*restates determination to ensure sustainable development
*Emir Abubakar III lauds Gombe Governor’s monumental achievements in 3 years
By; JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON
Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya says the decision by his administration to build the multi billion naira Muhammadu Buhari Industrial Park was born out of the desire to institutionalise an enduring framework that will guarantee sustainable economic development for shared prosperity.
According to a statement signed by the Director-General (Press Affairs)Government House Gombe, Ismaila Uba Misilli, Governor Inuwa Yahaya stated this when he hosted the Emir of Gombe, Alhaji Dr. Abubakar Shehu Abubakar lll on a colorful traditional Sallah Homage otherwise known as “Hawan Gidan Gwamnati” at the Government House.
The annual Sallah homage to the Government House is a tradition that predated modern history and is usually led by the Emir in company of district heads and members of his traditional council clad in colorful royal attires to add glamour to the event which usually attracts thousands of people across the State and beyond.
Speaking at the event, Governor Inuwa said his government’s strategy is to ensure sustainable growth through industrialization that makes opportunities accessible to all people and broadly distributes income and non-income gains across the state.
The governor who expressed gratitude to Almighty Allah for seeing the Muslim Ummah through the holy month of Ramadan which came to a climax with the Eid el fitr festival, called on Muslims and non-Muslims in the State to maintain the peace and tranquility which both Islam and Christianity preach and for which the Gombe is well known.
He assured the people of the State that his administration will not relent in seeking the support, cooperation and wise counsel of the traditional rulers and opinion leaders in order to lead the State in the most effective, efficient and equitable manner.
He added that the achievements recorded in the three years of his stewardship will not have been possible without the support of the traditional institution and the people of the state in general.
The Governor who praised the peaceful co-existence in the State, expressed gratitude to security agencies for their resilience in maintaining the peace in a region bedeviled with insurgency and other forms of threats.
Governor Yahaya noted that it is only when there is peace that Government can provide social amenities and other services for the wellbeing of the people, and therefore appealed to the citizenry to judiciously guard the prevailing tranquillity in the state.
The Governor equally thanked the traditional institution in the State for their role in ensuring peace and tranquility in their various communities in particular and the State in General.
While speaking on the his administration’s desire to leave a lasting legacy for the people of the State, Governor Inuwa Yahaya said the Muhammadu Buhari Industrial park was conceived as a long term economic development plan to boost the socio-economic and infrastructural advancement of the State.
He explained that when completed, the Park will lead to the holistic and comprehensive development of all sectors so that the State will become a one-stop destination for local and international investors.
Governor Inuwa Yahaya revealed that in a bid to expose business men and women in State to the art of International trade, his administration in conjunction with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council organised a sensitization Workshop on export promotion and processing.
He thanked the Emir of Gombe for the Sallah homage, assuring the royal father of his administration’s commitment to continue to deliver dividends of democracy to the people across all the nooks and crannies of the state in line with his campaign promises.
Earlier, the Emir of Gombe, Dr. Abubakar Shehu Abubakar lll said he led the retinue of his district heads, emirate council members and traditional title holders to the Government House to felicitate with Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya over the successful completion of the Ramadan fast and to pay him homage on the occasion of the Eid el fitr sallah celebration.
The Emir enjoined Muslims to maintain the spirit of Ramadan which encourages fervant prayers and abiding faith in the Almighty Allah for continued peace and stability of the State and the country, saying until such is done the myriads of challenges confronting the nation may not go any time soon.
The Emir used the occasion to emphasize on the need for the citizens of the State to live in peace with one another irrespective of their ethno religious affiliations.
He commended the Governor for organising special sessions for inter religious consultations aimed at promoting religious tolerance and harmony in the State.
The Emir of Gombe paid glowing tribute to Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya for his holistic approach in addressing the myriad of challenges in the state and for his pragmatic leadership which he said has led to the execution of life changing projects such as the multi billion naira Muhammadu Industrial Park, ‘network eleven hundred’ which seeks to construct at least one hundred kilometres of roads in each of the eleven Local Government areas of the State.
He also scored the Governor high in the areas of Healthcare revitalization, repositioning of the education sector; especially the construction of the ultra modern school in Kumbiya Kumbiya, the establishment of five legacy schools across the State as well as the mopping up of thousands out of school children and returning them back to the classrooms.
The monarch equally applauded the Gombe State Governor for the prompt payment of salaries and settlement of outstanding gratuity of retirees among others, describing the achievements so far recorded by the Governor as monumental and unprecedented. He noted that there is no area in the state that has not witnessed the remarkable and developmental strides of Governor Yahaya’s administration.
The Emir later led thousands of Horsemen clad in colorful robes and staged a spectacular durbar to the admiration of the Governor and other dignitaries present.
