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GOV. GOJE: THE NORTHERN NIGERIA HATSHEPSUT (1)

Started by Nuruddeen, September 19, 2009, 08:52:56 PM

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Nuruddeen

GOV. GOJE: THE NORTHERN NIGERIA HATSHEPSUT (1)
By
Jibo Nura
West African Research Association (WARA)
E-mail: jibonura@yahoo.com

For those who do not know Gombe state, it is one of the major food baskets in Nigeria. It is geographically located in northeastern part of the country with an area of 20,265KM2 and a population of averagely 2, 353, 000 people in 2006. Out of this population 70 per cent are very much engaged in agriculture, which is the main source of food and income for the entire people living in the state. Nicknamed the jewel of savannah, Gombe, year in, year out, cultivation is the key to human survival, because of its favourable weather and dams that pave way for intensive irrigation programme.
Governmentally, the state was initially ruled by two administrators namely Joseph Orji who presided over the affairs of Gombe from the day of its creation in October 1996 to August 1998; and Mohammed Bawa who took over from where Orji stopped i.e. from August 1998 to May 1999.
Eventually, Gombe changed into a democratically people oriented leadership where Abubakar Habu Hashidu was mandated by the people of Gombe to become their governor-elect on 29th May 1999. Since then, the state witnessed some scanty form of development for four years, which by and large was below the expectation of the people of the state. Due to this expectation of the unexpected, people of Gombe demanded for change that would bring them the much needed and awaited development. In view of this therefore, they had no choice than to turn their political destiny, will, zeal and commitment towards electing someone that would turn their state a new leaf. Hence the emergence of Mohammed Danjuma Goje on the political landscape of Gombe, became an indelible historical account that every indigene of the state would live to tell with pride, grandeur and passion. Because, Goje has today transformed the small agrarian state by giving his people new lease of life, hope and civilization. I was actually taken agog, full of surprise, especially while going round the state capital together with Governor Goje's aide whom I asked to take me round and see what his Excellency has done that some negative forces working against positive changes are vehemently opposed to. What one actually saw were indeed what can be called a total renaissance of society that suffered in the past, chronic sign of underdevelopment quagmire. But today the people of Gombe can proudly say anywhere that they have what it takes to meet up with almost all societal challenges, because one man has overcome and catered for their basic needs ranging from a complex multi-billion Naira township and regional water project to befitting university of high standing, with first set of graduating students ready to collect their certificates. And the university faculty of Medicine will soon start offering courses in various medical fields of endeavour this year.
His Excellency Gov. Goje has constructed a new school of Nursing after reconstructing and establishing new general and cottage hospitals that are well equipped with facilities. The state has also been networked with roads together with local governments and villages. Another fourteen vocational secondary schools and three girls science secondary schools are already in place and operational. Indeed, Goje it was who renovated and constructed new blocks of class rooms in almost all the primary schools across the state. Not only this, Gov. Goje has today successfully relieved his people from the insipidness of Nigerian road transport and its attendant consequences by constructing a multi-billion Naira international airport for all.
The first thing that will greet any stranger approaching the state capital is the airport tower that is vividly seen even from a far.
In fact, commercial flights have begun operation via the airport's route since 2008. Already chartered flights and Hajj people have started shuttling from the airport. Situated at Lawenti village, is just 10 kilometers away from the state capital. Anybody wishing to instantly see what is there can simply take a trip to Gombe by air.  Actually, what was seen and witnessed in Goje's  Gombe in terms of capital intensive project, has not been seen by this writer for quite some time  in the history of northern Nigeria. Pharaoh Hatshepsut of ancient Egypt comes readily to mind. Egypt under Queen Hatshepsut for two decades (C. 1, 590BC) impacted positively on the lives of Egyptians. In the 3,000 years of Pharaonic Egypt, Hatshepsut was one of the only four female Pharaohs that transformed and projected Egypt as the world mother of ancient civilization. She was not only the greatest of those four female sovereigns, but according to Prof. U.B Ahmed, she was one of the remarkable of all the pharaohs that gave Egyptians a ray of hope, confidence and audacity-the same way Governor Goje made his people stand tall as jewels in the savannah. Goje, like Hatshepsut, provided his people with portable drinking water, good roads, housing, food, shelter, medicine and education.
She was the founder of the Eighteenth dynasty and she succeeded in ejecting the Asiatic Hyksos invaders from the Delta in 1580 B.C. just akin to Muhammad Danjuma's overwhelming victory over his opponents by leaving them stranded without any hope for their baseless criticisms. Hatshepsut's achievements included the unification of Egypt (lower and upper) for the third time. Her erection of significant monuments at Karnak (Luxor); Dar al Bahri; Buhen (Nubia); and her pioneering expedition   to Punt (modern Somalia), a feat which opened up the valuable products of that area to Egypt, were just similar to Governor Goje's twin projects in Gombe state university that represent statue of educational liberty and long term date palms produce that can sustain the university over time.
However, in spite of all these achievements by the duo (Hatshepsut and Goje), people should know that various prejudices have sought to undermine and are still hunting to undermine their status in history through the ages. For instance  in her ( Hatshepsut)  own case, her immediate successor, her half-brother and husband, Thutmose III, attempted to erase her from history by either defacing her records from monument or by expropriating  some of her achievements to himself. Hence, his Excellency, Muhammad Danjuma Goje may not be an exception to this kind of historical distortion and mischief. He should therefore rely on Allah- the most High, because even in Hatshepsut's case, many of those attempts were futile as depicted in her temple at Dar al Bahri
To be continued.

Jibo Nura, member, West African Research Association, writes from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. E-mail: jibonura@yahoo.com





o try and fail is atleast to learn. That will save one the inestimable loss of what might have been (positive or negative).