While neighbouring states like Yobe, Bauchi, Jigawa, and Kano are sending their sons and daughters abroad to study medicine, engineering, technology, and other critical courses that can transform their economies, Gombe, the Jewel in the Savannah, continues to watch from the sidelines.
Just recently, Senator Ibrahim Mohammed Bomai of Yobe South sponsored one hundred students to India for bachelor’s and master’s degrees under his Education Trust Fund. It wasn’t a mere political gesture, it was a bold, visionary commitment to the future of his people.
The send-forth ceremony in Potiskum carried the inspiring theme “Empowering Youths Through Education.” The initiative brought together community leaders, traditional rulers, and families, all united by the shared joy of seeing young people given wings to fly through education.
But as Yobe celebrates, Gombe must ask itself a painful question: where are our own lawmakers?
Where are our three senators?
Where are our representatives at the National Assembly?
Where are our State Assembly members?
And, most importantly, where is the Gombe State Government in all of this?
How many indigent students from our state have been offered similar opportunities to study critical courses capable of reshaping our development story?
In states like Bauchi, Jigawa, and Kano, leaders are investing heavily in minds, not just monuments. They understand that true development is not in buildings or painting, but in people by giving the next generation the knowledge and skills to build a stronger economy of their beloved states.
Sadly, in Gombe, we continue to celebrate token projects that win applause but leave no legacy. Our education budget struggles to reach children even within the metropolitan area, just like how some children in Galdimari still under trees just to learn their ABCs.. Our scholarship schemes come and go like political seasons, inconsistent, and unsustainable.
Let’s be clear: this is not about lack of funds; it is about lack of foresight and priority.
If a single senator from Yobe can personally sponsor one hundred young people to study abroad, what excuse can Gombe’s government and three senators possibly offer?
Gombe has no shortage of intelligent, ambitious youth but only a shortage of leaders willing to believe in their potential.
It’s time for our legislators and state government to rethink their approach to governance. Leadership is not about ribbon-cutting or self-promotion; it’s about planting seeds of progress that will outlive politics.
Education is not an expense, it is an investment in the soul and survival of a state. The return is a generation of citizens who can innovate, create jobs, and lead Gombe to the greatness it deserves.
Our leaders must wake up.
Stop the politics of applause and start the politics of impact.
Because when you empower a child through education today… you secure the destiny of a people tomorrow.
