The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda Goshwe, has marked his 58th birthday by sponsoring a medical and surgical outreach in Taraba State, urging Nigerian leaders to use their positions to improve the lives of vulnerable citizens.
Yilwatda made the call on Saturday in Jalingo during the culmination of the healthcare intervention, which provided medical services to thousands of residents across the state.
Rather than holding a conventional birthday celebration, the APC chairman chose healthcare as the centrepiece of the occasion, saying leadership should be measured by the positive impact it makes on society.
The celebration was held at the Multipurpose Conference Hall of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jalingo, where some landmark projects were also commissioned.
Yilwatda said he deliberately chose Taraba for the intervention because of the healthcare challenges confronting underserved communities in the state.
He explained that the programme was preceded by a needs assessment and was designed to reach residents across the three senatorial districts, particularly those facing financial and geographical difficulties in accessing medical care.
The outreach commenced on August 3 at Takum General Hospital and was subsequently extended to the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Wukari; First Referral Hospital, Sunkani, Ardo-Kola Local Government Area; General Hospital, Bali; General Hospital, Gembu; and FMC Jalingo.
According to him, thousands of residents benefited from medical consultations, treatments and surgical procedures during the exercise.
Yilwatda challenged political and public office holders to regard leadership as an avenue for service and giving back to society.
“Leadership is about service,” he said, stressing that leaders should make improving the lives of ordinary citizens an important part of their responsibilities.
He also reaffirmed his commitment to making a positive contribution to humanity, declaring: “Every day that I live, the vision is: let it be useful to humanity.”
Taraba State Governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas, commended Yilwatda for choosing the state as the venue for his birthday intervention.
Kefas described the medical outreach as a practical demonstration of compassionate leadership and said it complemented the state government’s efforts to expand access to healthcare.
“What Professor Nentawe did is a powerful demonstration of what leadership should be,” the governor said.
He pledged that his administration would continue to support partnerships and initiatives capable of improving the health and wellbeing of Taraba residents.
The Taraba State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bordiya Buma, said the second phase of the intervention followed the successful completion of the first phase across six local government areas, with two LGAs selected from each of the state’s three senatorial districts.
Buma disclosed that more than 10,000 patients were attended to during the first phase, involving a range of medical and surgical conditions.
He said the exercise recorded 327 general surgeries, 71 eye surgeries and 575 dental procedures.
The commissioner commended the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach, saying it had provided critical healthcare services to residents who might otherwise have been unable to afford or access such treatment.
He thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the initiative and Yilwatda for supporting the intervention and selecting Taraba as one of its beneficiaries.
Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, also praised Yilwatda for dedicating his 58th birthday to healthcare delivery.
Pate said the decision was significant because good health remained essential to individual productivity, economic development and the overall wellbeing of society.
He described the intervention as an act of compassion and service, noting that effective healthcare could restore not only physical wellbeing but also hope and the capacity of beneficiaries to contribute to their communities.
The minister also commended Governor Kefas for his efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery in Taraba, while calling for stronger cooperation between the Federal Government, state governments and other stakeholders.
The Managing Director of FMC Jalingo, Dr. Aisha Adamu Mohammed, described the gesture as an example of leadership focused on improving the lives of ordinary people.
She said Yilwatda had chosen to celebrate his birthday by giving hope and medical support to people in need.
The high point of the event was the cutting of the APC chairman’s birthday cake, alongside the commissioning of projects at FMC Jalingo.
Government officials, political leaders, healthcare professionals, traditional rulers and other stakeholders attended the event.
For Yilwatda, the 58th birthday celebration ultimately became a platform for service rather than personal festivities, reinforcing his message that leadership should extend beyond titles and positions to producing tangible benefits for the people.