bear, her cross-border administrative experience, if appointed a minister.

  • New path to peace in Gombe

    New path to peace in Gombe

    To stop inter-communal bloodshed over boundaries, do not redraw the borderlines; rekindle the friendliness and respect that existed among the forebears of the communities. VINCENT OHONBAMU reports

    The horrors of the insurgents are receding in Gombe State, giving the residents much-cherished relief. Even political thugs, dreaded for their thirst for blood, are being contained through the state government’s initiatives. But how do you stop the bloodbath on the borderlines, a development which continues to blight the state, costing it not just precious souls but valued properties?

    Many hold that redrawing the borders will help a great deal. But the Mai Kaltungo, Alhaji Mohammed Saleh is not one this lot. The traditional ruler and Deputy Chairman of Gombe State Council of Emirs and Chiefs said there is little to gain from boundary adjustment. The only thing that needs adjustment, he said, is the people’s feeling for one another on both sides of the border.

    People should simply start respecting one another again, and rekindle the friendliness that their ancestors on both sides of the border once shared. That was what ensured peace among communities, not who owned what land.

    One question the Mai Kaltungo likes to ask is, were the borders not there when their ancestors lived happily with one another?

    “We have to be one,” he said. “We are supposed to be one big town without any divisions. If we do not work towards cementing this good relationship, there will be problems.”

    The royal father’s call was necessitated by his concern over the perennial problems of land disputes in Gombe South Senatorial District, especially as it affects his immediate domain – Kaltungo and Shongom local governments on one side, and Billiri Local Government on the other.

    Oftentimes, most parties attempting to proffer solutions have always called for boundary demarcation as a way of finding a lasting peace to the seemingly unending matter.

    The last of such calls came in July from Hon Rambi Ibrahim Ayala who represents Billiri East constituency in Gombe State House of Assembly where he also chairs the House Committee on Land and Water Resources.

    He moved a motion seeking the clear-cut demarcation of boundaries in Gombe South Senatorial District as a means to ending the bloodshed; just as he called for the reinforcement of security as an interim measure while still working at a lasting solution.

    The Emir who was speaking as part of his to the people after Durbar (traditional horse riding and paying/receiving homage) buttressed his point about peaceful coexistence by exemplifying with the traditional hunters that normally participate in the Durbar which he said were predominantly Christians.

    “You see these traditional hunters, about 90% of them are Christians but we celebrate sallah together. This is an Islamic affair. We go to the eid ground with them. They will just stay aside while we pray. After prayers, we all come and celebrate together. That tells you the kind of unity that is here,” he said.

    It is not clear what the state government is planning regarding finding a lasting peace, but Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo as part of the immediate past sallah message told traditional rulers, community and religious leaders and the entire citizenry to continually strive towards sustaining the existing peace in the state.

    He said government as the primary responsibility of providing adequate security for the lives and property of its citizenry would continue to support security agencies to discharge their duties while urging all to “be law abiding and to shun acts capable of disrupting the peaceful co-existence the state is enjoying”.

  • Gombe declares five missing

    Gombe declares five missing

    Five pilgrims from Gombe State have been declared missing in Saudi Arabia.

    The Executive Secretary, Gombe State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Usman Gurama, told newsmen in Mina, Saudi Arabia, yesterday that the pilgrims could not be located since Thursday.

    He said that members of the medical team had been checking hospitals and mortuaries with a view to locating them or their remains.

    He, however, said that for now, it had not been confirmed as to whether they were among those who died as a result of Thursday’s incident at the Jamrat (stone throwing venue) where over 700 pilgrims died.

    Gurama confirmed that seven pilgrims from the state were injured at the scene of the incident and were responding to treatment.

    Meanwhile, Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo yesterday gave the state pilgrims 585,300 riyals (about N32.7 million) as Sallah gift.

    According to News Agency of Nigeria, each pilgrim received 300 riyals (N16,800)

    Addressing the pilgrims shortly after presenting the gift, Dankwambo urged them to pray for President Muhammad Buhari to enable him to deliver the dividends of democracy.

