BORN TO BE A CHAMPION

(Modest Thoughts with Ayuba, Yilgak'ha, August 30, 2023; 08116181263)

This piece is goal specific. It is mainly to stimulate and balloon the readers' passion into works of excellence at home, school, workplace or anywhere. It is equally a practical and action packed catalyst for positive living.

Born to Be a Champoion (BBC) is a descriptive exposition on the making of champions. In life, there are upper and lower ends of life. Upper or higher ends of life relate to the pursuit of virtues. It is about cultivating big and noble dreams whose attainment create or add value to personal wellbeing of the dreamer or welfare of society. Lower ends, on the other hand, are distractive trivialities that slow or weigh a man down from achieving great feats in life.

Born to be a champion is a 'catching-them-young template for determined youth who want to make a difference in their lifetime or generation. It is a carrying-them-along process of creating a desirable future they can be proud of any day. This ambition is in line with the postulation of  

former President of the United States (USA), Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who stated that "we cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future." There is no better way of stating the obvious than this. If the future belongs to the youth, then, it is only appropriate that they are prepared and carried along in the process of constructing that future. 

The idea is that a youth whose head is shaved in his absence cannot appreciate it no matter how beautiful the shaving is done. This is because such youth will have input to make regarding the shaving style he/she desires. Therefore, objective and inclusive democratisation of the future of youth is the way to go so that they can be proud of their achievement when tomorrow comes.

Two scriptural text will be important in this discourse. The first is 2Timothy 2:20 that says: "But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour and some to dishonour. If a man, therefore, purges himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work." This means that anybody can be a champion of good causes but this will be dependent on the choices he makes.

The second scripture is

Deuteronomy 28:13

(NIV) which says: "The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord, your God, that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom." This means that being the head (champion) is a bargaining assurance of God to man that is conditioned on obedience and commitment to God's instructions. No wonder, 

Isaiah 1:19-20 (KJV) stressed that, 'If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land: But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured with the sword: For the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.'

In the light of the above scriptures, becoming a champion in the world of work is conditional. Being a champion is an excellent and exclusive feat of disciplined folks who are committed to loyalty rules and the rules of engagement. A champion is subject to critical evaluation before certification is granted. This means that championships are training-sensitive processes which require a potential champion to have requisite knowledge and experience.

For a potential champions to be champions, self development is key. Self development has to do with investing in one's self to acquire cognitive or requisite skills and experiences that can help purge undesirable motivations to allow for desirable ones that can make success easier and a reality.

It takes people who are different to make a difference. In other words, you have to be different to make a difference. Those who attach no value to themselves can fall for anything. Because such people have no concrete targets or goals, they can easily be distracted by trivialities, things which are not worth anything. And nobody gets trivial and becomes a champion!

To be a champion, potential champions will have to learn to think and act like one. Champions are positive in all circumstances but failureists often cultivate excuses which is their greatest undoing.Robert Kennedy painted the distinction clearly: 'Some men see things as they are, and say why. I dream of things that never were, and say why not.' The former are potential failureists; the latter are potential champions because their positive mindset will successfully drive them through the tough road of champions. Calep and Joshua in the Bible are classical examples of potential champions!

Champions are role models. They are mirrors upon which the performance of others are determined. Mere sighting of a champion is an inspiration and motivation to step up effort to be a champion too. The caveat, however, is that a champion who has suddenly lost touch with morality, ethical and professional standards could be a bad influence on society.

For youth, the future looks bright but how to go about it. It was Abraham Lincoln who said, 'prepare yourself and your day will come.' How to go about the future is to prepare for it. According to the Next Generation Legend (NGL) "Preparing the youth for the future is not just an ink-bound statement but rather an action-driven engagement in all facets of society."

