National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has challenged Nigerian leaders to make service to humanity and the culture of giving central to their leadership, insisting that political positions should translate into tangible improvements in the lives of ordinary citizens.
Yilwatda made the call on Saturday in Jalingo, Taraba State, where he marked his 58th birthday by sponsoring a medical and surgical outreach that reached thousands of residents across the state’s three senatorial districts.
Rather than holding a conventional birthday celebration, the APC chairman chose healthcare intervention as the centrepiece of his anniversary, saying the decision reflected his belief that leadership must be measured by its impact on the people.
The birthday programme, held at the Multipurpose Conference Hall of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jalingo, also featured the commissioning of landmark projects at the medical centre.
Yilwatda said the choice of Taraba was deliberate, explaining that the intervention was designed to respond to the needs of underserved communities, particularly residents who struggle to access quality healthcare because of distance, poverty and other socioeconomic barriers.
He said the exercise followed a needs assessment carried out before the commencement of the programme and was deliberately spread across the state to ensure that beneficiaries were drawn from different parts of Taraba.
The outreach began on August 3 at Takum General Hospital before moving to the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Wukari; First Referral Hospital, Sunkani, in Ardo-Kola Local Government Area; General Hospital, Bali; General Hospital, Gembu; and finally FMC Jalingo.
Thousands of residents received medical attention during the exercise, while hundreds of patients requiring surgical intervention were also attended to.
For Yilwatda, however, the intervention was more than a birthday gesture. It was a statement about the kind of leadership he believes Nigeria needs at a time when citizens are increasingly demanding that those entrusted with public responsibility deliver measurable benefits to society.
“Leadership is about service,” he said, urging political office holders and other public leaders to see giving back to society not as an occasional gesture but as an important component of their responsibility to the people.
He said Nigeria could only achieve sustainable development when its institutions were strong and when the welfare of citizens remained at the heart of governance.
Yilwatda also reaffirmed his personal commitment to service, declaring that his overriding ambition was to make his life useful to humanity.
“Every day that I live, the vision is: let it be useful to humanity,” he said.
The intervention attracted commendation from the Taraba State Government, with Governor Agbu Kefas describing the initiative as a timely demonstration of compassion and responsible leadership.
Kefas commended Yilwatda for choosing Taraba as the venue for his birthday celebration and, more importantly, for converting the occasion into an opportunity to provide healthcare to residents across the state.
He described the medical and surgical outreach as a significant intervention, particularly for residents who might otherwise have been unable to afford or access specialised medical services.
The governor also underscored the importance of partnerships between governments, institutions and individuals in addressing the needs of vulnerable citizens.
Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, equally praised Yilwatda for making healthcare the focus of his 58th birthday celebration.
Pate said the decision to mark the occasion in the North-East, particularly Taraba, carried significance, noting that healthcare remained one of the most effective avenues for improving human welfare and strengthening national unity.
He described the health sector as a critical foundation for national development, stressing that no society could make meaningful progress without a healthy population.
The minister commended the Taraba State Government, the National Assembly and residents of the state for supporting and embracing the intervention.
The host of the celebration, Dr. Aisha Adamu Mohammed, said the choice of FMC Jalingo further demonstrated a commitment to strengthening medical excellence and improving healthcare delivery.
She described the projects commissioned at the medical centre and the outreach as important contributions to ongoing efforts to expand access to quality healthcare in Taraba.
The ceremony culminated in the cutting of Yilwatda’s 58th birthday cake and the commissioning of the projects at FMC Jalingo.
But beyond the ceremony and birthday symbolism, the anniversary carried a broader message: that leadership should not be defined merely by the office occupied, the privileges attached to it or the political influence it confers, but by the lives touched and the problems solved.
For Yilwatda, turning 58 was therefore not simply an occasion to celebrate another year of life. It was an opportunity to give, serve and demonstrate his conviction that public leadership ultimately finds its greatest meaning in humanity.
