Humility is a rare virtue any leader would be imbued with.


While many African leaders easily get drunk with the liquor of power once elected into various political offices, a rare breed of exceptionally cool headed leader who wouldn't allow the lucre of his exalted office as a Governor in the north-central state of Plateau, in the subsaharan African nation called Nigeria.

My recent trip with the Amiable Governor to attend the Commonwealth Africa Investment Summit held at the Queen Elizabeth ll Conference Centre in London, United Kingdom exposed me to the many facets of the Governor’s humility that so much endeared him to me and further made me look up to him for political mentoring.

Right from our meeting at the Plateau Governor’s Lodge Abuja, on Tuesday morning at exactly 5:57am in preparatory to our departure to London, Governor Lalong was so free and down to earth with members of his travelling contingent, consisting of myself, the Honourable Commissioner for Commerce and Industry and two of the governor’s aides, that he opened up reasons for some of his actions as a Governor, which might appear unclear to many, except properly informed.

On arrival in London airport and waiting for our luggages to be cleared, the Governor waited with us for over 30 minutes, despite that his ADC can effectively do that for him. Imagine the Governor with hand luggage-with Diplomatic passport joining queue like any other citizen!

On arriving at London Hilton Metropole Hotel where we all lodged, the Governor was on his feet to ensure that we were all comfortably setteled before he retired to his lodge, where he later engaged us in serious discussion about state of affairs back home in Plateau, and why certain things were done the way they were done in the best interest of the state, even though some people not disposed to the ideas.

This range from security to developmental initiatives of the governor.

The governor opened up to us that his resolve to continue all on going projects in the state prior to his emergence was aside of his personal conviction for continuation of those projects for the collective interest of plateau people, a piece of advice offered him by the respectable elder statesman, Gen. Yakubu Gowon also contributed and that he has no regrets heeding to that wise counsel, despite the jibes from certain quarters that completing abandoned projects, rather than starting new ones was a weakness on his part.

He told me that his decision to play down the renaming of Plateau State University to Solomon Lar University is to avoid political rivalry with powers that be at the top, who might not render the necessary support to the growth of the institution because of the name. That a public and baby university like that will need to attain some significant level of development before you consider naming it after any statesman!

I particularly asked him why he couldn't prioritize the repair of road to his community as witnessed in the previous administrations of Jang and Dariye, the amiable Governor made it clear to me that he is not Just the Governor for Ajikamai or Shendam people, but the governor to the entire Plateau state, and that he promised himself that he was going to evenly distribute developmental projects across the length and breadth of the state without favour.

But the governor was quick to add that with the award of contracts for roads construction in 16 of the 17 local government councils in the state, it won't be out of place if he now considers repairing the road to his village in other for His kith and kin to feel the impact of having one of their own in such a position.

Meanwhile, the essence of the trip is to take advantage of the summit being organized for Commonwealth Africa Investment to woo investors to take advantage of the various business opportunities abound in the state to extend their businesses to Plateau, with its attendant benefits to the state.

As the summit ends, I shall keep my fellow Plateau people informed of the events and it attendant benefits to the people of plateau. This will be in part two of this piece!

This is particularly to disabuse the minds of those who think the Governor always embarks on foreign trips for merriment.

My Name is Yusuf Gagdi (Babayo). I write from London in the United Kindom.