    He lauded the State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board and the Amirul Hajj and his team for doing a good job.

    In his remarks, the State Amirul Hajj, Alhaji Abdullahi Mai-Kano, thanked the governor for his commitment toward ensuring the success of the exercise.

    He also commended the pilgrims for their cooperation. (NAN)

  • Three die in Gombe auto crash

    Three die in Gombe auto crash

    •13 injured

    Three persons were killed and 13 injured yesterday when a vehicle carrying building materials collided with another, crushing motorcycles and tricycles in the Gombe metropolis.

    The Secretary, Gombe Specialist Hospital, Abdullahi Isah, confirmed the incident and casualties.

    He said the bodies were deposited in the mortuary and the survivors were receiving treatments at the emergency unit.

    An eyewitness, Mohammed Abubakar, said the accident occurred about 11:30am at Hamadu Karfe.

    He said the driver of the vehicle, which was loaded with building materials, experienced a brake failure and collided with a truck, crushing motorcycles and tricycles (Keke NAPEP).

    A tricycle operator, Danladi Mu’azu, said one of the passengers in the tricycle in his front jumped to safety, but the vehicles crushed the remaining passengers.

    A commercial motorcyclist, Dalhatu Musa, said he was riding in the opposite direction and on seeing the trailer hit everything in its way, he abandoned his motorcycle and ran.

    He said his passenger was not lucky as he was crushed.

    Efforts to reach the Federal Road Safety Corps, Gombe Sector Commander, Abayomi Omiyale, for comments failed, because he had travelled out of the state.

    The spokesman, Auwal Adamu, who confirmed his boss’ absence on the phone, said he was not authorised to speak on accidents.

     

  • Gombe: New ways to fight Boko Haram

    Gombe: New ways to fight Boko Haram

    Hitting the insurgents from the air and outgunning them on the ground are just fine, but in Gombe State, the Directorate of State Services (DSS) is involving everyone, including council chiefs and residents, in strategies to keep the terrorists at bay. VINCENT OHONBAMU reports

    This is not Boko Haram’s finest hour. A rejuvenated military offensive is posting good results against its fighters, hitting them so hard that many of them are laying down their arms in surrender. Still, the authorities in Gombe State are not sitting back and waiting for the latest success story from the federal troops. They are constantly initiating their own anti-Boko Haram strategies.

    For instance, the state government is building better protected markets and parks to make it harder for violent criminals to strike as they did months back, killing scores. Now, the Department of State Services (DSS) is driving a fresh campaign with everyone playing a part. One point stressed at a workshop with caretaker council chairmen in Gombe, the state capital, was how to ensure that the bloodthirsty insurgents do not cash in on the state’s open vast land to enter its communities unnoticed.

    The characteristic short trees, shrubs and parched sandy plains of the Sahel Savannah of the Northeast make it easy to stand at one point and see as far as the eyes could travel, save for the abundant rocky ranges that adorn the terrain. The sparse vegetation made possible by the thin rainfall of the vegetative belt makes it possible to crisscross the terrain with or without established roads or pathways. The rocky or undulating nature of the zone’s topography also makes for good hideouts because of the obstacles to smooth movement.

    The DSS told the council chiefs to take the vigilance message to their areas and ensure that their people at the grassroots imbibe it. On noticing anything suspicious, they should quickly pass the information to the appropriate authorities. That way it would be easier to contain the schemes of the bad guys.

    That was not all. Close circuit cameras are being installed to make kidnapping more difficult. Also, there are emergency numbers for residents to call. And when you speak in public, be careful in whose company you are and what you say. Do you feel like giving out cash to people? Good idea, but just be careful what information is passed on to characters who might use it against you or your loved ones.

    Located in the expansive savannah belt, Gombe shares common boundaries with all five states in the northeast: Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Taraba and Yobe, all interconnected through bush paths. The Udawa herdsmen who in the past created so much trouble and concerns for farmers, government and people of the state had no other routes but these bush paths.

