It is now clear that Plateau needs an experienced administrator and expert who would bring his wealth of knowledge to the State to salvage it from its current situation. Mazadu Bako Dader, an illustrious son of Plateau who has written his name in gold in the Nigerian oil and gas sector has all these characteristics. He is the personification of the adage that says “great leaders don’t tell you what to do. They show you how it’s done.”
Born on June 24, 1958 in Gyambwas district of Mangu local government area of Plateau State, Dader attended Demonstration School, Gindiri in the same State where he obtained his First School Leaving Certificate in 1972. The quest for knowledge drove young Mazadu to Government College, Makurdi for his secondary education and graduated in 1977.
Mazadu Bako Dader attended the prestigious University of Maiduguri where he majored in Geology. He didn’t just graduated from the university, but with a First Class degree, making him earn the award of the Best Graduating Student in 1982. He later went to Loughborough University in England where he earned a Masters degree and a PhD in 1985 and 1988 respectively.
Mazadu, who had worked with the country’s famous Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) where he held various strategic positions is a member of many local and international professional bodies, including Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society, Council of Mining Engineers and Geoscientists, Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists, Nigerian Association of Hydrologists and the Geological Society of London.
This astute administrator, academic and internationally acclaimed geologist is a friend, brother and father to the grassroots. Domesticating the grassroots problems to his own is one of the few things that made his name to become a household name in his domain and beyond.
In recent times, Dader has donated laptops, printers and cash to the Mwaghavul Multipurpose Corporative Society. He has also provided two brand new electric transformers to Langai District of Pyem Chiefdom. The philanthropist alone has funded the grading and leveling of the Gyambwas road, saving it from its former state.
While the economic situation in Nigeria was biting harder, courtesy of the COVID-19 pandemic, the philanthropist I always describe as a man with the heart of gold, provided palliative to PDP youth groups in Mangu Ward I to cushion the effect of the pandemic and many other individuals.
In his effort to ameliorate the level of unemployment and promote digital inclusiveness, Dader built the Shang Tong ICT Centre in Mangu, where people from nook and crannies of Plateau Central Senatorial District are benefitting from. The centre has today become the ICT hub of the zone, where young people passionate about technology and innovation throng in search of tech-related solutions to their daily problems. He has also built the Shang Tong Resort. The former and the latter have today become a source of employment, especially to the youths.
The love and compassion he has displayed for the people in the grassroots had earned him two traditional titles; Dan Masanin Mangu and Talban Langai. There is no gainsaying that these alone are manifestations of his acceptability and recognition in the grassroots.
Mazadu Bako Dader
Come 2023, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should make a right decision by giving this erudite scholar, administrator and well-travelled geologist the chance to clinch the party’s gubernatorial ticket.
Dr Mazadu Bako Dader has all the qualifications to lead Plateau to the dreamland. As a teacher, the welfare of teachers in the State will be his top priority, which will surely help in bringing a paradigm shift to the education sector, as we know there’s no society that can progress without education.
In a digital era like this, where all states in the country are showcasing how far they have gone in e-governance, Plateau has little or nothing to show. But, I am optimistic that a tech-savvy personality like Dr Dader will surely change this narrative, if given a chance to rule the home of peace and tourism. This gentleman that has left his indelible imprint at the NNPC and possess rich curriculum vitae will make a good Governor for Plateau State.
Ali, a concerned Plateau indigene writes from Gindiri, Mangu LGA of Plateau State and can be reached at isiakabilalali@gmail.com
