By Fenny Fwa-Yola
On behalf of myself, my family and the entire good people of mbula chiefdom, I wish to express our profound gratitude and appreciation to God Almighty who by his special grace has made it possible for His Royal Highness Murum Mbula, Dr Joram Joel Fwa to cloak 80 years today. Today our dear father, brother, uncle has joined the club of octogenarians.
After his late European wife, I think I’m the most qualified to say something on his birthday because i have been part and parcel of his life story for almost 55 years since he picked me at the age of 5 years in 1963 after returning from UK and was posted to sokoto as classroom teacher.
The first sign of greatness of this man I noticed was in 1964 when sir Ahmadu Bello the premier of Northern Nigeria in company of late Macido his bosom friend who later became His eminence the Sultan of Sokoto visited our house in sokoto, a two room apartment. Although I was not wise enough to know what was happening, but I was later in life briefed by my brother that the late macido whose younger brothers were schooling where he was an ordinary teacher were full of praises of for his teaching prowess. He eventuality got to know him and since then they became close friends and when Macido became the sultan of sokoto he made him the Secretary of the forum of Emirs and chiefs of Northern Nigeria, while the sultan was the chairman. Macido had promised my brother that one day he would bring Sardauna to his house and he did fulfill his promise. The Sardauna told my brother that he had heard about his competence and promised to make him a principal very soon and just a few months later he was promoted principal and posted to craft school, Numan and few years later he became the principal of the famous Gombe Teachers college and by 1969 he proceeded to USA for further studies.
When he came back he was posted to the Headquarters of the then North East as Deputy chief Inspector of Education. He made another excellent impression that made the then late Brigadier General musa Usman to notice him . He had presented a paper on the system of education in north which placed not much emphasis on technical education. He mooted the idea of comprehensive education and that was what gave birth to comprehensive secondary schools. He went further by suggesting the establishment of Technical college in Maiduguri because the only Technical college in the north was in Bukuru, jos, plateau state in the entire Northern states. The then North East adopted all his proposals, but late Governor Musa Usman insisted he must pioneer the establishment of Technical college Maiduguri which he did. Now Ramat polytechnic, it was well established with fantastic buildings, beautiful scenery, well equipped with machines that were even meant for faculties of Engineering in universities. The college was a beauty to behold with Governor Musa Usman regularly visiting the College. I was schooling in the now Government college, Maiduguri, a stone throw from the Technical college and also staying in the principal’s house during holidays and therefore an eye witness of the success story of the magnificent Technical college.
With creation of Gongola state, it took him just two years to become a permanent secretary. In 1986 he made a very rare decision which was not common. He called me in his house told me I should tell him three reasons why he shouldn’t resign after he had typed his resignation because he said at that stage of his career, he couldn’t stomach being tossed around. He felt he was shortchanged for not being appointed as Secretary of Government being the most senior permanent and that they had to bring somebody outside the service to Lord it over them and on top of that he was being harassed. Despite having 10 more years to serve, he just resigned and started private life.
He was again called to serve as the Chairman of Gongola stats civil service Commission and thereafter briefly joined the fray of politics and was the state Chairman of the defunct social Democratic Party of Adamawa state.
His services to his people of mbula nationality was more felt when he was out of the service. He was able to influence the electrification of mbula, Tahau and Borrong settlements in our chiefdom in 1988. It happened when Egr sincupta, an Indian whom he brought to Nigeria when he recruited him as a staff for the then Technical college, Maiduguri became the chief Electrician of Gongola state Electrician board. When Gongola was created in 1976, my brother made sure he was posted to our new state. It was him that incorporated the request of the Electrician of the villages mentioned. HRH also got some of his boys at the state water board to get the Borrong water supply scheme executed. Before then his blossom friend late Ali Baba who was the minister in the second republic who called and asked him to indicate a place where one borehole will be sited in our land. He didn’t hesitate to mention Mbula kuli and in no time a large borehole was constructed in the village in 1983, first of its kind in our chiefdom.
As a businessman, he made a success in investing in education with the establishment of Concordia College which became one of the best private schools in North East region. He used his school to provide scholarship to best pupils from primary school in mbula chiefdom. His exploits in education was noticed by Boni Haruna administration thereby appointing him as the chancellor of Adamawa state university, Mubi.
HRH also veered in hospitality business with the establishment of Duragi hotel, adjudged as one of the best hotels in the Yola, most of the time fully booked by Guests both within and outside the state.
As a paramount ruler of our chiefdom, he did well being a reference point in council of Emirs and chiefs and always in the vanguard of promoting political, economic and social uplifting of the mbula chiefdom.
Ladies and Gentlemen I present to you a celebrity, a legend, an icon who has made the mbula chiefdom proud in particular and the nation at large. Congrats HRH Dr JJ Fwa on this unique occasion of joining the octogenarian club. It’s our earnest prayers that our Lord healing power will touch him so that he will recover from his ailment and be strong again to continue to serve his people.
Fenny Fwa writes from Yola
Former Perm Sec,Ministry of Information