The future is always new but the nugget from "The Mafia Manager" written by V., provides a hint on how to successfully navigate new terrains with ease. His words: "When you are new to a place, first educate yourself by observing the real players, learning how they act and react. Keep your eyes open and your mouth shut, shape yourself, acquire the tools, eliminate all possible traits you have that will hinder you." These nuggets corroborate Pastor Joshua Olumide's postulation that 'life is lived forward but understood backward.' when a youth carefully understudy the winning ways of older folks who exceled in their chosen career today, factoring the evolving dynamics of time and technology, then, he is sure to excel too.

The winning ways of past or present champions or both, can be learned through books: their memoirs, autobiographies and biographies. They can be accessed through written or video documentaries. The people we meet, the books we read and the media we explore change us in significant ways. Engage with them selectively.

The search for practical knowledge and practice, well nurtured attitude towards work and social networking will make a fruitful difference in the life of a youth who wants to be a champion. Make no mistake about it, a young chap who has no future ambition will surely suffer if he does not die young! On the other hand, nothing stops a young man from becoming a future champion if he is committed to virtues that matter and shun all youthful exuberances and distractions!

In conclusion, no circumstance can hinder a man of passion whose eye is on winning a gold medal prize. In the estimation of George Bernard Shaw, "people are always blaming their circumstances for what they are' but 'people who get on in the world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances that they want and, if they cannot find them, make them'. Are you a habitual complainant or a determined champion? The choice is entirely yours!

SELF DEVELOPMENT IN A COMPETITIVE WORLD

Modest Thoughts with Ayuba, Yilgak'ha, August 31, 2023; 08116181263)

Development is a multidimensional and multi-level phenomenon whose understanding can only be based on the context in which it is applied. The multidimensional nature of development relates to the scope of the concept which can be narrowed to economic, political, social, biological and historical dimensions of life or, broadly, understood in terms of the combination of two or more of these dimensions. The multi-level understanding of development stems from whether development relates to individuals (self), community (family, village, state, country, international) or even global development as a whole. 

Because the development of a champion can better be understood at the individual level, the focus of this exposition is on individual (self) development. In other words, the commanding heights and strategy of a champion is self development. 

In the postulation of Walter Rodney in 1972, self development or development at the individual level, implies increased skill and capacity, greater freedom, creativity, self-discipline, responsibility and material wellbeing of the individual that is being considered. In order to draw a distinction between self development and community ("social groups") development, the scholar noted that development at the community level implies increasing the capacity of the community members to jointly deal with their environment in such a manner that translates into the welfare of all or 'the greatest good of the greatest number'. This means that development at corporate level is the function of the combination of the actions of all members of the group. This means that every micro-action has macro-implications in the corporate world.

Self development is the commitment to of an individual to invest in personal skills, capability and understanding of how systems work with the aim of making useful and unique contributions towards achieving optimal results or making a difference. The idea is that whatever cause(s) any champion believes in, he pays concentrated attention in pushing for its realisation in a most distinguished manner. In other words, champions love curving a niche for themselves in every learning curve or process.

In extant literature, self-development process involves at least four basic activities. First, it is about action action, that is, work on achieving your personal development goals. It is an action packed phenomenon which reflects and reinforces the idea of "management by objectives". Secondly, self-development is about goal setting. That is, it has to do with developing short term and life time goals to turn your vision into reality. This is predicated on the time tested hypothesis that 'whatever is measurable is achievable'. Thirdly, it is about self discovery which has to do with identifying areas of strength and weakness by self assessing your skills to determine what you can readily do or not and making effort to improve for better performance. Fourthly, self development  has to do with self assessment which involves learning about your skills, personality and interests.

Self development is a continuum because 'in the school of life', they say, 'there is no graduation'. Luigi Barzini as cited in the preliminary page of "Now we shall be entirely free", written by Andrew Miller (2018), said, "the only art worth learning but which can never be wholly mastered, is the art of inhabiting the earth." This mean that you have not started life if you have not improved by learning the art of living.

Self development is about knowledge acquisition and creativity in specific areas of interest. While knowledge has to do with useful experience or experiences; the author is not known who remarked that 'creativity is the mystery of freedom' and that, 'man can indeed, create the monstrous as well as the good, beautiful and useful.' What this means is that, except it is properly guided, creativity can be a tool for evil entreprise.

