Kogiflame
Hon. Abdulrafiu Yakubu, is the Chief Executive Officer, (CEO), of GHEDA REALTIES, HOMES and PROPERTIES LTD. In this interview he explained his humble beginning and his philanthropic activities in his Community and environs
May we know you Sir
My name is AbdulrafiuYakubu. A native of Agbaja, Lokoja LGA in Kogi state. I was born in the late 1970. To the family of Alhaji Yakubu
His humble beginning
life wasn’t a bed of roses for me while growing up . I went through thick and thin I started my primary education at the LGA primary school which is now LSMB primary school. I proceeded to Government Secondary school in the same Agbaja. I finished secondary school in 1995. I was taking in by my late uncle, Mr. J. O Yakubu in Lokoja. I was bot just in Lokoja I was planning my life. I got admission into the Federal College of Education Okene. I did my first year, second year, life became unbearable for me I couldn’t pay school fee.
I took a very decisive decision which eventually turned my life around. I decided to go to Lagos to live with my uncle, he accepted me with his two hands. I learnt the ropes, following him in his consultancy business. I said to myself, I will focus on making money, then I will return back to school. It was taugh then really, in the village. I went through all manner of hardship I have to treck to the stream we have then, fetch water, bath and go to school. You must be at school before 8am.
Those are the experiences that shaped who I am today. I have seen it all when it comes to the life of struggle, all manner of sufferings, I couldn’t eat. In fact I don’t even have a shoe. When my father managed to buy me a shoe, because of the long term effect of not having a shoe I don’t even know how to keep my shoe on for ten minutes . My mates could testify to to this. I will lock my shoe in my locker and go home. When father asked me where is your shoe, I will say I left them in the school. That was how bad it was and I have always asked God that I don’t want to remain at this level. I just want to be someone that will just be okay. I want to break this shackles of poverty .
His Relationship with his Community
About my relationships with the community, I thank God for my humble life, my name is not hidden in my community as a whole. Young, Old women, men knows me for what I stand for in my community. I interact and relate with the wards at various levels.
I visit my community, sometimes I spend the night with them. I just walk around to know the plights of my people. I have very good relationship with almost every level of my community, even the neighboring communities.
HIS PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITIES
Now to the question of my philanthropic activities. God has blessed me over the years now and I have taken the bold step by empowering the indigent students of my community which I have been doing in the last 15 years.
Now because it took me time to get back to school. I have a Diploma in Land administration, I have a national Diploma in building technology, national Diploma in estate management, I have HND now in estate management, I have my registration with Nigeria institute of estate surviyors and estate valuers. Because of what I went through, I have decided to give back to my community by engaging in philanthropic activities. Basically my focus is by providing money for indigent students. Students from Kogi East, people we don’t even know where they come from, even in the central.
I have a case where I have to sort out a student in ABU Zaria. He ran to me and said he was about to be sent out of the university. He has just a year to go. Go use me not just by clearing his bills, but empowered even the parents in Nagazi in Central. He is my friend till today as I speak. We paid alot of fees in Kogi polytechnic, Lokoja, for students in Lokoja, Oworo, even in Basa nge. It’s my joy when I see these things done through the little resources I have. I have dug boreholes now in Lokoja. Let me start from my village. I have commissioned the ones that solve the perennial water shortage in settlements in my village. For decades they have never seen pipe borne water.
But as we speak now, through my philanthropic activities, they are about to get pipe borne water at their door steps by next week. I have dug borehole that is currently servicing the Maigeri of Lokoja palace area., the Lokoja central mosque. I have also rehabilitated the borehole at Angwua power, I have also done another one at Karaworo area of Lokoja, by Alhaji Mayaki’s house, there is another one we are doing within the traditional area of Lokoja which is very close to the old market, we have also done another one around the poly quarters, where someone approached us through a written document to help them out in their water shortage . I have also gone ahead to pay a visit to the Ohimege of Kotonkarfi, just to pay Sallah homage and we now offered to build a borehole for him because of the water shortage there. He gave us a location, we are on it as we speak. There was another one within Koto that collapsed . We have rehabilitated that. In my community today, I have offered employment to ten graduates at the federal level. The employment letters would be given to them in another one week or two from today.
His intervention in providing assistance to farmers in his Community
Now in continuation of my philanthropic activities, I took it upon myself to empower our local farmers in Oworo central, Agbaja down to Felele and Oworo west. We have distributed chemicals, pesticides, because it is their major problem over the years now. We have provided them with all these and we have evidences of what we have done to aide Agriculture in these places. We have also planned that by the next year farming season, I’m donating a tractor that will service our people for free. All they need to asses it is just to buy diesel and pay the driver for the day
Your programmes for women and Youth
Women and youth employment gives me great joy. I have taken it upon myself, every year, August 17th, I do empowerment for women in my village. Now I have another one coming up in another 17 or 18 days from now. I provided them with food stuff and some token amount
I have undertaking to help not just the widows, but women generally and the youths. In my village these groups are the major benefiaries of what God has given to me. It gives me joy every now and then that I’m around. There are testimonys about this. They valued what I do for them. They are very happy.
They are very appreciative, especially the women and the widows. I was even very privileged to be one of the first person that my community will be surrounded and the chief Imam asked them to pray for me. It has been the source of my continued commitment to assisting them.
On The Current Youth Protest Against in the country
I’m also using this opportunity to appeal to Nigerians to be patient with President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, he meant well for this country. How can you use one year to evaluate a president who has a mandate of four years. No nobody says president Tinubu is a magician. Let him use this gestation period to nurture the country to maturity. I want Nigerians to exercise patience. This Government will create an environment where businesses will thrive once again. Nigeria will be great again under President Tinubu.we can’t expect the rots of decades, to be corrected in just one year. We shouldn’t suffocate Mr. President. People in my age are hopeful that Nigeria will be great again.
