Gombe: Discovering treasures of Pissi Tangale

This was the statement of Gombe State governor, Alhaji Danjuma Goje during “Pissi Tangale,” an annual cultural festival of Tangale community in Billiri, Billiri Local Government Area of Gombe State. “The attention of the present administration is tilted towards diversifying the sources of revenue generation for the state; therefore, tourism is identified as one of the potential sectors of achieving the set goal,” Goje stated.

He noted that Tula cave that was used during the inter-tribal and ethnic wars in pre-colonial era could be preserved and transformed alongside Sultan Attahiru’s tomb in Bormi, whose assassination by the colonial military force, according to some legends, brought about the final termination of Sokoto Caliphate’s existence. Dutsin Mamaki in Billiri and a host of others would form part of the treasures that would be adequately exploited for maximum result.

The rich cultural heritage of Tangale land as showcased in the festival justified that Pissi Tangale has the potential of attracting international attention, that is, if only the four-year-old festival is properly harnessed by involving all stakeholders, as well as the sons and daughters of Tangale land in the Diaspora whose influence is believed to be capable of projecting the annual festival to international tourists.

In his speech presented through his Commissioner for Sports and Culture, Governor Goje challenged prominent people from Tangale land to make use of their influence and invite dignitaries both within and outside the country, so as to give the annual festival an international outlook.

“Tourism is a strong driving force in economic transformation capable of placing our country in the comity of nations of the world’s biggest economy and this goes in tandem with the present campaign of the 7-point agenda of the present administration,” the governor added.

The guest of honour at the cultural fiesta, the Emir of Gombe, Alhaji Shehu Abubakar, said as the custodians of tradition and custom, they would ensure that Pissi Tangale is always graced by prominent traditional rulers across the nation. The monarch also said promoting cultural activities was a task on them that must be pursued with all vigour, stating that without their maximum participation in reinvigorating the ailing cultural heritage of the country, little or nothing would be achieved. It is duty bound on them to put all hands on deck to promote the culture and tradition of the people of this country.

His words: “Traditional rulers as custodians of culture and tradition must be ready to be at the forefront of reviving and repositioning the fast-fading cultural heritage in the state before it could be preserved for others to appreciate.”

In the wave of having a diversified economy-driven nation, the Gombe State government is determined to discover the untapped secret of the state’s potentials in the field of cultural festivals as well as historical monuments. The promotion of tourism in the state is in line with the new idea of exhausting all avenues of internally-generated revenue, Governor Goje made the statement while presenting this year’s budget, “2010 budget was geared towards exploiting all avenues of generating revenue, and for this goal to be achieved, the state has started looking into the possibility of organising the festival of arts and culture aimed at attracting tourists as well as investors into the state”.

He said government on its part would continue to expand and improve the enabling environment for investors in demonstration of its support and commitment to willing parties in the development of culture and tourism sector.

Earlier, the Chairman of Tangale Community Development Association (TCDA), the body that shoulders the responsibility of organising the annual festival, Mr. Jalo Ayuba Solomon, described the festival as a jamboree of Tangale extraction. According to him, the main aim of TCDA is to provide a single forum of bringing Tangale people under one umbrella for the purpose of pursuing developmental goals.

He said, “The cardinal objective of TCDA is to provide a single forum for mobilising the totality of the people of Tangale to pursue developmental goals through cooperation and communal projects that would complement government’s efforts at state and local levels”.