THE NEED FOR A PLATEAU WOMEN HALL OF FAME – BY MATHIAS YAKUBU

THE NEED FOR A PLATEAU WOMEN HALL OF FAME – BY MATHIAS YAKUBU

I am very proud of the Plateau woman. She, without doubt, is one of a kind. And I, must state, once again, that I am very proud of her. For she, despite daunting odds, has soared far and above her peers not only in her geo political zone and her region but also, as well, in her country. She, because of her modest nature never blows her own trumpet for she, understands, that only empty vessels make the loudest noise. And an empty vessel she is not.

A privilege therefore it is that my roots are deeply embedded in the Plateau woman. All my female progenitors –on both sides- were all Plateau women and without them I could not have been. The spirit of the Plateau woman resonates deep within me and if I have excelled today then it is largely because of that. With more than a hundred outstanding records in diverse fields of endeavour set by the women of Plateau in not only the North, but also in Nigeria and Africa as a whole, no other women from any other state in the country, I dare to say, have recorded as many important landmarks as the Amazons of Plateau. And it was precisely these reasons which motivated me to embark on a self fulfilling mission of compiling all relevant facts about them in a compendium titled, “Plateau Women: First Among Equals”. My many years of highly stimulating research on the women of Plateau State, at its conclusion, revealed quite a lot of salient and fascinating facts about them and their exciting journey of pacesetting adventure, a few of which include the following. The Plateau woman, for instance, is the:-

-First female Ambassador (Career/Non Career) in Nigeria (in 1976)

-First Female Career Ambassador in Nigeria (in 1976)

-First Female Medical Doctor from the North (in 1971)

-First Female Veterinary Doctor in the North

-First Female Pharmacist in the North

-First Female Broadcaster in the North (in 1962)

-First elected Female Deputy Governor in the North

-First Female Professor in the North

-First Female Bank Chairman in the North (in 1987)

-First Female House of Representatives Members in the North (in 1983)

-First elected Female Senator in the North (in 1998)

-First Female Police Commissioner in Nigeria

-First Female Police Commissioner in Nigeria in charge of Interpol (in 1990)

-First woman to enlist as a Police Cadet Inspector from the North (in 1963)

-First woman to enlist as a Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police from the North (in 1984)

-First Female Commandant from the North of the Police Staff College, Nigeria’s highest Police training institution

-First woman in Nigeria to enlist in the Nigerian Military as a regular Combatant Cadet Officer and also win the most     

  coveted prize of the Best Graduating Cadet Officer of one of the three arms of the Nigerian Armed Forces (in 2016)

-First Female Assistant Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (in 2007).

-Co-Pilot of the First ever All-Female Crew, consisting of two female pilots and two female Cabin Crew, to take off and  

 successfully land a commercial aeroplane at an airport in Nigeria, in West Africa and in Africa (in 2009)

-First Female Head Coach of a Male Professional Basketball Team in Africa.

-First Female Clerk of a State House of Assembly in the North.

-First Female National Marathon race champion in the country.

-First elected Female State Chairman of a major Political Party in Nigeria.

-First Female Secretary General of the National Association of Nigerian Students (in 2011).

-First female President of the Court of Appeal from the Middle Belt 

-First Female National Electoral Commissioner in Nigeria (in 1976)

-First female State Accountant General in the North.

-First female Chairman of a State Board of Internal Revenue in the North (in 1987)

-First Female Board Member/Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation from the North.

-First Female Director General of the National Film Videos and Censors Board from the North.

-First Female and longest Serving Secretary General of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria.

-First Female Vice Chancellor of a Federal University from the Middle Belt.

-First female Director/CEO of the National Veterinary Research Institute 

-First National Secretary of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists to be elected twice.

-First Female Chairman of the Federal and State Security Administrators Meeting.

-First woman elected as National Women Leader of a Major Political Party in Nigeria from the Middle Belt and;

-The Number one Lady Golfer in Nigeria.

There still are many more of such amazing and verifiable facts about the women of Plateau which I painstakingly put together in this compendium. But after having done so I do believe that the state as an entity needs to go a notch further by instituting a Plateau Women Hall of Fame, where all records concerning the wonderful Amazons of the State should be collated and preserved for prosperity. Indeed, there is one of such in the Nigerian Federal Capital, Abuja, located at the National Center for Women Development. That one, however, does not do, by all means, Plateau State justice. Plateau, whose women have achieved the most in the Middle Belt and the North, and probably, the whole of Nigeria, needs to do its women proud by becoming the first state to have such Women Hall of Fame in Northern Nigeria, if not in the entire Federation.

Such Women Hall of Fame should have historic pictures, the bio data and as well, memorabilia of such women on display to serve as sources of inspiration for the Plateau Girl-Child, and as well, all Plateau women. Regrettably, some of these amazing Plateau Amazons have long passed on. They need to be remembered. Some of them passed on recently. They will not be forgotten. Some are still with us. Their legacies need to be celebrated. That is my candid opinion.

Yakubu is a publisher, author and public affairs analyst. He is based in Jos and can be reached on 08023757075