The Emir of Gombe, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Abubakar Shehu Abubakar III, surprised everyone recently when he went out of the palace unannounced to check on his people. The specific location is the main market in Gombe, the capital of Gombe State. Not many would have realised the August visitor was the monarch because he wore a trendy babanriga with a modern cut preferred by the younger generation of Nigerians, with a simple cap. Although I recognised the monarch in a video posted online, but in these days of deep fake videos, I took the precaution of getting in touch with a friend in Gombe who confirmed that the monarch was actually the one in the video. And when I got the confirmation, I nodded. Why? Emir Abubakar III has just demonstrated what I have always known about Gombe Emirs, of whom I have a very excellent impression over the years. This excellent impression extends to the people of Gombe. I shall return to this point.
Emir Abubakar III made the said unannounced visit to the bustling Gombe Main Market to directly assess the welfare of traders and residents. The royal tour was met with great excitement, and it allowed the monarch to engage with the community. The Emir walked through the commercial hub, interacting with market men and women. He purchased items from sellers while enquiring about their day-to-day business operations. This attracted admiration from people around the market who praised him for his simplicity and humility. Does Emir Abubakar III’s visit to the market surprise me? Yes, because it’s not common that monarchs in our clime take the step he had taken. And no, because from the day he ascended the throne of his fathers, I expected this kind of approach from him.
Going by our culture in Africa, Emir Abubakar III is a young monarch. So, when he was announced as the successor to his father at the age of 37 in 2014, I expected him to approach the throne with the worldview of a young monarch. I expected he would want to combine a touch of modernity with tradition. Tradition we already know, but bringing a touch of modernity to the throne is novel in this part. So back in 2014, I was looking forward to what Emir Abubakar III would bring to his throne to ensure it was in touch with modern times and demands. And what is better than reaching out to the people by leaving behind the confines of the palace walls? Many people are to the honour of a king, we often say in this part. Now that I see what I have expected from Emir Abubakar III being done, I feel this sense of satisfaction.
It happened that I watched Emir Abubakar III’s late father on TV just a few days before his passing in 2014. Now, wherever I am, all that I need to hear mentioned is the word “Gombe” and I pay full attention. Wherever I meet anyone from Gombe, I pay them special interest. This is because I always like to hear about the well-being of Gombe State, where I had my NYSC programme years back in Gombe town. So, when I tuned in to a TV station back in 2014, and a live event in Gombe was being aired, I stayed with the programme till the end, trying to see the faces of some of the prominent people I knew. Emir Abubakar III’s father graced the event organised by the Gombe State Government at Pantami Stadium with his royal presence. I understand that, unfortunately, the monarch took ill shortly after. This made that live event one I don’t forget to this day. With his historic passing, I waited in expectation to learn who the successor would be. And when the news came, I was pleased it was the young Abubakar III.
Incidentally, one of the Gombe Emirate kingmakers who considered Abubakar III worthy to ascend the throne was my godfather, the late Alhaji Lamido Abubakar, Durbin Gombe, and District Head of Ajiya Dawaki. Durbi, as I liked to refer to him, and his son, my friend and brother, Hon. Shehu Durbi, former Commissioner of Lands and Survey, Gombe State, were among the earliest set of northerners I ever knew very closely. The father and his son, especially, made me have my first impression of core northerners as kind and hospitable people. They’re the reason I keep returning to Gombe long after my NYSC programme. And it was Durbin Gombe who would, over the years, make me have a good idea of the virtues of the three Emirs under whom he officially served the Gombe Emirate Council for almost 60 years (1962-2021). A man of tact and wisdom, regal in bearing, loyal, highly respected by all, and a close confidant of the Emirs he worked with, Durbin Gombe was arguably one of the very few fief holders in Gombe history to have had the privilege of such long years of service. He could be described as the right-hand man of Emir Abubakar III’s father, who often travelled with him home and abroad, as many pictures in Durbin Gombe’s album bore witness. As such, Durbin Gombe was an institutional memory not only for the Gombe Emirate Council but also for Gombe State, whose creation he was a central figure in when he was the chairman of Gombe Local Government in the mid-1990s.
Over several years, I asked Durbin Gombe questions about Gombe, and in the course of it, I learned about the virtues of the grandfather and the father of Emir Abubakar III. He was close to the palace all his life, as his own father was a title holder who had worked closely with the palace, and their family house was once located in that space that had since become the large open space in front of the palace. So, in his growing-up years of the 1940s and 1950s, the palace grounds were his playground. In 1962, he got his first job as the officer in charge of cooperative societies under the Gombe Native Authority.
Later, he attended Kaduna Police College where he was the Best Graduating officer, and at a grand ceremony he was presented with an award personally by the then Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello. He became the Chief of Police, Gombe NA. Later, he joined the Nigerian Prison Service where he rose to become State Director, and later Commissioner of Health under the Old Bauchi State in the Second Republic.
From Durbin Gombe’s many memorable encounters as an employee and later Emirate Council member and kingmaker, I was to appreciate the qualities of the grandfather and the father of Emir Abubakar III in their lifetime. One story Durbin Gombe told me that I wouldn’t forget easily was about the Nigerian Civil War. He was the Chief of Police, Gombe NA, at the time. He said Emir Abubakar III’s grandfather expressed his concerns that adequate protection should be given to Igbo people as well as their property because most of them returned to the East when the war began. Unlike other locations, no single Igbo person was molested in Gombe. Durbin Gombe said he personally saw to the implementation of the monarch’s wishes by protecting the properties as well as handing such properties back to their Igbo owners after the war. He also mentioned how Emir Abubakar III’s grandfather was close to the common man, personally giving gifts on Fridays after the Jumaat prayers throughout his lifetime.
I also know that Gombe monarchs maintain excellent relations with all the tribes in their domain, including the Yoruba people, who often tell me about their pleasant encounters with successive Gombe Emirs. Needless to state that with his many years spent contributing to the well-being of the palace, Durbin Gombe knew well the young prince who has since become Emir Abubakar III. He believed the prince had the right qualities, and this was a reason he and other kingmakers selected him for the throne among other well-qualified princes. Now, I can state that I see what Durbin Gombe of blessed memory and other kingmakers saw in the young Emir. They selected a prince who has a heart for the people and would take the needed extra steps to see to their welfare.
Here’s a modern Emir in Gombe who conducts royalty as most royals in European nations do – going out there to meet with his people and listening to their concerns with a view to supporting them where possible. I seize the occasion of the Emir Abubakar III’s surprise visit to his people to pay tribute to the Gombe monarchs, who always promote unity among the diverse ethnic and religious groups that reside in their domain. And due to my excellent experiences among some of the people of Gombe that I know closely (they are too numerous for me times mention here) I’m always happy to call Gombe my second home. I wish His Highness, Alhaji Abubakar Shehu Abubakar III, long life and excellent health to serve his people long into the future. Allah ya ja zamanin Sarki.
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