In the 21st century, the world and its inhabitants are highly interconnected and interdependent. However, what determines the wellbeing of individuals is their respective decisions or choices given that the environment around them is a constant. It affects everyone either positively or negatively and so it behoves on every person to decide on how to manoeuvre his way around it, that is, the environment. When the sun bites, some will use umbrella or even step out in it like that; others will complain and stay in their comfort zone. All these are choices that can make or mare someone.

It was Both (2011) who wrote, "one choice decides your friends; one choice defines your believes; one choice determines your loyalties forever; one choice can transform you." In a solo world, everything rise and fall on the choices individuals make. Whether it is about investment, practice or apprenticeship, relationship or risk taking, choice is at the centre but choices men make must be rational within the context of contemporary realities of the time.

There is this theory of rational expectations theory that comes to mind here. This theory presupposes that people make decisions based on three conditions: Their level of rationality, past experiences and the information that is available to them and, therefore, argued that the future expectations of the future will affect the outcome of that future. This means that human beings have to acquire and leveraged on their exposure, in terms of knowledge, education and common sense (self development) if they actually want to make a difference in the future. In other words, self development enables an individual or individuals to create the future they want for themselves. Self development is all about equipping and activating human potentials to make a difference in the nearest possible future.

Rot, V. (2011). Divergent. New York: Catherine Tegen Books.

Andrew, M. (2018). Now we shall be entirely free(fiction).  London: Sceptre.

UNDERSTANDING ENTREPREURSHIP

UNDERSTANDING ENTREPREURSHIP

Modest Thoughts with Ayuba, Yilgak'ha, August 20, 2023; 08116181263)*

After security, if there is anything that the world badly needs, it is wealth creation through value creation or addition. As the world's population approaches 7 billion people, the world system correspondingly gets more and more complex with the need for sharp and apt solutions in the areas of production technologies; increased food supply as well as organised governance structures.

One of the composite solution to multi-dimensional human problems is entrepreneurship which is the foundamental catalyst for cracking human capabilities in wealth creation. Most often, people hold the erroneous assumption that Motivational Speaking (MS) and Entrepreneurship (E) are the same but they are not. 

While MS is basically about spirking or stimulating the passion of someone into doing something he would have done otherwise if left alone through the power of speech; E concerns the cracking of human ingenuity, creativity and innovative power towards the invention and exhibition of a new product(s), new method(s) of production or valuable and practical idea(s) that can be bought at a price.

Motivational speakers are ambitious hope and action promoters; entrepreneurs are ambitious and adventerous problems solvers through practical actions.

Motivational Speakers idea driven incubators who encourage people without necessarily having a product while entrepreneurs are product centred persons who stimulate people into production or business using their products.

A motivational speaker awakens the people about the existence of an opportunity or opportunities; entrepreneurs, spot such opportunities and seizes them without delay.

Motivational speakers teach people how not to fear risk; entrepreneurs are adventurous risk takers who take calculated risk in the process of creating a value or market for their product.

Motivational speakers are words-driven social reingineering agents; entrepreneurs are action-driven wealth creation agents.

Motivational speakers or books are encyclopaedia of ideas which might not, necessarily, be applicable under all circumstances; entrepreneurs have practical solutions that address contemporary problems as they unfold.

Motivational speakers sell their speech or books mostly to lazy thinkers who might not even read or apply them; entrepreneurs sell their products to customers needing practical solutions. 

Motivational speakers index and share old or new ideas in a most convincing manner; entrepreneurs create or modify and sell their product or service in the most satisfying manner.

Motivational speakers end a living by the weapon of speech; motivational speakers end a living by the quality of their product or service.

It takes an orator to make a motivational speaker; one does not need to be an orator to make an entrepreneur but functional talent and skill power.

Motivational speakers thrive on dormant conditions or ideals demanding awakening or reawakening; entrepreneurs thrive on chaotic situations demanding solutions.

