…..says practice to enhance hardship
……Gombe to commemorate Cultural Day
The Paramount ruler of Kaltungo, Engineer Saleh Mohammed, has warned farmers against selling produce to middlemen, saying that it would encourage food scarcity in the state.
Mohammed, referred to as Mai Kaltungo, who doubles as Deputy Chairman Gombe council of Chiefs and Emirs, handed the warning in his address at the 2023 Kaltungo Cultural Carnival at the Olusegun Obasanjo stadium on Wednesday.
He advised farmers in the state to be careful on how they sold their newly harvested farm produce to middlemen who are mopping up produce.
Mohammed said, “farmers must avoid the scenario of selling all their produce only to buy them back in few months at exorbitant prices in the market, such could create more hardship for them.”
He lauded all guests that came to attend the event while urging the people of Gombe State to continue to promote peaceful co-existence so that the state could witness more development.
On his part, Emir of Zazzau, Kaduna State, Ahmed Bamalli, urged stakeholders to harness culture to promote peace and unity in the state and country.
Bamalli disclosed that any event like the Kaltungo cultural carnival that brings people of different cultures together to showcase on the same platform had a way of unifying the people and promoting peaceful co-existence.
Also, Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Yahaya, said sustaining cultural values remained a vital tool for promoting peace, unity and social harmony in the society.
Yahaya, waho was represented by Deputy Governor, Dr Manassah Jatau, said “any event that promotes cultural heritage of different ethnic groups was a platform to harmonise the different beliefs and enhance cultural understanding.”
According to him, some of the security challenges and other undesirable vices in the society were caused by abandonment of cultural values, beliefs and practices.
He said, “This government places higher premium on the positive role that culture plays in the progress of any society.
“It is in this regard, that the government has reached advanced stage in the establishment of a museum under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, where cultural artefacts would be preserved, for obvious reasons.
“Furthermore, government has continued to promote our cultural heritage through supporting all ethnic groups that mark their cultural days.”
Yahaya noted that arrangements are underway to set aside a day to mark Gombe Day of Culture, “where all the ethnic groups in the state will showcase their culture,” he added.