    Aware of this vulnerability, the new State Director of Security (SDS) in the state DSS command, Mr. Reuben Amao convened a two-day workshop to enlighten the newly constituted caretaker chairmen of the 11 local government areas of the state on security tips and how to deal with security situations that may occur in their domains.

    The SDS said the workshop was informed by a thorough analysis of trends and manifestations of security threats which indicated that Boko Haram insurgents and other criminals usually enter the states through bush paths in rural areas.

    “The idea of convening the workshop by this command was informed after a thorough and meticulous timeline analysis of the trends and manifestations of security threats, particularly those of insurgency being orchestrated by Boko Haram group, which indicated that the insurgents and other members of criminal gangs usually accessed the state through bush paths along villages at the rural areas.

    “To effectively checkmate movements of these elements into the state, there is the need to alert and re-awaken the consciousness of the newly appointed Caretaker Committee Chairmen, who are the Chief Security Officers of their respective local government areas”, said Amao who was bringing to the fore his experience, having been the Director of the state command.

    Objectives of the workshop according to him, included: “To equip the newly appointed Caretaker Committee Chairmen with requisite security tips to aid in the discharge of their responsibilities.

    “To sensitise them on security threats prevailing in their areas and proffer practical solutions; to adopt security strategies collaboratively to achieve security goals and to critically examine security lapses at the LGAs with a view to nipping them proactively.”

    The Chairmen were also given tips on personal security, security of home/office environments and security of documents as well as the need to properly use the security apparatus (operatives) at their disposal so that others do not hijack the apparatus and turn them against the council bosses.

    The Deputy Governor of Gombe State, Mr. Charles Iliya who declared the workshop pen on behalf of his boss reminded the Chairmen that much was expected from them in every respect. He urged them to put the lessons into practice, adding that the workshop was the first of its kind in the state.

    He told them to be careful, patient, tactful and logical in dealing with people in order to get the best of their cooperation, especially in the area of security tips.

    Reverend Timothy Burak, the Caretaker of Shongom Local Government Area who responded on their part described the workshop as exhaustive and that they had definitely learnt a lot, while promised bring the lessons to bare in the discharge of their responsibilities at their respective localities.

  • Gombe to improve maternal, child health

    Disturbed by infant and maternal mortality statistics, Gombe State has declared its intention to strengthen the health system in order to improve the survival indices of women and children in the state.

    Executive Secretary of the State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Ahmed Gana made the commitment yesterday during the opening of a two-day meeting organised by Evidence for Action (E4A) to build the capacity of stakeholders in the state’s health sector.

    Gana decried the rising number of women and children who die in avoidable circumstances while promising government’s support and partnership in ensuring great improvement in maternal and child healthcare.

    “Government is determined to ensure that this situation is reversed; we are going to encourage this platform (E4A) to open up our health facilities because we are transparent and accountable.”

    “They (E4A) will be encouraged to come and see all that we have on ground in terms of our plans, budgets, our activities and even our challenges and limitations.”

    The National Coordinator of E4A, Aminu Magashi Garba said the training/meeting was aimed at forming a platform of the civil society, NGO’s and media that will enhance an accountability mechanism on budgeting system and advocacy on issues related to women and children.

    He said the platform’s advocacy would centre on timely release of funds, proper budgeting and tracking of budgets, among many others.

    He called for the cooperation of all stakeholders, especially government, in ensuring that the platform’s objectives are realised.

     

  • Boko Haram hit four police stations in Gombe

    Suspected Boko Haram insurgents have destroyed four of the five police divisions under the Bajoga Area Command of Gombe State in the last one year, the Area Commander, Abimbola Sokoya, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), has said.

    Sokoya spoke at Bajoga in Gombe North Senatorial District during an inspection and assessment tour of the area command’s headquarters by the new Police Commissioner Austin Iwar.

    He said: “Our challenges are not hidden. The visits of insurgents to our communities were quite devastating. But thank God that we can shout. It is by His mercies that we were not consumed.

    “Out of our five divisions, we lost four stations to inferno orchestrated by the despicable acts of insurgents.

