Rt. Hon. Danladi Jatau’s One Year Stewardship as Speaker of Nasarawa State House of Assembly
By Jibrin Gwamna, Lafia
William Shakespeare, an English playwright, poet, and actor, once said, “some people are born great; some achieve greatness, while others have greatness thrust upon them.”
This assertion clearly finds fulfillment in the case of Danladi Jatau Angbo, the Speaker.
Jatau was born on Thursday, 21st March 1968, in Angiri Bassa, Kokona LGA of Nasarawa State, precisely Fifty-Six years ago, and he understood the profound truth in late Nelson Mandela’s assertion that education is the most powerful instrument for changing the world.
Thus, he was motivated and pursued his studies with unwavering commitment, bearing in mind his lifetime ambition.
In pursuit of academic excellence, Danladi Jatau began his educational journey at Ikka Primary School in Nasarawa Eggon LGA of the State, and later attended Federal Government College Ikote Epkene, Akwa Ibom State, College of Education Akwanga, and then proceeded to University of Calabar, Cross River State for his First Degree, and Benue State University, Makurdi for both his Masters Degree and PhD respectively.
Danladi Jatau Angbo first gained political recognition in 1997 when he won the Councillorship seat for Bassa Electoral Ward of Kokona LG, and was re-elected to the same position in 1999, eventually becoming the Speaker of Kokona Local Government Legislative Council.
He served as Chairman of Agwada Development Area in 2002 and was later appointed Special Assistant to the former Deputy Governor of the State, Mr. Labaran Maku, from 2003 to 2007, and he retained this position when Maku served as Minister of Information from 2009 to 2011.
Given his track record as a grassroots politician and Man of the People, Jatau contested for the State House of Assembly seat in 2011 and won with a landslide victory, serving from 2011 to 2015 in the Fourth Assembly.
As a result of his remarkable leadership qualities, his constituents re-elected him to the prestigious chamber in the 6th Assembly between 2019 and 2023 and presently the Speaker is serving his third term at the State House of Assembly.
In the words of Chinua Achebe, “the Toad does not run in the day time for nothing”, Danladi Jatau, a former Minority Leader and the immediate past Deputy Majority Leader of the State House of Assembly has a compelling reason for occupying the political space of Kokona West State Constituency for the past three tenures.
Apart from his diligent chairmanship of both Ad-hoc and standing committees of the House, including committees on public complaint, security and petition, as well as education, the Lawmaker achieved a milestone on Friday, 1st December, 2023, when he was elected unopposed as Speaker of the 7th Assembly.
The accomplishments and experience demonstrated by him during his tenure as the State Number Three Citizen over the last year have been impactful, fruitful, and noteworthy, as evidenced by the realization and sustenance of peace, unity, and stability in the legislative institution, in addition to multiple innovative developments.
Not surprisingly, his colleagues, the parliamentarians, unanimously passed a vote of confidence in his leadership abilities at the peak of his one-year anniversary in office.
Significantly, Speaker Jatau has maintained his position as a champion of peace and unity, guiding the Nasarawa State project with a focus on inclusivity and synergy, devoid of political, tribal, and religious undertones, while ensuring seamless collaboration with the executive arm to drive the state’s progress.
The Speaker of the Nasarawa State Assembly has been honored with several awards, including Nasarawa State Peace Broker, Peace Ambassador, and Most Outstanding Speaker in Nasarawa State, which explains the recognition.
Happily, aside from promoting peace, unity, stability among members and enhanced synergy with the Executive, he has ensured rigorous oversight functions, made laws and passed resolutions that positively impact the lives of the people of the State.
Speaker Jatau has initiated a laudable trend by honoring his financial commitments to his constituency, exemplifying effective representation at the State Assembly within his first year as the State’s preeminent Lawmaker.
Evidently, the Nasarawa State Number one Lawmaker has significantly transformed his constituency by drilling over thirty boreholes across the electoral wards, undertaking constructions and renovations of various schools, and providing employment opportunities for numerous individuals within a short timeframe since assuming office.
In addition to his interventions in the area of electricity supply, where he installed and repaired many transformers in his constituency to boost power supply, he also made donations of several vehicles and motorcycles to groups and individuals, including security personnel, to support their activities.
To mitigate the hardship resulting from the fuel subsidy removal, he has taken steps to support his constituents and the Kokona LG community as a whole, offering food items, cash assistance, and other essential supplies.
Danladi Jatau, who possesses the honorable titles of Garkuwan Eggon World Wide, Magayaki Agwada and Ubangarin Kokona, is undeniably breaking barriers.
Certainly, his purposeful leadership in the State House of Assembly has resulted in peace and development in the State, which is why both parliamentarians and citizens of Nasarawa State are not only happy, but also celebrate him whenever his name is mentioned.
Most notably, the Speaker of the 7th Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Danladi Jatau, has demonstrated an all-encompassing approach, earning him the nickname “DAFA DUKA” among Hausa-speaking individuals, which translates to “he carries everybody along”.
Written by Jibrin Gwamna, Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Nasarawa State House of Assembly.
