Growing up in a countryside setting influenced my choice to provide medical care to remote areas – Yilwatda

Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, has shed light on his decision to commemorate his birthday by initiating a medical intervention in Taraba State, citing his personal experience of rural life and the hardships faced by vulnerable Nigerians as the driving force behind this choice.

n

Yilwatda's decision was motivated by his understanding of the challenges that rural communities encounter, prompting him to bring his medical outreach to Taraba and provide treatment to those in need, thereby offering them a sense of hope.

n

Rather than marking his birthday with the traditional festivities, Yilwatda opted to launch the second phase of his medical outreach, which has thus far resulted in over 300 surgeries and 572 dental procedures, with beneficiaries requiring specialized treatment also receiving attention.

n

The numbers, however, only tell part of the story, as hundreds of vulnerable Taraba State residents gathered in Jalingo, where Yilwatda marked his 58th birthday by providing free medical care, bringing relief to those struggling with illness and financial hardship.

n

Children who had endured pain, parents who struggled to afford medical bills, and patients in need of surgery and dental treatment all converged in Jalingo, where Yilwatda's medical outreach offered them a lifeline.

n

What left a lasting impression on Yilwatda was the sight of children who, despite their health challenges and pain, still managed to smile and welcome visitors to the exercise, a poignant reminder that leadership is ultimately about people.

n

Yilwatda emphasized that every surgery and dental procedure represented an individual whose life had been given another chance, stressing that the beneficiaries should not be reduced to mere statistics, but rather seen as fathers, mothers, children, brothers, and sisters whose stories have been given a new chapter.

n

The intervention came at a time when many low-income families across the country are struggling to cope with the cost of healthcare, making access to free treatment particularly significant for residents who might otherwise postpone treatment due to financial constraints.

n

Yilwatda expressed his gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for providing the resources for the intervention and commended the medical personnel who converted these resources into actual treatment and improved outcomes for the beneficiaries.

n

He praised President Tinubu as a giver of new hope to Nigerians, acknowledging that the President's provision of resources and the health workers' efforts had resulted in lives saved and hope restored.

n

Yilwatda believes that the exercise represents the kind of politics and leadership that should define the APC, arguing that political leadership must ultimately be about improving the quality of life of ordinary people.

n

For Yilwatda, the birthday intervention also offered an opportunity for personal reflection, and at 58, his greatest request is not for material gifts but for the wisdom and opportunity to continue serving humanity.

n

He urged vulnerable Nigerians to see the outreach as a reminder that their struggles have not been forgotten, assuring them that he will continue to serve Nigeria with all his strength for as long as God gives him breath.

n

Yilwatda later spoke about the experience of the beneficiaries, linking it to Nigeria's broader multidimensional poverty challenge, which he believes goes beyond mere financial considerations.

n

According to him, poverty is not only about a person's financial resources but also about their access to healthcare, roads, education, infrastructure, and other basic services.

n

Yilwatda argued that improved infrastructure, particularly roads, would help connect rural communities to markets, hospitals, schools, and economic opportunities, citing the Federal Government's ongoing road projects as part of efforts to open up communities and improve movement.

n

The proposed road network linking Lagos, Ogun, Ekiti, Kwara, Kebbi, and Sokoto, as well as the Port Harcourt-Abuja-Jos-Biu-Maiduguri super highway, are among the projects that Yilwatda believes will transform connectivity, enabling travel around Nigeria in just four days.

n

Yilwatda also highlighted the administration's infrastructure plans, which extend to regional economic integration, including the development of deep-sea ports and a proposed port in Maradi, Niger Republic, which could serve landlocked countries in the region.

n

He listed Niger Republic, Sudan, the Central African Republic, Chad, and Burkina Faso among the countries that could benefit from improved regional connectivity, saying that such infrastructure could help Nigeria generate more revenue and move towards a $1tn economy.