Gombe governor’s wife, Shettima’s aide urge women to unite
September 9, 2026 10:41 pm
L-R: Dr Zaynab Gwamna, wife of Gombe All Progressives Congress gubernatorial candidate, and Wife of Gombe State Governor Asmau Yahaya.
The wife of the Gombe State Governor, Hajiya Asmau Yahaya, has called for stronger collective efforts to improve the well-being and development of women and children in the state.
She said the administration of Governor Inuwa Yahaya had remained committed to transforming the state, particularly in the health sector.
She spoke on Wednesday at the Gombe Women’s Unity and Progress Summit, themed “Stronger Voices. United Women. Greater Impact.”
She said the administration had established or upgraded primary healthcare centres across the state’s 114 wards as part of efforts to improve access to healthcare. “Improving maternal and child health outcomes, the administration has prioritised the fundamental right of every citizen to live a healthy and dignified life,” she said.
The governor’s wife noted that although the milestone was significant, more needed to be done, particularly in ensuring mentorship, economic independence and political inclusion for women. She said the summit should create “an unbroken chain of mentorship, economic independence and political inclusion for our women.”
Asmau called on political leaders, civil society organisations, corporate partners, traditional institutions and religious leaders to join hands with the government in advancing development.
“While the government cannot do it alone, I call upon all stakeholders here today, our political leaders, civil society organisations, corporate partners, traditional institutions and our religious leaders, let us come together, pool our resources and redouble our collective efforts for the development of Gombe State and Nigeria at large,” she said.
She added that Gombe women remained committed to implementing the resolutions that would emerge from the summit.
Also, the Technical Adviser to Vice President Kashim Shettima on Women, Youth Engagement and Impact Building, Hauwa Liman, called on Gombe women to abandon rivalry and competition and embrace collaboration, mentorship and mutual support to accelerate their contribution to the development of Gombe State and Nigeria.
Liman challenged women to see one another as collaborators rather than competitors, stressing that the success of one woman should create opportunities for others.
She said, “Every woman here is not your competition. Every woman you see here is not and should not be your competition. She should be your collaborator. She could be your next business partner; she could be someone who could introduce you to the next opportunity that would enable you to make it in life. Or maybe she could be that mentor that you are looking for that will open the way for you to thrive as a person.”
According to her, women must redefine success by looking beyond personal achievements to the number of people they help to succeed. “There is a difference between being successful and being significant. When you simply want to be successful, you measure success based on how far you have gone as a person.
“But when you talk about being significant, you ask this question: ‘How many people have gone far because of me? How many people have achieved something because I came in?’”
Liman also called on women in leadership and positions of influence to open more opportunities for young women, saying unnecessary gatekeeping was frustrating capable women from contributing to governance and development.
She said, “Many of these young women are frustrated because of too much gatekeeping within those spaces. Many of these young people have what it takes to contribute in building the state, Northern Nigeria and Nigeria at large.”
She urged women to deliberately build intergenerational networks where experienced women mentor younger ones and create opportunities for them. “We have to be so intentional in all our programmes and engagements. We have to make it intergenerational. We have to believe there is space for every woman — a woman that is just starting or a woman that is rebuilding. There is a space for everyone,” she said.
Liman urged participants to leave the summit with a commitment to mentor, recommend and encourage other women.
“When you leave this engagement today, I want you to carry one question. The question is not what you get from this summit, but who we gain because you attended. Who will you mentor? Who will you recommend? Who will you encourage and introduce? I want us to begin building a culture where women don’t compete for scarcity, but they should collaborate in abundance; a culture where success is shared and where knowledge is transferred and opportunity circulates freely”, she added.
Earlier, the convener of the summit and wife of the Gombe State APC governorship candidate, Zaynab Gwamna, said the gathering was designed to inspire women to recognise their worth and collectively build a better future for the state. She described the summit as “not simply a conference but a defining conversation about who we are, what we can become, and the kind of Gombe we are prepared to build together.”
“Today we say to every woman and every girl, you belong here. Your voice matters, your ideas matter, your dignity matters. Your future matters. You are worth it. One woman can speak, but united women can transform communities. One woman can open a door, but united women can build doors that remain open for generations.
“Sometimes women are hardest on other women. We criticise, discourage and compete for small spaces, when we could be creating larger spaces together. Sometimes we see another woman’s success as a threat. Today, I ask us to change that mindset. Her light does not make yours dim. It makes the room brighter”, Gwamna said.
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