The North-Eastern part of Nigeria, particularly, Borno State, is synonymous with many unpleasant tales in recent time. The nucleus of the narratives has been insurgency. Other elements that make it every traveller’s nightmare include sporadic communal violence, kidnapping, poverty, poor health care facilities, amongst others. The local and foreign media had been accused of creating unnecessary sensation and distorting public perception of the zone. Despite all the negative views from North-East Nigeria, there is one individual that whose life spells good tidings for all, thereby changing the plot in the narrative. She is Yadoma Mandara.

She was ushered into national limelight when she was nominated as one of the delegates at the National conference. Young Mandara who hails from Borno, is a product of a privileged background as the daughter the Zanna Dujima of Borno State, Alhaji (Dr) Zannah Bujar Mandara. Nonetheless, she is generally described as a strong, vocal, passionate and humble Nigerian.

As one of the representatives of Nigerian youths at the just-concluded conference, her expertise in environmental issues played a crucial role in the decision-making process. She served as the Vice Chairman, Committee on Environment, with record of valuable contribution. Although girl-child education is generally taken with a pinch of salt where she grew up, Mandara was in no way caught in the middle. She graduated from the University of Maiduguri where she studied Environmental Biology.

Close associates and friends of her family claim that she inherited her incredibly large heart from her father. This is evident in her philanthropy. Currently, she is impacting on the lives of many Nigerians through her foundation. She is the chairperson of the Yadoma and Bukar Foundation which was established to assist those affected by the violence in the North East especially in Borno. The foundation serves as the voice for the voiceless, that is, the vulnerable in tumultuous periods including orphans and widows who face the struggle of surviving under harsh socio-political terrain. Yadoma’s unparalled drive and commitment to service earned her both the state and national awards during the one-year mandatory youth service in Kaduna.

One of the highlights of her participation at the national conference was where she and other delegates voiced their opinions on youth and government engagement. Those were later said to have been articulated into the recommendations made by the committee on civil society, labour, youth and sports to the national conference.

Also noteworthy is the proposal made by her and five others delegates on the creation of a national job creation agency, a youth development fund amongst others, targeting the unemployment problem for both graduates and youths that are out of school. It was well-received by most delegates. She also recommended the reduction in the age limit of people participating in politics. It was not accepted by the larger house but that as she said was not deterring her from pushing the agendum forward. “Not like we’re gonna give up,” she reportedly stated on her blog.

Recently, Yadoma was in the tabloids, where she shared her concerns about the argument on derivation, the move for its increase as well as the creation of more states. Her views represent the opinion of most young Nigerians especially those in the Niger-Delta as she suggested that a fund for the communities ravaged by exploration and exploitation be created for the benefit of the poor people. The young amazon had also decried the alienation of these affected people despite the creation of the Ministry of Niger Delta and the Niger Delta Development Commission. Yadoma is of the view that investing in youths is far more a virtue than investing in personal purses at the expense of public good.

On the issue of states creation, she argued that it would not benefit poor people directly, adding that some elites were merely looking for avenues to pocket more monies.

Her contribution to the national conference once again proved that young Nigerians are articulate, forthright and visionary and many see her as a beacon of hope for Nigerian youths. It is no gainsaying that her role in nation building is a proof that educating a girl child is a necessity for every family. Undoubtedly, she is a role model to Nigerian youths, women especially the entire people of Northeast Nigeria.

Piece courtesy Samesa Igirigi for Nigeria Rising http://nigeriarising.net/society/nigerian-icon/yadoma-mandara-northern-nigerias-silver-lining/