By Saminu Maigoro
On the occasion of the birthday of Dr Nentawe Yilwada, let me run a narrative.
I have been hearing about the name around different circles and then got to be friends on Facebook but a coursemate during my postgraduate studies around 2015 in Pharmaceutical Sciences Unijos, Jabil Abednego, was the first person that made me know how wonderful one Dr Nentawe is.
On several occasions, while working in the Pharm Chem Lab, Jabil will spend hours discussing the personal attributes of a man he called his oga, what he has done to him and what he has been doing to others and the brilliant ideas he has. Mind you, that was around 2015 when nobody knows that he is coming to contest for Governorship.
Sometime around 2017, I was at the Plateau State Youth Council Secretariat when Dr Fabong was the chairman newly and then a tall man came around and spend some time with the chairman and while he was about to leave, Dr. Fabong introduced him to us as, "he is Dr Nentawe, one of the most progressive Plateau man I met" that was how I doubled my interest to know him better since two people whom I trust their judgment Pharm Jabil and Dr Fabong made wonderful remarks on him.
An opportunity to know him more presented itself during the first edition of the Plateau Social Media Awards in 2019 at Mees Palace in which I was a nominee for the best use of Facebook category and Dr Nentawe was a nominee too in another category. I was opportune to sit at the same table with him and we got talking as the event was holding.
In less than an hour Dr Nentawe x-ray to me the problems of leadership in Nigeria and the way out as well as some of the fundamental things we need to get it right in Plateau State and how. I have never heard anyone talk about Plateau with such clarity of thought before. We exchange numbers to continue with our discussion on the phone since the program has gotten to an end.
We will spend 30 minutes talking on the phone and getting wowed by so many innovative ideas the man will be dishing on Peacebuilding on the Plateau, Agriculture, Mining, Job and wealth creation etc.
And that is how I became a believer because I asked numerous questions about the feasibility and practicality of so many things and got satisfying answers which can only come from a highly brilliant and sincere mind. I remember many times telling him, sir, please contest for Governorship and he will be like, let's see what will happen. And then it eventually happened!
When Dr Nentawe throw his hat into the ring of the contest for Plateau State Governorship, I said that is the man deserving of my vote and support. Someone having the right mixture of Education, exposure, experience, strength of character, progressive ideas and human relations.
The 2023 General election in Plateau State came with many twists in which rather than ideas dominating discussions and giving direction to the people on where votes were supposed to go, unfortunately, trivialities took centre stage. The unfortunate politicking of 2023 where lies, misinformation, blackmail and propaganda dominated the turf further buttresses the importance of having a Nentawe as a Governor, one with revolutionary ideas that will make people believe that there is more to governance than innuendoes.
One beautiful thing about him is his long years of service to humanity. Paying for JAMB exams for students in his area for the past 10 years. Building an ICT centre, training youths in vocation and skills and giving them 100,000 to start up so many years ago before even coming close to politics and so many things. Thus, his manifesto, the ACEES AGENDA wasn't just a political document but rather a documentation of time-tested ideas. It's a temporal glitch, it will come to bear and Plateau will smile.
Happy Birthday Your Excellency.
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