    “If we estimate the cost of the lost property, the loss of our gallant officers and men is incalculable.”

    The area command said none of the divisions had been rebuilt.

    He urged the state government, through the new police chief, to help “rebuild the stations as well as renovate the area command’s headquarters, which is almost collapsing”.

    Sokoya added: “Manpower depletion is a big challenge. Many of our men have found their way out of the area command. We are pleading that our strength should be strengthened.”

    Iwar, who called for a minute’s silence in honour of fallen officers and men, commiserated with the area command.

    The police chief urged the officers and men to remain strong since the war against insurgency would soon become history.

    He urged them to establish a robust relationship with their communities as part of efforts to drive the police/public partnership.

    To the Divisional Police Officers (DPOs), Sokoya said: “You should spend 80 per cent of your time outside your offices and 20 per cent in the office. In like manner, deploy 80 per cent of the workforce to the field and retain only 20 per cent in the offices.”

  • Gombe donates vehicles to FRSC

    Gombe donates vehicles to FRSC

    The Gombe State government has donated two patrol vans to the state Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to aid its operations.

    The Sector Commander, Mr. Abayomi Omiyale received the vans on behalf of the command.

    He said, “The donation could not have come at a better time or on a better day than on the very first day of the ‘ember months, the period during which most of the crashes in the year actually occur.

    “For the governor to have donated these two vehicles means that he does not want traffic offenders to go unpunished and therefore, you will not enjoy his sympathy if you are apprehended, especially as we go through the ‘ember months

    “For those of you who think you could use Route ‘B’ because Road Safety is operating on Route ‘A’, it is no longer business as usual. We are now ubiquitous, that is, we can now be at different points at the same time.”

    Omiyale recalled that the administration of Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo had earlier donated three ambulances to the Sector Command and equally established a Unit Command in Cham near where majority of the crashes along Gombe-Yola Road used to were happening before that Unit Command was established.

    He said, “Not only that; he provided ample office accommodation for the Command, including residential accommodation and fuels our patrol vehicles on a weekly basis.

    “It is for this reason that the Corps Marshall and Chief Executive of the FRSC, Engineer Boboye Olayemi Oyeyemi himself would have loved to be here but he is out of the country.”

    He said this commitment led to a further decline in the statistics of road crashes, adding: “If you look at January to July of last year, 2014 and this year 2015, road crashes in Gombe State have gone down by 18% from 103 in 2014 to 84 in 2015; injuries have also gone down by 20% from 424 in 2014, to 341 in 2015 and fatalities (death) have also gone down 28%, from 74 in 2014 to 53 in 2015.

     

  • Gombe lawmakers tackle clashes

    Gombe lawmakers tackle clashes

    Members of Gombe State House of Assembly have waded into the land crisis in the southern district of the state. Clashes over land in such councils as Balanga, Billiri, Kaltungo and Shongom have led to deaths, injuries and arson among other fallouts.

    Worried by these incessant clashes, the member representing Billiri South constituency in state House of Assembly, Honourable Rambi Ibrahim Ayala moved a motion seeking a clear-cut demarcation of boundaries in the district as a way of ending the bloodshed.

    Ayala who chairs the House Committee on Land and Water Resources also called for the reinforcement of security in the affected areas.

    He said: “Despite the relative peace enjoyed by the people in the state irrespective of their diverse backgrounds…communal clashes in some parts of the state have continued to rear [their] ugly head leading to many loss of lives, and thereby disrupting economic activities in those areas. We have a responsibility to our young ebullient and dynamic state to serve as a fountain that will quench the ravaging conflagration of ethnic strife in our state.

    “As we are all aware, the unresolved land boundary disputes in some parts of the state have given rise to skirmishes as recently witnessed amongst the inhabitants of Kaltungo, Shongom, and Billiri local governments of the state, which has led to unavoidable loss of lives and property. Therefore, we cannot continue to remain complacent as in the case during the Holocaust”.

    Ayala said he urged the House to send a delegation to the affected communities and mobilise their elders to enlighten the residents on peace.

