Giant strides of Ibrahim Dankwambo in Gombe

By Bidemi Adeniyi

Gombe state may not have measured up to her slogan of “Jewel of the Savannah”, but for Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo. The state was rustic and lacked the basic infrastructure befitting of a state before the incumbent governor came into power on May 29, 2011. The giant strides of the governor has practically led to the rebuilding of Gombe state. It must be noted that despite the fact that Gombe is at the bottom of states on the ladder of statutory federal allocations, yet Dankwambo has succeeded in achieving much with the meagre resources.
The electoral promise of Dankwambo to revolutionize agriculture in Gombe state has since been fulfilled. He has so far procured 225 units of tractor for the use of farmers in the state and this has been followed up with the training and retraining of poultry farmers. He has ensured regular distribution of fertilizer and other farm implements to farmers in Gombe state. This architect of development has constructed several markets in the state in his quest to encourage and boost cotton farming in Gombe state.
The Dankwambo led administration has successfully established a Groundnut Processing Mill in Gombe which has thus far provided 4,600 direct jobs. The company now boasts of 326 heavy duty machines used for milling 150 tons of groundnut, 80 tons of groundnut oil and 70 tons of groundnut cake respectively on a daily basis.
Alhaji Dankwambo has equally proven himself as a promise keeper with his strides in the educational sector of Gombe state. The fellow of Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria has so far constructed more than 502 classrooms across the state. He has likewise ensured the recruitment of well over 1,000 degree and NCE graduates into the educational sector of Gombe sate. Dankwambo has likewise sanctioned the training of over 5,000 teachers in Gombe state to enhance their productivity. He has established the School of Basic and Remedial studies in Kumo as well as the College of Education in Billiri. The chartered accountant has equally established the Gombe State Polytechnic in Bajoga and the College of Legal and Islamic Studies in Nafada. It is to the credit of Dankwambo that 25 Students of the State have been sponsored to India and United kingdom for Maritime Studies.
It is most heartwarming that virtually all schools in Gombe are now well equipped with modern facilities such as e-learning centres, e-libraries, ICT centres, laboratories, expansive and conducive classes, modern furniture, conducive ambience and well motivated staffers. All of these have contributed to the successes recorded so far by primary and secondary school students of Gombe in their external examinations.
Dr. Dankwambo has set new record of achievement in the heath sector of Gombe state. He has upgraded the Urban Maternity in Idi to Children and Women Hospital. He has delivered a newly constructed Dialysis Centre within the Gombe Specialist Hospital. He has again followed up these achievements with the construction of College of Nursing and Midwifery, Dukku as well as the Snake Bite Treatment and Research Centre, Kaltungo. It is noteworthy that patients are being brought from across the state and even as far as Cameroon for treatment in the health facility. Dankwambo has thus far delivered on the supply and installation of 4 dialysis machines and 2 dialysis chairs in Gombe.
It is incontrovertible that no sector of Gombe has been left undeveloped by Ibrahim Dankwambo since he came into power as the governor. He has so far constructed and delivered close to 2000 units of 3 and 2 bedroom flats that are already being occupied. His flagship performance is the construction of 3000-seater International Conference Centre which is undoubtedly the best in Nigeria and one of the best on the African continent. The governor has likewise constructed a big ultra-modern motor park in the state. He has also constructed a state of the art tankers parking bay. This facility can conveniently house 300 articulated trucks. The project was necessitated by the hitherto regular occurrence of accidents in the state as a result of indiscriminate parking of articulated petroleum trucks on the roads.
Poverty alleviation and youth empowerment have been of prime importance to the PhD holder. He has thus far trained more than 3200 youths in six different trades at the four skills acquisition centres located within Gombe state. Dankwambo has also trained 330 supervisors at the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre in Jos. He has recruited well over 1500 youths as traffic, environmental and security marshals in Gombe state. The youths that now live responsibly were hitherto entrenched in thuggery and other social vices before Dankwambo gave them new lease of life. The governor has equally trained a different category of 1000 youths in welding, fabrication, P.O.P and tiling. He has also trained another set of youths numbering over 1200, now known as Kalare, under the Talba Youths Reorientation and Rehabilitation Programme.
Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo has taken advantage of his vast experience in financial management to empower more than 1500 poorest of the poor indigenes and residents of Gombe through the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT). He has again ensured the disbursement of loan obtained from the Bank of Industry (BOI) to 150 Cooperatives Societies in Gombe state. The former Accountant General of Gombe state and of the federation has also ensured the release of N500 million to traders in the state through the Trade Intervention Funds.
Dankwambo recognizes the necessity of potable water in Gombe state and he has even gone the extra mile to ensure that all residents of the state have access to clean and hygienic pipe borne water. In view of this, he has thus far ensured the rehabilitation and reticulation of water pipelines across Gombe state with particular focus on extension to Kwami and Gadam. He has likewise delivered on the extension of water supply to Baure, Dangar and other towns of Gombe state. The Accounting graduate of Ahmadu Bello University has commendably delivered on the construction of earth dam at Boh in Shongom local government area of Gombe state.
The judicial sector of Gombe state has also benefitted from the transformational impacts of the Ibrahim Dankwambo led administration. Not less than 162 laws of the state have been reviewed, aside the codification of the existing ones. Gombe state judiciary headquarters have been tastefully renovated by the administration of Dankwambo. The governor has likewise delivered the construction and furnishing of law courts in the state as well as magistrates, upper and area courts. Judges in Gombe judicial system are regularly being sponsored to national and international conferences in a bid to broaden their intellectual horizons and enhance service delivery in the sector.
Building and upgrading of infrastructure in Gombe state have been another area of major concern to Ibrahim Dankwambo. He has so far constructed not less than 13 major gully erosion sites, each of which is more than 4 kilometers long in his determination to curtail erosion problem in Gombe. He has equally ensured the establishment of 30 hectares of woodlots in 5 local government areas of the state. The governor also deserves credit for the establishment of roadside plantations in Gombe metropolis. Also to his credit is the
procurement of over 200 electricity transformers to ensure regular power supply in Gombe state. The government has ensured the provision of information communication technology equipment in Gombe state.
Civil servants in Gombe could not have wished for any better leader than Ibrahim Dankwambo. The governor has so far transformed the Gombe state Civil Service. He has approved the promotion of over 2000 civil servants in both the senior and junior cadres of Gombe state Civil Service. Not less than 1000 graduates have also been recruited into the public service of Gombe State through other programmes of the government. The governor truly deserves credit for the establishment of Gombe State Employee Management Information System (GEMIS) to
provide authentic staff data in the state. Payment of workers salaries in Gombe state as and when due is another area where Dankwabo stands very tall.
Ibrahim Dankwambo was adjudged the best Northern governor in 2017 largely because of his performance in the area of road construction. The governor has so far constructed over 3000 kilometers of roads with solar powered lightening of the state. Beautification of the capital city of Gombe has also been achieved by Dankwambo. He has delivered in the upgrading and maintenance of all sporting infrastructure in the state while regular funding of the state football clubs has been made a priorit.
Competent leadership ability of Ibrahim Dankwambo is beyond doubt. His political career has been enjoying steady progression on account of his integrity, intellectual wizardry and vast experience in both private and public sectors. A disservice that could be done to this nation is to deny this proven sterling performer the opportunity of administering the badly needed solutions to the myriad of problems confronting Nigeria today. He has undoubtedly proven his mettle at the state level and he is best positioned to take Nigeria out of the woods.
Adeniyi wrote from Akure

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