New yam festival: Igbo community confers Gombe SSG, “Ikemba Ndi Igbo”
The Igbo community in Gombe State has conferred on the Secretary to the Gombe State Government Prof. Ibrahim Abubakar Njodi with the traditional title of IKEMBA NDI IGBO.
The conferment ceremony coincided with the celebration of the New yam festival hosted by the Igbo community in Gombe State on Saturday.
Speaking shortly after been decorated with the traditional title of “IKEMBA NDI IGBO”, the SSG expressed gratitude to the community in the state for honouring him with the traditional title.
He said, “I can assure all the Igbos and other citizens of Nigeria that, this conferment to me is a precipice of what Nigeria promise to do for all of us, we must remain united regardless of our ethno religious affiliations.”
The SSG noted that in spite of the social economic and political challenges confronting the country, Nigerians irrespective of their geopolitical zone must profer workable solutions through dialogue rather than engaging in agitations that can bring the country down.
He also called on Nigerians to unite and to see each other as brothers and sisters as Nigerians.
“Having received this title i promise you, i don’t have somebody different as far as I am concern Igbo man is the same thing as the Tangale man from where i come from, as far as i am concern the Igbo man is the same thing as the Gombe man and a Yoruba man I don’t see any difference in this and this is what i will be propagating with this title you have given me,” Njodi added.
Recall that the conferment of the traditional title of IKEMBA NDI IGBO by the Igbo Community in Gombe State comes less than five months after the Igwe of Igbo Community in the State conferred on the SSG the traditional title of NWANNE-DINAMBA.
On his part, Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya who was represented at the event by the State Deputy Governor Dr. Manasseh Daniel Jatau congratulated the Igbo community in Gombe State for celebrating the New Yam Festival.
The Governor equally congratulated recipients of various traditional titles at the event among them the SSG, Professor Ibrahim Abubakar Njodi, Chief of staff Government House Abubakar Inuwa Kari Commissioner of works and transport Abubakar Bappah, Hon. Asama’u Iganus, the Director Protocol Musa Bushasha the Chairman Gombe Local Government Area Aliyu Usman Haruna and the Commander 301 Artillery Regiment Colonel J.C Mbanefo among others.
Yahaya stressed that the conferment of traditional titles to Gombe indigenes and key figures in his administration signifies unity in diversity.
He said his administration would continue to make Gombe State home to all law abiding Nigerians irrespective of ethnic or religious affiliations.
Joshua Danmalam
Information Officer SSGs office
