By Auwal Ahmad, Gombe

Women Community in Africa (WCA), Gombe State Chapter, has urged Nigerians to cultivate the habit of giving, saying charity can help transform lives and strengthen communities.

The organisation made the call on Saturday during activities marking the UN Day of Charity in Shongo Dirago Community, Gombe State, with the theme, “In Giving We Receive.”

The event, organised in collaboration with the Adamu Yola Foundation and Voice of Women for Peace and Development Initiative, sought to encourage people to support others irrespective of their social or economic circumstances.

Speaking at the event, WCA Gombe State Commissioner, Hon. Ruth Abner, said charity should go beyond material donations to include kindness, compassion and efforts to improve the lives of vulnerable people.

Represented at the event, Ms Abner said empowering women to contribute to their communities could create a wider impact on families and future generations.

“When we feed one, we feed many. When we touch one life, we change a generation,” she said.

She urged residents of Shongo Dirago to sustain the culture of generosity, stressing that acts of giving could promote peace, unity and community development.

Ms Abner also commended the WCA executive, volunteers, community leaders and partner organisations for supporting the programme.

She said the initiative would be followed by a virtual engagement at 7:30 p.m. to broaden discussions on charity and encourage more people to participate in acts of kindness.

She thanked the traditional and community leaders for hosting the event and urged participants to continue supporting people in need beyond the commemoration.

“Give with love, touch a life and make a difference,” she said.

Yahoo Mail: Search, organise, conquer

By Auwal Ahmad Umar

Two women-focused civil society organisations, Compassion for Women Initiative and Gombe Women Agenda, have launched a pre-election sensitisation programme in Gombe State to encourage women and youths to make informed and independent choices during elections.

The programme is aimed at reducing the vulnerability of women to vote buying and political manipulation while encouraging voters to look beyond campaign gifts and consider the long-term benefits of their choices at the ballot box.

The organisers said the initiative became necessary ahead of the forthcoming elections, particularly because economic hardship and poverty could make vulnerable women susceptible to inducements from politicians.

Speaking at the sensitisation programme, the Chairman of the Gombe Civil Society Network (GONET) and Convener of Gombe Women Agenda, Amb. Ibrahim Yusuf, represented by Auwal Ahmad Umar, said the initiative was designed to address concerns surrounding election preparations and the influence of campaign inducements on voters.

Yusuf said poverty and hunger had left many women vulnerable to politicians who use cash and other material items to influence voting decisions.

He identified money, food, clothing and other forms of material assistance as some of the incentives commonly distributed during election campaigns.

He urged women to assess candidates based on their capacity to provide good governance rather than the temporary benefits offered during campaigns.

“Any person giving you money to vote for him will not give you the dividends of democracy, which include security, quality education, healthcare and other development,” he said.

Also speaking, the State Coordinator of the Compassion for Women and Youth Initiative, Hajiya Fatima Abdullahi, said women and youths form a significant part of the electorate and must be empowered with the knowledge needed to make independent political decisions.

She explained that the programme was conceived in response to concerns that the prevailing economic difficulties could make some women more vulnerable to campaign inducements.

“We looked at the fact that the elections are coming and the preparations, as we know, for campaigns. The usual thing we are afraid of is the giveaways to the masses,” she said.

According to Abdullahi, women facing difficulties in providing food and other basic needs for their families could easily view money, food, clothing or other campaign gifts as an opportunity to address immediate challenges.

She, however, said the organisation’s strategy was not to condemn women for accepting such assistance but to ensure that receiving a gift does not dictate their choice at the polls.

“We cannot tell them not to collect. What if we make the mistake of telling them not to collect? We lose them. So, what we tell them is “collect, but vote rightly,” she said.

The Assistant Secretary of Gombe Women Agenda, Fatima Chadi, also urged women not to allow politicians or other influential individuals to dictate their voting choices through intimidation, religious sentiments or threats.

She particularly cautioned against attempts to make voters swear allegiance to a candidate in exchange for money or other benefits.

Chadi said the sensitisation programme was also intended to establish a trusted support system through which vulnerable women could discuss their challenges, receive guidance and seek assistance.

She described the initiative as a “stepping stone”, stressing that changing voting behaviour and addressing the socio-economic challenges facing women would require sustained engagement beyond a single sensitisation programme.

The organisers said they hoped the initiative would help women and youths become more discerning voters who would evaluate candidates based on their competence, policies, integrity and ability to deliver meaningful development.

Politics Shouldn’t Divide Gombe: CSOs Sound Alarm Over Rising Hate Speech Ahead of Governorship Election

By Auwal Ahmad, Gombe

The Gombe Network of Civil Society Organizations (GONET) has warned that the increasing use of hate speech, online attacks and inflammatory political rhetoric by supporters of governorship aspirants could undermine the peace and unity Gombe State has enjoyed over the years.

In a statement jointly signed by its Chairman, Amb. Ibrahim Yusuf, and Secretary, Dr Benjamin Maina, the coalition expressed concern that political engagement in the state was rapidly shifting from healthy democratic competition to personal insults, cyberbullying, character assassination and dangerous incitement.

The organisation said the trend, if left unchecked, could threaten the peaceful coexistence for which Gombe, popularly known as the “Jewel in the Savannah”, is recognised.

According to GONET, elections should be fought on the strength of ideas, policies and leadership competence rather than through campaigns of hatred and misinformation.

“Politics should never become a licence for hatred. Every aspirant is a son of Gombe whose dignity deserves respect, irrespective of political affiliation. Citizens should debate policies and programmes instead of spreading abuse and false narratives,” the statement said.

The coalition warned that political violence often begins with reckless words, noting that history has repeatedly shown that inflammatory language, misinformation and sustained verbal attacks frequently precede physical violence.

It therefore urged all governorship aspirants and political leaders to publicly caution their supporters against hate speech, threats and provocative online conduct.

“True leadership is demonstrated not only by the size of one’s political following but by the discipline and restraint exhibited by supporters,” it added.

GONET also appealed to residents not to sacrifice personal relationships or divide communities over politics, reminding citizens that today’s political rivals could become tomorrow’s allies.

The group called on security agencies to strengthen intelligence gathering to identify and address deliberate incitement and cyber harassment while enforcing the law professionally, impartially and without political interference.

It further urged traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth groups, community leaders, civil society organisations and the media to promote issue-based campaigns and discourage extremist political narratives throughout the electoral season.

Reaffirming its commitment to peaceful elections, GONET stressed that while political offices are temporary, the people of Gombe would continue to live together after the elections.

It urged all stakeholders to allow campaigns to remain competitive without sacrificing mutual respect, expressing hope that wisdom would prevail over provocation and peace over political bitterness.