Motivational speaking can be imitated; entrepreneurship can only be demostratrated. In entrepreneurship, it is argued that 'when you teach a man something, he will never learn it'. The entrepreneur rather learns by doing; not doing by learning!

Motivational speakers diagnose and encourage their publics to take drugs; entrepreneurs provide the drugs these publics take.

Motivational speaking is theory based; entrepreneurship is evidence based. In other words, motivational speakers tell ideal stories; entrepreneurs show ideal products.

Motivational speakers are like sign posts which guide people to a destination; entrepreneurs are the destination.

Motivational speakers produce the 'what' and how manuals; entrepreneurs show the product mannual.

Motivational speakers are all round stimulators of human action including entrepreneural actions; entrepreneurs are action packed and specific problem solvers.

Motivational speakers are like doctors who diagnose and prescribe drugs for cure from pharmaceutical companies; entrepreneurs are the owners of pharmaceutical companies who make these drugs that cure.

Larry King was a motivational speaker who blessed the world with the book, "How to speak to anyone anywhere"; Thomas Edison was an entrepreneur who blessed the world with light bulbs that illuminates the world even today.

Nick Vujicic was a motivational speaker who gave the world a book "Life without limit: Inspiration for ridiculously good life"; Henry Ford was an entrepreneur who cracked the world of automobiles.

Dale Carnegie was a motivational speaker who wrote, "How to win friends and influence people"; Wilbur Wright and Orville Wright (Wright Brothers) were entrepreneurs who invented the first aeroplane.

Fela Duritoye who wrote the book ideas are gold is a motivational speaker; Elon Musk is a programming entrepreneur who has curved a niche for himself in world of automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Napoleon Hills who wrote, "Think and grow rich" was a motivational speaker; Steve Jobs is an entrepreneur who has fascinated the world with Pixar, NeXT and Apple computers.

Mike Monroe of blessed memory was a motivational speaker; Jack Ma the Chinese legend is another success story in entrepreneurship who founded Alibaba, a famous online trading platform that is revolutionarising online trading in china.

Anthony Jay Robbins is a motivational speaker who wrote books like "Unlimited Power" and "Awaken the power within"; Mark Zuckerberg entrepreneurial acumen gave the world facebook which has changed the world's communication system today.

Eric Thomas is a motivational speaker; Satoshi Nakamoto entrepreneurial power creates cryptocurrency Bitcoin is catalysing cryptocurrency markets worldwide.

Avran Naom Chomsky is a motivational speaker, political activist and social critic; Bill Gates through entrepreneurial prowess  Co-founded Microsoft that driving the digital age.

Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani motivational speaker who earned herself a Nobel Peace prize laureate at the age of 17; Jeff Bezos is an entrepreneur who created Amazon, a major shipping platform in the world.

Barrack Obama is a motivational speaker who against all odds became the president of the USA Sergey Brin is an entrepreneur who co-founded Google which has simplified access to information globally.

Leslie Calvin Brown is a motivational speaker who has influenced and is influencing many worldwide; Sheldon Adelson is an entrepreneur with the largest casino in the United States and making big fortunes. Gustaf Hagman and Robin Ramm-Ericson also founded the largest online casino and are making fortunes from it. 

Deepak Chopra is a motivational speaker who is making advocacy waves alternative medicine; Anthony Werkman is one of the world's legendary entrepreneurs who created "Betway", one of the biggest betting sites that are changing the world of gambling.

The world has no short of motivational speakers but entrepreneurs who are always right on target. It is important to note that motivational speakers can make entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs could make motivational speakers but this is not automatic. For instance, writing a book on wealth creation does not automatically make the author of such book an entrepreneur but translating those ideas into practical or tangible wealth creating solutions. Books are mere rhetoric but entrepreneurship is a reality.

Entrepreneurs who combine the gift of motivational speakers are rare breed that can influence and change the world with ease. Such breeds do not only influence but add value to the wellbeing and welfare of societies. Mike Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and Jac Ma are typical examples.