    He praised Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo’s efforts in containing insecurity and enshrining the culture of peaceful coexistence in the state.

    Inspired by the Ayala motion, the state House of Assembly constituted a joint committee on security and land to look into the matter and report to the House.

    The most recent of such tension heightening contentions over farmland was the fierce fighting at Poshiya village in Billiri local government area which led to the death of the Dean of Academics, Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) Theological Seminary popularly known as Kufai, Reverend Emmanuel Joshua.

    The conflict which occurred around mid-June 2015 reduced Poshiya village to a ghost town as all the villagers fled their homes and went into hiding due to fear of more attack from their opponents in Shongom local government Area which shares the same border with Poshiya.

    Reverend Joshua had hired some women to clear a farmland for him to cultivate but the women were sent away by Shongom people.

    Next, the clergy went himself to ask why his hirelings were chased out. He was waylaid and killed.

     

    The clash also consumed Seminary’s Liberian, Agabus Abona and two others, leaving several others with injury.

    Spokesperson of Gombe State Police Command, Deputy Superintendent Fwaji Atajiri said the command immediately deployed a team of mobile policemen to the area to deal with the situation but did not make any arrest so as not to escalate the problem.

    Gombe state Deputy Governor, Honourable Charles Iliya visited the area to pacify the communities, urging the leaders to prevail on their youths to sheathe their swords.

    The Dagaci (Village Head) of Poshiya, Mr. Dedan Kamasco expressed his disappointment over the clash.

    He said they have documents of a court ruling apportioning the disputed area to his community and wondered why their opponents would not just accede to a court ruling.

     

  • BoI okays N903.4m loan for SMEs in Gombe

    BoI okays N903.4m loan for SMEs in Gombe

    The Bank of Industry (BoI) has approved N903.4million for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in Gombe State.

    Its  Managing Director,  Mr. Rasheed Olaoluwa, who spoke  during the inauguration of BoI’s new office in the state, said agro-processing accounted for 80 per cent of the loan portfolio.

    In a statement, Olaoluwa was quoted to have said so far, projects  being financed through loans from the bank  created 1, 900 direct and indirect jobs in Gombe State.

    ”Shortly after his assumption of office on May 2011, the Governor of Gombe State expressed the desire for partnership with BoI as a vehicle for accelerating the socio-economic development of Gombe State.

    “In order to actualise the partnership, he made a pledge to contribute the sum of N500million towards the establishment of a N1.0 billion Entrepreneurial Development Fund which was to be matched in like sum by BoI.

    “The first tranche of the state’s contribution to the matching fund in the sum of N250million was released in August 2011. This amount was equally matched by BoI thereby creating an initial pool of N500million for on-lending to entrepreneurs in the state.”

    He said by this gesture, Gombe emerged the first in the Northeast to collaborate with the BoI in entrepreneurial development under the states’ Matching Fund Scheme.

    He  said: “I am pleased to inform you that to date, a total sum of N903.4million was approved for 171 projects. However, because the available matching fund was N500million, only 55 per cent of the approved loan amount could be funded under the Matching Fund Scheme. It is evident that there is an urgent need for the state government to release its outstanding contribution of N250million to the Matching Fund.

    “Notwithstanding, BoI had disbursed N110million to 16 enterprises in the state from its own resources. In terms of impact, 1,277 direct and 623 indirect jobs totalling 1900 were created. Gombe State is a predominantly agrarian state and this is evidenced by the fact that, 80 per cent of the approved loans was committed to agro-processing, while 20 per cent was for other sectors such as beverages, construction products, plastic and chemical products.”

    The BoI chief noted that given the fact that the state  had been identified as a major hub for  commodity-based industrial clusters within the Northeast, the bank  would concentrate its lending efforts in major industrial clusters such as meat processing, metal fabrication rice milling and  groundnut oil production, among others.

    According to him, to deepen its developmental impact in the country, BoI has identified 34 product clusters nationwide, adding that  Gombe, being a major hub for clusters in the Norteast, would be a beneficiary of the initiative.