Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has urged citizens to remain united and peaceful, calling on political actors and their supporters to shun bitterness, inflammatory statements and divisive rhetoric.
The governor made the call on Sunday at the closing ceremony of the 29th edition of the Qur’anic Memorisation and Recitation Competition organised by the Izala Organisation, founded by Sheikh Ismaila Idris Jos, in Bambam, Balanga South Local Government Development Area of Gombe State.
Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Ibrahim Abubakar Njodi, Yahaya said the peace and development recorded in the state could only be sustained through cooperation, understanding and the collective support of citizens.
He urged residents to exercise patience in matters of governance and avoid actions or utterances capable of creating tension or threatening the stability of the state.
“Let us remain calm and refrain from actions or statements capable of provoking tension, disrupting peace or undermining the stability of our dear state,” the governor said.
Yahaya also called for politics without bitterness, stressing that political differences should not be allowed to destroy the bonds of unity among the people.
He said, “We must continue to work together, tolerate one another and ensure that our political engagements do not become a source of hatred, division or conflict.”
The governor noted that the achievements recorded by his administration were made possible through the cooperation, prayers and support of the people of Gombe State.
According to him, “The development we have witnessed in Gombe over the years is a product of the cooperation, prayers and support of our people.”
Yahaya added that the progress recorded in the state had attracted the attention of other states, which, according to him, were increasingly showing interest in some of Gombe’s development initiatives.
He therefore appealed to citizens to protect the peace and unity of the state, saying collective efforts remained critical to sustaining the progress achieved.
The governor commended the Izala Organisation for its commitment to nurturing young people spiritually and academically through Qur’anic and Western education.
He assured the organisation of the state government’s continued support for initiatives that promote moral values, education and the development of responsible citizens.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Council of Ulama of the Izala Organisation, Sheikh Hamza Abdulhamid, urged Muslims to continue praying for their leaders and to demonstrate patience and perseverance in the face of challenges.
Abdulhamid said the organisation had remained committed to Islamic and formal education, noting that it had established schools at different levels and was working towards establishing a university.
He said, “We have been consistent in educating our people, which is why we established schools at various levels. We are also working towards establishing a university to sustain this tempo and provide greater opportunities for education.”
The cleric congratulated the winners of the Qur’anic competition across the various categories and commended participants, parents and organisers for their contributions to the success of the event.
He also cautioned against divisive statements and unnecessary conflicts, urging citizens to embrace dialogue, tolerance and peaceful engagement.
“Political differences should not create hatred or animosity among us. Politics should be a platform for resolving our differences and not a source of conflict,” he said.
In separate goodwill messages, the Chairman of the occasion and Commissioner for Housing, Mohammed Saidu Mohammed, and the guest speaker, Engineer Abubakar Bappa, commended the Izala Organisation for giving priority to education.
They described education as a critical foundation for development and urged the organisation to sustain its investment in both Qur’anic and Western education for the benefit of the people and the wider society.
Also speaking, the Folo Dadiya, HRH Alhaji Dr Abdullahi Galadima III, expressed gratitude to the organisers for choosing his chiefdom to host the annual event.
Galadima commended the organisers and participants for the success of the competition, saying the event had provided an important platform for promoting Qur’anic education, moral values and peaceful coexistence.
The event was attended by several dignitaries, including Dr Jerry Damara, APC senatorial flag bearer for Gombe South ahead of the 2027 election; Hon. Fatima Binta Bello, APC House of Representatives flag bearer for Kaltungo/Shongom Federal Constituency; government commissioners, traditional rulers, Islamic scholars and other stakeholders.
