Gombe, Jewel of the Savannah
Gombe State, the Jewel of the Savannah, was carved out of the old Bauchi State on 1st October 1996. This was created by the former Head of State and Commander in Chief of Armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Late General Sani Abacha (GCFR).
Gombe is located at the North-Eastern part of Nigeria; it shares boundaries with Yobe State to the north, Adamawa and Taraba states to the south.
Jewel of the Savannah
Historically, Gombe state is a fusion of two distinct groups of people comprising the Emirate of Gombe North and the Ethnic Groups. Buba Yero, the first Emir of Gombe Empire and also the Modibbo, established the emirate during the jihad period in 1800. It emerged as part of a larger state building force of the 19th century Sokoto jihad.
Under the British Government, Gombe state was administered through the mechanism of two administrative units which are the Gombe Native and the Tangale Waje Native Authorities. The two Authorities constituted Gombe division during the Colonial era.
Between 1976 and the present, the then two authorities have metamorphosed into the present eleven local government. And they are:
- Gombe
- Billiri
- Akko
- Kultungo
- Balanga
- Shongom
- Funakaye
- Dukku
- Yamatta
- Bayoga
- Kwami
Ethnic Groups
Fulani is the dominant tribe in Gombe and they occupy the northern part of the state, followed by Tangale who occupy the southern part. Other ethnic groups are:
- Hausa
- Tera,
- Waja
- Bolewa
The current Emir of Gombe is Alhaji Abubakar Shehu III, who acceded to the throne on the 6th of June, 2014.
The State has 24 state house of assembly members,14 emirates/chiefdoms, 3 senators and 6 members of the National Assembly.
Resources
Gombe people are primarily farmers producing food and cash crops like:
- Cereals: Maize, Sorghum, Rice and Wheat
- Legumes: Cowpeas, Groundnut, Soya Beans and Bambara Nuts
- Fruits: Orange, Lemon, Mango, Guava, Paw-Paw and Grapes
- Vegetable: Tomatoes, Pepper, Onions, Okra, Pumpkin and Melon
- Tree crops: Gum Arabic, Kenaf, Sugarcane, Sunflower and Ginger
Other major crops produced by Gombe state are Cotton, Cassava, Onion and Tobacco.
Tourist Attractions
In tourism, the state has a lot of attraction and they include:
- The Tomb of Sultan Attahiru
- The Tomb of Buba Yero
- The famous Bima Hill
- The Dadin Kowa Dam
- The Killang Hill
- The Tula Plateau
- The Bulok Warm Spring
- The Kalam Hill
- The Cham Valley
- The Ancient Binga Ruins
- Major Mash Grave
- LT Phillips Grave
- Bace Hills
- Tula Hideout Caves
- Kanawa Forest
Gombe state (Jewel of the Savanna) is very hospitable and accommodates other Nigerian tribes. There is an undeniable cultural diversity in the state, people from other cultures and tribes live, work and trade freely.
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