The 21st century is the century of entrepreneurs. Because the century is chaotic, it needs deliberate risk takers; because it is highly populated and complex, it needs innovative organisers and producers; because it is speeding, it needs visionary thinking can create today solutions with the future in mind; because it is interconnected, it needs networking prowess. All these needs are entrepreneurship related.

It is instructive to note that even though motivational speaking and entrepreneurship differs, the one thing that makes them similar is that it takes self development to make any of them. A man who is committed to self-development towards entrepreneurship will become an entrepreneur while those committed to self development towards becoming motivational speaking will be motivational speakers. Point is, both motivational speaking and entrepreneurial skills can be acquired through learning and self development.

CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE FROM PROF. JOHN WADE TO THE MINISTER FOR LABOUR AND AND EMPLOYMENT

CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE

HIS EXCELLENCY, RT. HON. (DR.) SIMON BAKO LALONG, CON, KSG, ON BEING SWORN-IN AS MINISTER OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT, GOVERNMENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA

Your Excellency,

With humility, I salute you with these “Reflective Poetic Renditions:”  

• God reads the Hearts of Men and for those who are at their best and remaining calm and silent in the midst of Trials and Tribulations, POST-TENURE, often rejoice last. Nothing could have been better right now for us on the Plateau with the honour and recognition of a well-deserved Ministerial Appointment.

• God reads the Hearts of Men and for those who are at their best and remaining calm and silent in the midst of Trials and Tribulations, POSTTENURE, often rejoice last. Nothing could have been better right now for us on the Plateau with the honour and recognition of a well-deserved Ministerial Appointment.

• The Swearing-In Ceremony, now successfully and peacefully completed; Mission and Mandate of Ministerial Portfolio clutched in your Arms. It is time to hit the ground running. As Head of your Ministry; Member of Federal Executive Council and the Nation's higest policy formulation body, you are to go forth and make quality contributions for the common good. 

• With Strenuous Efforts, Sacrifices and Labour did you demonstrate your Leadership acumen in managing affairs of Men and Resources, not only in our dear Plateau State, but Northern States and the Country in general

• Thus, in GAIN did you, Lalong, Labour; NOT in Vain. The GAIN in this appointment is the reward of hard work. History is kind to you. We therefore CONGRATULATE AND CELEBRATE a Plateau Son and Icon, a Leader who, only time and history will live to remember.  Someone who exits, yet naturally sought for to loyally continue serving the Nation and Humanity with dignity and integrity intact!  

Your Excellency,  

You had successfully appeared before the National Assembly and the great commendations and applause you got for your contributions to State, Regional   and National Development and Promoting Cohesiveness, before being asked to take a dignified bow. Today, among other responsibilities, you are assigned the Portfolio of Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment of the Government of Federal Republic of Nigeria. But beyond these, it is alluded that “The (most) difficult Federal Ministry to head in Nigeria is the Ministry of Labour and Employment…” Nothing makes it difficult than meeting the ever-insatiable expectations in the arena of Human Resource Development in the midst of competing demands and limited resources.  

So, for Mr. President putting you there is a confirmation of great confidence in you as someone who has built a reputation for himself over several years of cognate exposure and experience in both the Legislative and Executive domains in the light of practical and realistic demonstration of continuity in governance; infrastructure development; implementation of Peace Building initiatives; Advocacy on sustainable Mutual Coexistence, Engendered Regional Cohesiveness and Industrial Harmony, etc.  You practically achieved these Mantras as Executive Governor, earning the reputation of one of the best, most Labour-Friendly Governors in Nigeria. But to me also, this portfolio recognizes you as the Country’s No. 1 Placeholder, and indeed, custodian of Human Capital & Resource Development and Ethics of Welfarism in this critical period of the Nation’s desire to deliver on the “RENEWED HOPE” Mantra of the Federal Government.   

