Why Gombe is not hit by insurgency – Jauro

Dr. Sani Jauro is a seasoned administrator, a civil servant of impeccable integrity, rising through the ranks to the highest position of Permanent Secretary in the Gombe state civil service.
He also doubles as the Principal Private Secretary to the state Governor, Dr.
Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo.
He speaks to ABDULRAHMAN ZAKARIYYAU on reasons the state has been ‘spared’ of insurgency and what stands the governor out as a leader.
Excerpts:

Why does Gombe appear to have been spared of insurgency? Though located in the north-eastern flank of Nigeria, which is seen largely as restive, Gombe is largely peaceful owing to the rare qualities of its leader, who has been able to bring together its diverse people; making them reap bountifully from their heterogeneity.
In Gombe today, very much unlike what obtains in most parts of the country, Muslims and Christians co-exist peacefully, and everyone feels a sense of belonging.
And all well-meaning people are lending their hands to the unprecedented development drive of the governor, thereby contributing in making Dankwambo the exceptional leader that he has proven to be.

But there are insinuations that he is not approachable….
As you very well know, I am not a politician, and I am not in the least engaging in politics by telling you about some of these qualities.
But I want you to gauge the attitude of many leaders in other states, who have spent seven years in power.
In the case of Governor Dankwambo, he is just being himself by remaining humble, level headed, tolerant and respectful of everybody.
Let me give you an example, for the seven years period we have been working with him at the Government House, Gombe, Governor Dankwambo has never raised his voice or looked down on anybody, from the deputy governor down to a cleaner on the streets.
Nobody who is truthful and honest will ever tell you that the governor had raised his voice against him.
If anybody does anything that annoys him, he simply keeps quit.
Only those of us that are very close to him will discern that he was crossed but you will never hear him bark.
He is an extra ordinary person, and I am being very honest with you and saying this with the highest sense of responsibility.
But let me add here that no matter how good one is, there are people who will always dislike or disagree with him.
It is what psychologists will call individual differences.
Where majority see light, there are always a tiny minority who will insist it is darkness.
By the way, who is Governor Dankwambo? This is a very big question, and I can only attempt to give you an answer.
Perhaps the best way I can describe Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo is to pinpoint at his trademark humility and uncommon intelligence.
Whenever you are before him, he makes you feel at ease, such that you might forget you are in the presence of a serving governor.
In Dankwambo, we have an exceptional leader possessing the ability to accept alternative viewpoints.
Many a leader will simply dish out directives and insist you must carry them out, but not Governor Dankwambo.
The Gombe governor is also very, very tolerant and hardworking.

Any linkage between this and his social or educational background? I believe there is.
Governor Dankwambo hails from a well-to-do family that has distinguished itself in pro-people entrepreneurship.
His unassuming mien and his uncommon humility belie a persona that is deeply insightful and intelligence.
Naturally, his background plays a key role.
This is a man who is well read, with a degree in accounting, master’s degree in Economics, PhD in accounting and a post graduate diploma in computer science.
He rose to become the accountant general of Gombe state, and later, the accountant general of the Nigerian federation.
An indicator of his desire to selflessly serve his people could be seen in that he took the risk of leaving his comfort zone by voluntarily resigning from that high post, to launch into the murky waters of Nigerian politics.
Somebody driven by money and personal aggrandizement will rather stay in that high office and continue enjoying the perks there from, but not Dankwambo.
He desired to serve his people; to take Gombe a notch-higher, and today, he is able to record achievements that are unprecedented in our history.
So humble is the man that he is even shy to market those phenomenal achievements, asmany others would have done.
You have worked, as a very senior civil servant, with different governors.

What, in your opinion, stands him out? Well, it is not actually in my character to be comparing my superiors or the people I have worked with in that capacity.
I don’t believe it is the right thing to do.
No two people are the same.
God has created us differently.
By talking about the leaders I have worked with in the past, my intention could be misconstrued.
And don’t forget, I am not a politician.
I therefore leave that to politicians.
All I can say is that he is a man that understands the system very well, who knows the financial system very well and Nigerians are seeing it in practice; in the way and manner he has been able to utilize very scarce and minimal resources to achieve the best and the most.
Governor Dankwambo thinks in a very scientific way and that is why he has always been successful.

On the governor’s legacies The good people of Gombe will remember Governor Dankwambo for all the qualities I have mentioned to you.
We will remember him for his outstanding ingenuity in financial management.
He will be remembered for adding value to the system, in a way and manner that was never done before.
In Dankwambo, we are talking about a governor who has shown deep commitment to workers who operate the engine of government.
Under Dankwambo, Gombe has never experienced a situation where workers have not being paid their salaries.
That in itself has been helping in making the wealth to circulate, and the market is overlying all over the state, and the payment of salary was made very easy in Gombe state despite the recession and also despite the fact that Gombe is in the middle of the North east.
The insurgency has engulfed almost the whole of the north east, yet Gombe has been peaceful under his watch.
There has never been an inch of Gombe that has being occupied by the insurgents, and this is all attributed to his humane policies; his creation of employment for the people; his pronouncements on issues, and generally on what he has said and how he handles the people, and his relationship with the security agencies.
Outstanding sector That sector is education.
Governor Dankwambo made education his first, second and third priority.
He succeeded in walking the talk by massively transforming the educational system, reducing the number of pupils per class, improving the teacher-student ratio, and the atmosphere in most of the schools has been tremendously made conducive for teaching and learning.
As everyone is aware, the number of pupils per teacher in the class impacts heavily on the understanding and assimilation of curriculum in the classroom.
With limited resources, Governor Dankwambo built more schools, more classes.
To decongest the classes, the governor also recruited more teachers, and ensured they are trained and retrained.
The governor also established another University of Technology, and let’s not forget, all the project executed by the previous administrations are being maintained by the governor.
Let me tell you there is no society on earth that has ever grown beyond the quality of its education.
So anybody that is really committed to developing his people must invest heavily in education and that is exactly what Governor Dankwambo did and it is only a committed leader who loves his people that can do this.
Of course he has made the accounting profession very proud.
He has made the people of Gombe very proud.
I told you about his rich professional and academics qualifications, forgetting to add that he is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, a fellow of the Chattered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.
The Gombe Governor is also a fellow of the Nigeria Economics Society.
These are things that are not just for free.
One has to sit for examination and pass through stages before earning them.

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