Speech by His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Adamawa State, Rt. Hon. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, CON, GSSRS, During the Presentation of Staff of Office to Kumu Gombi, His Royal Majesty, Aggrey Ali, in Gombi on 8th February, 2025

Today, we stand on the threshold of a new dawn in Gombi. This occasion for the coronation and presentation of Staff of Office to Kumu Gombi ranks high among events that make me happy and fulfilled.

The struggle that has eventually culminated in the birth of Gombi Chiefdom is a story of unity, compromise, consensus, tenacity, dedication and faith. More importantly, it is a story of realistic hope for a brighter future.

As a historian, I know that the ethnic groups that make up Gombi Chiefdom have rich history, cultures and traditions in their own individual rights. I am talking about the Ga’anda, the Lala, the Bura, the Hona, the Ngwaba, the Fulani and so on, who all have rich historical backgrounds and cultures. It is therefore, gratifying that they all came together and collectively requested for a Chiefdom. This is firmly rooted both in history and contemporary realities.

Gombi Chiefdom is an example of the Adamawa spirit that says we can achieve great things when we come together regardless of tribal, religious or other narrow sentiments. We are one people with a common desire for freedom, justice and prosperity. Collectively, we all abhor oppression, injustice, poverty, ignorance and disease.

As a government, our policies and programmes have been guided by the desire to meet the needs of our people. We have constructed roads and bridges, built hospitals and schools, continued to pay for WAEC and NECO examinations for our children, empowered our women and youths, regularly pay our Civil Servants and Pensioners, and so on, all in the bid to uplift the living standards of our people.

The creation of new Chiefdoms and Emirates is a logical extension of those efforts. This is because as humans, we are not only rational beings but also emotional beings. Beyond physical needs, we also need and deserve dignity, self-worth and cultural identity. People want to be proud of who they are regardless of where they come from or what language they speak.

I congratulate the Gombi people for this new Chiefdom which is endowed with huge potentials for solid minerals extraction, agricultural production, industrial growth and tourism.

To crown it all, Gombi people are highly educated and industrious. I hope that in no distant future, Gombi will occupy its rightful place among the most progressive Chiefdoms in Adamawa State.

At this juncture, I wish to congratulate His Royal Majesty, Mr. Aggrey B. Ali, on his appointment as the first Kumu Gombi. I have known Mr. Aggrey as an administrator and an astute manager of people and resources who even became a Permanent Secretary in the State Civil Service. I hope that he will bring his administrative acumen and managerial skills into his reign as Kumu Gombi.

I call on the Kumu Gombi to pay greater attention on issues of peace and security. These are the foundations of any meaningful development. I am aware that bandits and criminal elements often use Gombi Local Government as transit routes. The new Gombi Chiefdom will hopefully open a new vista to the existing security measures in the area. I hope that you will more efficiently use the District Heads and Village Heads in providing intelligence and curbing activities of bandits and criminals.

I want to use this opportunity to emphasize that the ban on cutting of trees for charcoal production as well illegal mining are still firmly in place. I urge all traditional rulers and security agencies to ensure that those who violate this ban are apprehended and prosecuted.

I urge all sons and daughters of Gombi: from Tawa to Garkida, Balhona to Fotta, indeed from all across Gombi Chiefdom, to support the Kumu Gombi and the chiefdom towards making it a model of peace, harmony, solidarity, progress and development.

Your Excellency, Your Royal Highnesses, Ladies and Gentlemen, Adamawa State is working. 

Adamawa State is on the right trajectory towards a glorious destination. By the grace of God, no one and nothing will deter us.

The new Chiefdoms and Emirates are here to stay.

Once again, I congratulate Kumu and the people of Gombi Chiefdom.

It is now my honour and privilege to invite His Royal Majesty, Aggrey B. Ali to receive his Staff of Office as Kumu Gombi.

📸Thomas Terry 

08:02:2025