Who will vote for Inuwa Yahaya?
Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe.<br />Photo/FACEBOOK/professoryemiosinbajo
Sir: Six major categories of people make up the Gombe mosaic. They are the traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil servants, businessmen/women, politicians and the masses. These people have in one way or another other contributed toward the coming of the present APC administration in Gombe State.
Yet, the other question to put across is this: Do these categories of people who have made invaluable contributions to the growth of Gombe State still yearn and aspire for the return of the APC administration in Gombe State come 2023?
A great pillar of development in Gombe State is the traditional institution. Their contributions to Gombe cannot be quantified. Because of their influence and the respect they bring, Gombe State is peaceful and economically stable. They are the pathway toward the economic and political development of the state. Their wisdom and prayers have kept the state toward progress, which is why military and democratically elected governors respect and value them.
Unfortunately, things have changed since the buildup of the 2019 general elections to date. The institutions had lost their glory as a result of the change in the leadership system of the state where pride, egotism, threat, disrespect and ill leadership have taken over the political atmosphere of the state.
Presently, they are not accorded their value under the present administration of Governor Inuwa Yahaya of the APC. Apart from being threatened to be dethroned, the revered religious leaders are excluded from governance.
Disrespect for the religious leaders in Gombe State by Yahaya is not confined to the Islamic religion but to the Christians as well. After they were used to get to power, their reward now is bogus promises and in most cases threats.
The civil service in Gombe too is not spared. It is one of the most abused sectors of governance in the state. Promotion exercises of more than 80 per cent of the civil servants in Gombe State have not been carried out and implemented for the past three years; the minimum wage has not been affected, unlawful taxes have been introduced, 90 per cent of resident doctors have left Gombe for other states. Some civil servants have been transferred, dismissed/disengaged and over 20, 000 youths and women have been cut off from the government payroll system.
About 700,000 out-of-school children roam the streets of Gombe. Small and Medium Enterprises, SMEs, are no longer operating due to a lack of capital, opportunities and operational environment. The masses are living in dire poverty, hunger and political intimidation.
And so we ask: Under these circumstances, who will vote for Yahaya?
Salamanu Jekadafari is a public policy analyst who lives in Jekadafari, Gombe State.
