Gombe State has two distinct climates, the dry season (November – March) and the rainy season (April – October) with an average rainfall of 850mm. The State is headed by the Executive Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo. Gombe State has 11 LGAs and 14 Emirates/Chiefdoms. The LGAs are: Akko, Balanga, Billiri, Dukku, Funakaye, Gombe, Kaltungo, Kwami, Nafada, Shongom, and Yamaltu Deba. Gombe State is mainly populated by Fulani people; and the people are mainly farmers. Gombe State has been a citadel of learning from early times. It is among the early recipients of Islamic culture and teachings, in the wake of the Islamic Jihad of the 1800’s. It has by no small means played a key role in the propagation of the teachings and practice of Islam. That early status has played out in the town’s subsequent emergence as key resource centre for Islamic teaching and scholarship.

A little afterwards, missionary activities took a stronghold in the predominantly Christian areas, South East of Gombe. In those areas, the teaching of Christianity was later to be well integrated alongside western education.

With this rich culture of learning though, there was never to develop, any conscious attempt towards articulating those early backgrounds, into the science of modern educational developments. Those early advantages of scholarship have therefore not been exploited towards development needs, since in any case, the State lacked any visible tertiary institution for that purpose. FUK once established therefore, shall strive and survive on a fertile terrain, in which scholarship can be sustained from a legacy and culture of teaching and learning.

For sustenance, a major attraction for FUK is the large number of youths that go through Secondary Schools yearly.  Since State creation in 1996, the total Secondary School population of Gombe State has increased at an annual rate 2% to 38,000 in 2003; a quarter of whom are regularly in the terminal class; with aspiration to proceed to higher levels of tertiary education. In 2003, over 2,000 indigenes of Gombe State actually applied to sit for the then University Matriculation Examination (UME). Yet, assuming a pass rate of 50% (1000), there were actually available, less than 200 vacancies annually in the five catchment universities of the State; and less than 300 from all Nigerian universities collectively.

From available statistic also, there are another 1,000 student’s yearly needing minimal special remedial programmes, or further qualifications at School of Basic Studies, that can easily become admirable into universities. In effect therefore, FUK shall have enough applicants to draw its sustenance, at both its take-off, and into a very distant future.

In terms of relevance, FUK shall seek to undertake a long, slow, but steady and continuous training of skilled and highly trained manpower for Gombe State in particular, and the country at large. In graduating individuals equipped with professional and vocational skills, FUK shall also be solving the problems of shortages of graduate teachers, technologists, scientists, healthcare personnel, and administrators. A basis thus, would have been provided for the long-term sustainable growth, relevance and development of Gombe State and Nigeria.