Gombe tourism attracts local, foreign interests
The role of tourism in National development over the years has been encouraged by both State and the Federal Government. Gombe State is endowed with numerous natural, historical, recreation and cultural tourism potentials.
Some of the tourism attractions and historical sites that are found in the state include Buba Yero Tomb and incidentally Buba Yero was the founder of Gombe town, The Tomb of Sultan Attahiru, Bima Hill, Kilang Hill, The Tula Plateau, Kanawa Plantations, The Kalam Hill, Dutsen Mamaki (the Mystery Rock), this is a naturally and beautifully well-arranged stones cut in various geometrical shapes and piled up in the most orderly manners overlooking the Kufai settlement, an ancient settlement of the Tangale people and the Binga Hill.
The present administration under the able leadership of the Governor, Alh. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo has made tremendous efforts to enhance tourism development hence the expansion of road network within and outside the State Capital, an International airport, International hotel, International conference hall and provision of funds for sites identification and research, promotion of cultural festivals and providing financial assistance to various communities and cultural groups in the state.
In addition, the administration has provided a modern parking bay for trailer trucks for easy delivery of commodities needed urgently for the construction of modern shopping malls and plazas, standard business centers, take away cafes and gifts/ souvenir shops.
Also, Gombe State is a house to variety of solid minerals from industrial and rocks that are yet to be exploited and more than (34) minerals deposits are known to exist in the State in commercial quantities. These minerals include Clay, Gemstones, Gypsum, Kaolin, Silica, Sand, Tale, Diatomite, Halite, Barites, Mica, Calcite, Amethyst, Basalt, Flourite, Bogivon, Camet, Beatomite, Aquamarine, Ruby, Sapphite, topcing, Tour mire, Coal, Uranium, Fesper, Copper, etc.
In addition, Gombe has been accounting for about 34% of the country’s total production of limestone and 90% of the total production of Gypsum and these raw materials are used for the production of cement in Nigeria and it was recently a coal deposit was allegedly discovered in Maiganga Village in Akko Local Government Area of the State which is also a raw material used in cement production and also in electricity generation.
No wonder Colin Powell noted that “success is result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence”, Gombe State which was created out of the defunct Bauchi State on 1st October, 1996 had eleven (11) local Government Areas with Gombe town as capital and the state is also predominantly an agrarian State with more than 70% of the population engage in agricultural production.
Furthermore, a number of food and cash crops and livestock that can support various agro allied industries are also produced in large and commercial quantity. Those products include cereals, cowpeas, soy beans, Bambara nuts, orange, lemon, mango, guava, pawpaw, vegetables, tomatoes, onion, okro, pumpkin, etc while other industrial crops are cotton, sugar cane, Bennie seeds and sun flower. Tree crops such as gum Arabic, cashew, locust beans and sheenuts as well as animals such as cattle, sheep, goat, rabbits are also available in abundance.
Record has it that Gombe State is the largest producer of cotton in the North-East sub region and cotton is produced into lint by few ginneries existing in the state, but there is no single spinning or textile mill to process the lint into yarn and apparels respectively. The Gombe grains depot (Tudunhatsi) and Kwadon tomatoes depot are famous markets spots where thousand tons of assorted cereal and vegetables/ fruits are marketed and transported to different parts of the country in their raw form.
However, it is interesting to know that despite the heterogeneous nature of the State, the people live peacefully with each other as members of the same family. They are proverbially hospitable, accommodating, peace loving and above all enterprising, peculiar attributes that best describes Gombe State as Jewel in the Savannah and a commercial nerve center of the North-East sub-region.
Also, there are three Dams namely the Dadinkowa Multipurpose Dam, Balanga Dam and the Cham Dam provides facilities for irrigation farming as well as regional water supply scheme in the State and had standard Rail line from Lagos-Jos-Maiduguri passing through Gombe the State Capital, five trunks A roads connecting the State Capital with all parts of the country and it is relatively peaceful despite the security challenges in the North-East sub-region.
The Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Rabenson Zebulum Wasa, noted that the Governor Dankwambo had done in the uplifting the sector to greater height saying “the entire peace loving people of Gombe State we are greatly indebted to his Excellency Alh. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo (OON), Talban Gombe for his unflinching and moral support towards ensuring the state participation in all events”.