Just like the Ecclesiastical Adage, “It’s not an Easy Road…,” verily I assert, the stakes are high and the challenges gigantic in terms of Policies and Programmes Execution. But God willing, and beyond the iota of flattery, we are confident that the Ministry assigned to you, and as a Man of Great Instinctive Benevolence, Patient and Calm Dispositions as well as Leader Par Excellence, you have the innate capacity to adjust and deliver.  

IT IS WELL! And once more, on behalf of my family, you have our prayers and best wishes for the Spirit of God to provide you with fresh energy, positive outlook for better and stronger service delivery as always; while the best of Congratulatory Message awaits you as we look forward to successfully fulfilling the adage of “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning!”  

Yours Truly, 

PROFESSOR JOHN W. WADE, PhD (Stirling, U.K.), KSM, mni. 

Monday 21/08/2023.

Hon Barr Daniel Sani Auta appreciates the Boys Brigade

In recognition of the Boys Brigade's contributions to the spiritual and physical growth of its members, Hon (Barr) Daniel Sani Auta nicknamed Danny Culture, the Special Adviser on Legal and Legislative Matters to Jos North Local Government Council Executive Chairman Hon Bala Usman, has purchased and delivered uniforms to some members of the Boys Brigade's ECWA Good News Nasarawa Gwong.

Danny Culture stated that he is always delighted to see young boys dressed in Boys Brigade uniforms; so, he is taking the advantage of the Boys Brigade Week to contribute his quota as an appointee of the Jos North Local Government Council chairman.

He stated that the gesture is a fulfillment of a promise he made previously, stressing that he remains undaunted despite the political squabbles, knowing that it would soon be resolved.

He thanked the Boys Brigade of ECWA Good News Nassarawa Gwong for their unselfish sacrifices and contributions to the church's development.

Danny Culture underlined that Boys Brigade programs have continued to serve youths spiritually and physically, and that everyone should support them.

Gov. Mutfwang has passion for growth and development of the state, Hon Ephraim Usman

The Commissioner Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Plateau State, Hon. Ephraim Usman’s has expressed the readiness of the Ministry to partner and have a cordial working relationship with the Transition Implementation Committee Chairmen of the 17 Local Government Councils of State in the interest of bringing development to all parts of the State as capture in strategic development planned of the Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s Administration.

He stated this, when the Transition Implementation Committee Chairmen paid him a courtesy call in his office in Jos.

The Commissioner reiterated that there is no time to waste, the Governor who has passion for growth and development of the state, will want to see every organ that is saddled with the responsibility of facilitating development function effective therefore there is need for everyone to work assiduously so that the Government will fulfill its promise to the people of the state. And he thanked them for the visit.

Earlier is his remark, the Leader of the delegation who is the Transition Implementation Committee Chairmen of Langtang North Local Government Council Hon. Godwin Kumji Nanmwa, said they are in the Commissioner’s office to identify with him as well as congratulate him on his appointment. He stressed that his appointment by the Governor is well deserved; being a man that is highly resourceful and vibrant in the discharge of his duty, and promised that they will give the Commissioner all the necessary support for him to succeed in the task ahead.

Similarly, the Commissioner also received a delegation from the Bauchi State, Local Government Service Commission who are on a state tour to Plateau State Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, with the aim to study the way Plateau State is handling its’ Chieftaincy Affairs which will enable them take a leave from in order to improve on their own. 

The Commissioner welcomed the delegation and stated that the Ministry handles Local Government and Chieftaincy matters. He added that the Traditional Institution has a greater role to play in maintaining the culture, norms and tradition of our people as well the peaceful coexistence, therefore comparing note in other to make the institution work in the development of our states cannot be over emphasis, and the Ministry will accord them the relevant documents that will help them in discharging their responsibility.

In his remark, the Chairman Bauchi State Local Government Service Commission Alh. Abubakar Mohammed Wabi expressed was delighted for the warm reception given to them, he promised that the will make good use of their findings in the interest of their state and nations at large.

     

Edward Bulus Damwesh

information officer

10 August,2023

Dr. NENTAWE YILWADA: 55 YEARS OF PROGRESSIVE THOUGHTS.

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.