By:
David Simon Dzalla
Hong Local Government Area is one of the twenty-one local government areas in Adamawa State.
A 999 SQM (2,588KM2) area of land located 10° 13′ 54′ N, 12° 55’49’E, bounded on the north by Borno State, on the the east by Gombi Local Government Area, on the west by Mubi and Maiha local government areas and on the south by Song Local Government Area.
Hong Local Government Area nick named H-Town has a projected population of 260,900, an annual population growth of 2.7% and population density of 260/SQM (100/KM2). It is occupied by the Kilba Tribe also called Hoba. The districts in the local government area include Dugwaba, Gaya, Hildi, Hong, Kulinyi, Pella, Garaha, and Uba. It is a prominently Christian community estimated to have between 60 and 70% Christians.
The climate of Hong Local Government Area in the Wet Season is oppressive and overcast and partly cloudy during Dry Season. The area is hot all year round. The temperature of Hong Local Government Area typically varies from 59°F (15°C) to 101°F (38°C) and rarely below 54°F(12°C) and above 107°F(42°C).
The indigenes of Hong Local Government Area are very industrious, ingenious and mendable. They love education and are very supportive of their people especially to acquire education.
Hong has become the ‘Little Jerusalem’ of Adamawa State and indeed the North-east Region of Nigeria. With their strong passion for education, Hong Local Government Area can boast of not less than one hundred professors, more than fifty military generals cutting across the army, navy, and air force. Hong can safely be called the land of medical doctors as there is hardly a family in Hong that has no medical doctor. The most interesting is that this ‘Little Nazareth’ called Hong remains the only local government area in the whole of Nigeria that has produced two secretaries to the government of the federation (SGFs), one handing over to the other in the persons of Engr Babachir David Lawal and Barr Boss Gida Mustapha. When some states of the federation have not produced one, Hong has produced two back to back. Indeed, indigenes of Hong Local Government Area making waves in all sectors of the country.
Those, who find themselves in political and other career offices lend helping hands to others to be successful. Once they attain heights especially in politics, they rally their people around them and position them in responsible positions, a situation that has benefitted many indigenes of Hong Local Government Area including Dr Emmanuel Musa.
Dr Emmanuel Musa learning from the antecedents of his forebears has raised the bar of generosity and care for the people even beyond his local government area. The young, industrious, generous and empathetic Emma as he is usually fondly called resolved to positively impact the lives of his people especially the poor and down trodden. As a lover of God and humanity, he does not look back helping in God’s work just as he blesses humanity.
Dr Emmanuel Musa had in 2017 registered an organization with the Corporate Affairs Commission as a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) called Emnamu Foundation. This has been his vehicle for philanthropism. Through the Emnamu Foundation, he has virtually levelled mountains and filled valleys. The lamenting poor of the society have received succour and those, who have come in contact with Dr. Emma have had positive stories to tell.
The stunning difference between Dr Emmanuel Musa and other indigenes of Hong Local Government Area is that while others do their generosity from public funds in political offices and for political reasons, he has clearly stated that he is not doing anything he is trying to do for political reasons as he is neither a politician nor does he intend to get into politics anytime soon.
It is heart warming to note that Dr Emmanuel Musa has done far more empowerment and community development programmes than even a serving senator and indeed legislators, who have constituency allowance for such purposes.
Of a fact, in the history of Northern, no individual especially an individual, who has never held a political position past and present has the track record of generosity comparable to that of Dr Emmanuel Musa, who is not even spending to garner support for the next election as the reluctant politicians do. From the inception of his foundation to date, his empowerment, when monetized, runs into billions of naira.
Early this year, a windstorm raided almost 90% of the villages in Hong Local Government Area. Dr. Emmanuel Musa in his usual manner of doing things, quietly mobilized his team and went with all sorts of building materials including cement, zinc, wood, nails ceiling boards as well as other relieve materials as mattrasses, food stuffs and medical equipment and fixed all the affected houses and gave each household a cash of one thousand naira. It was a huge relieve to the people, who otherwise would find it an uphill task to repair their damaged abodes.
Upon the successful completion of a glorious tenure of office by Most Rev Dr Stephen Dami Mamza, Catholic Bishop of Yola as 5 STAR Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Adamawa State Chapter, Dr Emmanuel Musa decided to organize a special thanksgiving Mass and ceremony in his honour. Besides fully footing all the bills of the event, Dr Musa through his NGO invited 500 special participants, whom he fully dressed in uniforms. At the event, he donated to each of the 500 persons, mattrasses, rice, jerry cans of groundnut oil, packets of seasoning cubes, bags of salt and a purse of N50,000 cash. Even the Central Planning Committee of the event also felt the warmth of Dr. Emmanuel Musa.
So many widows in the state, who have no relationship whatsoever with Dr Emmanuel Musa occasionally play impromptu hosts to him, during which he donated money and material items to them. More than 300 of such individuals and families have had the Emnamu Foundation build and donate houses to them in places like Yola, Mubi, Hong and other parts of the state.
Periodically, Dr. Emmanuel Musa selects minimum of ten pastors and ten imams from the two dominant religions in the state and extends his financial support of N1m to each of them. This he has done on many occasions.
He goes around places of worship especially churches on some special events, where he makes his trademark generous donations of between N1m and N5m to groups such as the choir, youth and women that have impressed him with their performances.
Recently, he attended a thanksgiving at LCCN Shagari, Yola- Town and doled out over N100m at the church in donation to the various groups as the choir, youth, band, Zumunta Mata, the pastor and the church as a whole on a particular Sunday.
The number of people on the payroll of Dr Emmanuel Musa within the state is unquantifiable. Besides his cash and material donations, he is one person that has used his influence to attract employment for countless number of young persons in the state. It may be surprising to note that Dr. Emmanuel Musa at one go had influenced the employment of over 500 youths of Adamawa State into the Nigerian Immigration Service, Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigerian Police Force. A feat even the high ranking politicians of the state have not achieved.
The foundation lobbied for employment of over 4000 into various ministries, departments, and agencies of government.
Not long ago, an incident occurred in the state, when Christians were to embark on pilgrimage to Rome. There was a national shortage of passports. Again Dr Emmanuel Musa exerted his influence on the then Comptroller General of the Nigerian Immigration Service to release part of the Federal Government reserved passports to the tune of 300 pieces to enable the participants travel for that very important spiritual exercise.
Dr. Emmanuel Musa incorporated over 50 companies which made him one of the highest employers of Labour in the North East.
Hong Local Government Area has people, who have excelled in their chosen spheres of human endeavors, but in the field of philanthropism, Dr Emmanuel Musa towers head and shoulders above them all. While they do their generosity with public funds, Dr. Emmanuel Musa does his from the sweat of his hard work in his private enterprise. He has only decided as a faithful Christian to heed the advice of the master to lay one’s treasure in heaven, where moths cannot destroy them, knowing fully well that, he, who gives to the poor lends to God. (Matt 6: 19-21; Prov 19:17) and is capable attracting God’s blessings not just in this life but in the life here after. (Matt 25: 31-46).
David Dzalla is a writer on public affairs and lives in Yola, Adamawa State
God bless Dr. Emmanuel N. Musa.
With people like you Dr,their is still hope of having a better world full of light,and our hope being back to life.