The Gombe state Governor, Inuwa Yahaya has assured that the government will continue to invest in education and human capital development in the state to offer youths opportunity to discover their inner potentials for self independence.
While acknowledging that the North East region is lagging behind in various indicators of development, including education and economic growth as a result of insecurity and other factors, the governor said the trend can only be reversed through deliberate plans to provide platforms that will inspire creativity, critical thinking and essential skills for the leaders of tomorrow.
The governor stated this while declaring open the 4th edition of North East Festival of Literature, Culture and Creativity (NEFLiCC) organised by non-governmental organisation HalimaFactor Community Initiative at Gombe State University last week.
Represented by his Chief of Staff, Abubakar Karami, the governor said Gombe state will continue to be at forefront supporting programmes such as NEFLiCC which he said serves as a crucial platform for youth from the six states of the North East to come together and exchange ideas, showcase the regions rich cultural heritage and foster dialogue, as well as build trust among youth from the region and beyond.
“It is crucial to revisit our focus on education with a view to announcing this creativity and innovation of our youth by investing in educational initiatives that nurture talent and provide opportunities for growth.
“We can empower the next generation to drive positive change. This festival is a step in the right direction, as it brings together diverse voices to share good knowledge and inspire the young people of our region.
“The festival will help to bring hope and resilience to the people and promote unity and understanding through cultural exchange”, he stated.
With the theme, “Future Perspective: Climate Change, Innovation and Heritage”, the festival featured poetry, prose and drawing competition, keynote, panel discussion, tree planting, cultural fiesta and more.
In her remarks, the Convener of NEFLiCC and founder of HalimaFactor Community Initiative, Halima Usman said the decision to focus on climate change in the 2024 edition of NEFLiCC is borne out of the need to raise consciousness for responsible behaviour today that will preserve the environment tomorrow.
She said time has come to drive the needed awareness to secure the environment so that the impact of Climate Change will be less devastating in the future.
“As we look to the future, we recognise that our actions today have a profound impact on tomorrow’s world. Climate Change challenges us to rethink our habits, our industries and our way of life”, she noted.
She said the decision to introduce a cultural element in the annual literature programme is to help unite the region in particular and nation at large through cultural exchange.
“We introduced culture deliberately. At a point Nigeria was becoming more divided instead of becoming more united. Our culture our diversities is a strength, not a weakness, and so we had to introduce culture so that our youth will learn to appreciate and honour our heritage, the traditions that shape us and what we stand for”, she added.
The guest speaker, Joyce Agofure said climate change is having a serious social and economic impact in the country, especially with displacement of communities by flood, shrinking farmlands, poor agricultural yields, migration and insecurity.
She said literature is a veritable tool to drive robust awareness on good environmental behaviour that can significantly reduce the impact of climate change.
Scenes from the event
