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Mustapha Atiku Ribadu
Call him a government of the masses and you will not be wrong. Without hedging or the fear of being contradicted, I want to boldly say that Alhaji Abdullahi Ahmed, is the most prolific philanthropist of all times that Adamawa State has produced dead or alive.
Since he came to the limelight, Adamawa's golden boy, or Abdu Dollars as he is fondly called has made phenomenal impacts in the lives of uncountable number of individuals and communities.
Many did not expect a man who started from a humble beginning to be so cheerful, benevolent, beneficent and magnanimous to the people, but to the surprise of many, Abdu Dollars has surpassed all limits of humility, compassion and kindness.
A consummate businessman with a gangling posture and a vast network of friends and allies including heads of governments, governors, ministers and heads of parastatals, one expect Abdu Dollars to be showy, egocentric and even arrogant, but in Dollars, the reverse is the case because here is a man full of humility and compassion who interacts freely with even the most lowliest in the society.
Despite his enormous wealth and societal standing, Abdu Dollars has maintained a solid relationship with his childhood friends and mingles and associate with them without any strain of arrogance or feeling of self worth.
You don't have to endure complex protocols and unnecessary bottlenecks to see him because Abdu Dollars can always be found chatting and even digging jovial arguments with friends and brothers by the roadside, whenever he is in town.
In the context of our existential realities, Abdu Dollars never cease to amaze me, as many with a morsel of his influence, worth, connection and financial muscles have since ditched their kith and kin for newer and influential friends to match their new status.
For a man who straddles roughshod the administrative, political and economic landscape of Nigeria like a colossus, such display of simplicity, humility and comradeship to me is unprecedented.
But the story did not end there because in Abdu Dollars, Adamawa State has found a man whose commitment to the development of humanity and societies is unparalleled.
A glimpse of his trajectories and positive strides in Adamawa will convince even the most virulent traducer that Adamawa State has no other like him in the areas of human and communal empowerment.
I can beat my chest and say there is no community that has not benefitted in one way or the other from the surfeit of gestures and olive branches extended by this humane and cosmopolitan personality.
I'm a living witness to some of the most touching contributions of Abdu Dollars to the needy because his multidimensional approach to resolving human crisis and addressing their needs are simply mesmerizing. I'm a living testimony to how this fellow has been clandestinely assisting indigent patients, how he resolves financial disputes between people, how he acquire houses for the needy and orphans, how he work with traditional institutions to address pressing societal challenges and how he even settles marital issues.
But most outstandingly, Abdu Dollar has been making giant strides for the overall benefit of Adamawa State in a manner that even the government will flinch with envy.
His contributions to the development of every facet of human life can neither be contradicted nor disputed as they are palpable for all to see.
Most importantly, his strides in the water, education, human empowerment, general infrastructure, and health sectors have more forcefully stand him out from the array of the so called "big men" that straddle every nook and cranny of Adamawa State.
Before concluding, it is pertinent to mention some robust contributions Abdu Dollars made towards the development of humanity so as to elucidate my points beyond reasonable doubt.
~ Abdu Dollars single handedly rehabilitated the Adamawa State headquarters of the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC) after it was completely destroyed in the melee that greeted the #EndSARS protest in the state.
~ He has secured jobs for the sons and daughters of common man in high flying and elitists organizations like CBN, NNPC etc which are hitherto the exclusive preserve of the sons and daughters of the high and mighty.
~ He has been paying PTA levies for all the pupils in Yola.
~ He has on many occasions donated delivery kiths to expectant mothers.
~ He had donated patrol vehicles to all security formations in Yola to enhance security for all.
~ He also deposited huge money with the paupers account at FMC Yola to support indigent patients.
~ He provided scholarship to many youths to enhance education and human development in the state.
~ He also drilled motorized boreholes in more than 10 LGAs across the state.
~ He recently distributed cows to 43 ward heads and gave many rams to deserving personalities.
~ He also constructed 2 Jumaat mosques and still maintaining them.
~ He also address the water needs of Yola South residents by rehabilitating the comatose and moribund water infrastructure of the town. With this feat, residents of Yola have abundance of water.
The above feats are just glimpses of the untiring legacies ascribable to this humble servant of the people, despite the fact that he is not rooting for political office or even held one in the past.
That is why the strides of those holding political offices and are holding forth, huge resources on behalf of the people pale into insignificance when juxtaposed with what Abdu Dollars is doing.
But from the exploits of Abdu Dollars, the society stands to learn one or two lessons; humility and selflessness. By the time the people begin to invest their votes in humane and selfless people, the society will be the better for it.
Ribadu sent in the piece from Abuja road Yola.
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