Thuggery: Inuwa Vows To End ‘Yan Kalare’ in Gombe

…Targets 2,000 youths for employment

BY WILLIAM ATTAH, GOMBE – Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State has stated the determination of his administration to end the activities of the dreaded ‘Yankalare’ youths that are being used by politicians against their opponents in the State.

Yahaya, who stated the position of the State Government at the Gombe State NYSC Orientation Camp, Amada, during the commencement of a two weeks induction and training of 500 youths for the Gombe State Security, Traffic and Environmental Corps (GOSTEC), said that the new organisation is a home-grown innovation aimed at harnessing the energies of our youths in state building, in line with his human capital development initiative.

Politicians in Gombe State are known to harbour and make use of the ‘Yankalare’ political thugs against opponents during campaigns and other political activities.

Yahaya said; “The menace of using our youth for political thuggery and criminality for the selfish interest of politicians will not be condoned by this administration. We remain determined to end the ‘Kalare’ in Gombe State”.

He reiterated his administration’s commitment towards bringing an end youth restiveness through innovative approaches by providing them with necessary skills to engage in decent jobs and cater for themselves, their families and the society at large.
Yahaya further said; “We are witnessing the induction of 500 GOSTEC trainees as no fewer than 2,000 youths will be engaged by the state government in collaboration with the At-Risk Children Project (ARC-P).

“These youths will be posted across all the 11 LGAs to serve as Traffic, Security or Environmental Superintendents in our communities”.

The Governor explained that GOSTEC is a squad of Gombe youth, nominated from all over the eleven LGAs of the State, and to be trained to shoulder the responsibilities of enforcing relevant traffic, security and environment laws in collaboration with statutory agencies to ensure a safe, clean and decent environment.
He then urged the youths undergoing the training to work hard, uphold their knowledge for good practice and training, remain focused and be good ambassadors of the administration’s effort towards improving human capital development.
In his own remarks, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Human Capital Development, Sani Ahmed Haruna, said the 500 youths to be trained was just the first batch, saying that more will come on board.

Haruna said that the training is another history making by mopping the most energetic youth out of the streets and to be used positively to contribute to the peaceful coexistence of Gombe State.

Also speaking, the Managing Director of Bulwark Solutions and Allied Services Limited, the resource firm for the training, Wing Commander Ibrahim Sarki, said the course was deliberately designed to train and task the youths to serve as enforcement agents for the security, safety and smooth running of business in Gombe State.