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It is now more than four years since Dr. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, now a senator, bequathed power after two compelling terms of office as governor of Gombe, a backwater state ravaged by misgovernance and thuggery before his ascension to power in 2011.
Eight years were all that this great man of vision needed to make all the difference and earn for Gombe, a prime of place among Nigeria’s most promising states.
Not only did he succeed in removing the backwater appelation hung on Gombe’s neck, he also made an audacious move to put the state on the global map, building one of the most beautiful, modern and equipped international convention centres in Africa, obviously knowing as far back as then that Gombe would be declared an oil rich state and the mineral resources that abound in large store there will make the state a destination of choice for investors at the global stage.
One great thing the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) does for us the gatekeepers in the media industry is the opportunity to know our country by travelling all over its nooks and crannies, meeting new people and gauging their inner feelings about democracy and life in general.
I was privileged to be the Deputy President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors at the same time Dankwambo was Gombe governor, and I saw firsthand some of these massive achievements for which the Gombe people are still grateful and proud.
But how did I know that the Dankwambo magical governance still lingers in Gombe? I actually undertook my second trip to that state since the exit of Dankwambo in Gombe Government House, yesterday, and saw many of these projects still very much intact, in part owing to the quality that was ensured in their provision, as well as the large heartedness of the incumbent governor, Malam Inuwa Yahaya, who has also used the last four years to not only complete many of the projects that were still ongoing as at the time Dankwambo handed over power to him, but also ensuring that they are well maintained for the overall benefit of his people, the Gombawas.
I used the opportunity to go round the city, and saw exactly what Malam Ahmed Shu’aibu Gara-Gombe repeatedly told me about Governor Yahaya’s positive focus on governance.
Gara-Gombe is a friend and confidant of decades standing, and had served the incumbent governor as a strategic communication adviser.
But it was not Gombe that I came to. This time around, my destination was Biu, in southern Borno State, where two major events are holding this weekend – namely the coronation of a celebrated patriot, the former Chief of Army Staff General Tukur Buratai as a kingmaker in the Biu Emirate, and the award of a doctorate degree on him by a product of his vision, the Nigerian Army University located in the ancient town. I heard from the grapevine that the General turned down an offer to be bestowed the honour when he was in office, believing it is more deserving long after he left the scene.
It is now almost three years since Buratai voluntarily retired as Nigeria’s Number One Soldier. Afrer a stint as an ambassador, he refused to get tired or give up on Nigeria, establishing a Tukur Buratai Research Centre aimed at fast tracking research for development in the country and setting up a foundation to help solve some of society’s most naughty problems.
Somehow, just like General Buratai, Senator Dankwambo has sacrificed a lot for this great nation, and for a very long time in the history of Gombe State, the quantum of developments and social harmony achieved by the administration of Dr. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, will remain a marvel to visitors and indigenes.
What makes Dankwambo’s achievements monumental are not just the size and quality of his projects and programmes, but the sheer fiscal ingenuity with which he was able to turn around the state. The extent of the uplift of the state by the former governor can only be appreciated when seen than read or heard about.
Among other things, what became the Dankwambo Phenomenon in Gombe, covered five core sectors only, namely, youths empowerment and poverty allleviation, agriculture, infrastructure, health and education.
Coming from a part of Nigeria that is truly educationally disadvantaged, , Dankwambo wasted no time, upon mounting the saddle as the third civilian governor of Gombe, in insisting that the educational sector would remain his topmost priority programme for development.
Globally, social development experts see education as key to social wellbeing and a major escape route from the poverty trap.
Education is also a foremost facilitator for social improvement and inclusion, the upgrading of human capital, increased opportunities, and enhanced freedom and welfare.
Based on the foregoing, it could be easily understood why Dankwambo as governor retained education as the main driver of massive developmental paradigm in Gombe State. Interestingly, the former governor’s commitment and religious implementation of election promises of which education is number one has continued to bear eloquent fruits in the social transformation of Gombe State.
The Dankwambo administration easily became synonymous with quality education and sustainable socio-economic empowerment of future leaders.
Historically, Nigeria’s northeast has been bedeviled by multifaceted social challenges that have stunted educational development.The region holds a large population of out of school children, compounded with the problems of girlchild education, where most girls lack of access to education due to a combination of factors, including government’s nonchalance and cultural practices.
But Dankwambo has made a world of difference by tearing down the barriers of government’s lack of commitment. His administration’s strong commitment has been demonstrated through many interventions that it embarked on to create educational opportunities for the people of the region.
With education as the priority of his administration, Governor Dankwambo has gradually reduced the rate of abject poverty, poor personal hygiene, child abuse and sundry anti-social activities, in the state.
Though Dankwambo is no longer a governor, recalling his unprecedented strides in governance could spur the present and upcoming generation of leaders to do more and give more to our people, thereby creating hope and trust in democracy as the best system of government.
It is, therefore, from the foregoing perspective that the basic thrust of the Dankwambo administration should be understood.
During a budget presentation in the Gombe State House of Assembly, not many people understood what Dankwambo meant when he listed education as his first, second and third priority.
Owing to that commitment, coupled with what the incumbent Governor Yahaya is doing, in no distant time, Gombe State would stand out as the bastion of quality education in the entire northeast geopolitical zone.
As someone who has tasted the fruit of good education and determined to bequeath it as his legacy to the state, the Dankwambo had once stated that: “I always say that the state of Massachusetts in the US doesn’t have agriculture and much industry, but they do have education, and that is why we are developing education so Gombe can be a hub of education and talent development. We want to export talent from Gombe, and there is much potential in this sector.”
Dankwambo has come and saw and conquered. His story is that of unrelenting success, and it goes to underscore the fact that there is nothing positive that the human mind can not achieve, provided tenacity, patriotism and determination are allowed to become preeminent denominators in the way and manner we do things.
