By Oloye Ayodele Samuel
The world was thrown off balance in 2020 and the ripple effect was felt in every part, areas, regions, countries and towns where human beings exist and dwell. Even the most advanced countries in every sphere of human endeavours were caught off balance. It was a year that exposed the frailties and tested human survival skills in the face of a deadly coronavirus pandemic.
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But while many countries, companies, governments and individuals around the world were battling and trying to outswim one another in apparent survival of the fittest pool, there were individuals, iconic in that instance, who stood to be counted in the face of adversity and extend a hand of help to humanity during this global time of need.
Such towering icon was General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma (Retired) who shone and rose to the occasion by donating massively to the fight against coronavirus, with Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), who had been hard hit by the brutal fate of insurgency and terrorism, his main focus in the COVID-19 intervention and donations.
On February 27th, the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Health, confirmed the first positive case of coronavirus in Lagos State after its outbreak in far away Wuhan city, China, in January 2020. The case was an Italian citizen who works in Nigeria and returned to from Milan on 25th of February. He was confirmed by the Virology Laboratory of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital and managed at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, Lagos.
From the Italian man, the virus soon spread like wildfire, a development that forced the apex government to introduced stricter precautionary measures, including total lockdown and movement restrictions, aimed at mitigating the spread of the virus and avoidable loss of lives.
The measures which came with the attendant economic downturn, job losses, rise in domestic violence and health emergencies coupled with hunger, led to rare moments when the TY Danjuma-led Victims Support Fund (VSF), came to the party by setting up a task force on COVID-19 to disburse food and drugs worth billions to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and other vulnerable groups across the country.
The retired general, who is the organisation’s Chairman, said that the VSF Task Force on COVID-19 was necessitated by the need to provide palliative to IDPs and other vulnerable groups across the country, as part of its contribution to national efforts to fight COVID-19.
Before the advent of COVID-19, the VSF, a non-governmental organisation, had impacted lives of IDPs in areas of health, education, foster care for orphaned children, agriculture, women’s economic empowerment as well as the reconstruction of destroyed public infrastructure towards the restoration of civil authority in the North East.
“The intervention became necessary given the global devastation of the coronavirus pandemic and the huge human challenges it poses for the country. As a country, we must all do what we can to ensure that the spread is curtailed.
“The Taskforce will provide one billion Naira worth of medical supplies, food, water and non-food items for IDPs and others, who will face special challenges at this difficult time,” Danjuma said in a statement.
The task force led by Toyosi-Akerele Ogunsuji worked closely with all federal and state government organs and agencies and provided direction and leadership in the fight against COVID-19 for Nigeria, including the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 and all relevant MDAs.
But Danjuma’s philanthropic gesture was not surprising. Because charity begins at home for him. His contribution to COVID-19 response in Nigeria could only be seen as an extension of his numerous contributions to the cause of IDPs and other less privileged persons around the country. For those who are close to and followed the people’s general trajectory, the open secret was that giving back to people, nay Nigeria; always take a pride of place in his final decisions.
When asked about disposition of Danjuma on his philanthropic gesture during an interview with Premium Times, the VSF taskforce chairman, Toyosi, has this to say:
“My very first encounter with him was on the VSF. The privilege of working closely with him in the past six months is one I will cherish for the rest of my life. He is a very seasoned military leader who is now a democrat. He has a penchant for giving; he is concerned for the poor masses. At age 83, he is so connected to people at the grassroots that you would assume he shouldn’t know anything about them.
“This task force is not a recommendation from me or anybody to him; it was his idea to set it up. He called and said people are dying in Italy and the United Kingdom and he is worried that if nothing is done, there can be a coronavirus outbreak in IDP camps and it will be a total disaster. And it was at that instance he set up this taskforce. It is also amazing how respectful he is, even though he is old enough to be my grandfather,” she said of the general.
But who can blame the people’s General? There are some deeds in which profit and loss don’t matter; you just have to do them. Those are the deeds woven in humanity. And he did demonstrate how to be humane when he initiated the setting up of N1bn COVID-19 intervention fund for the fight against the global pandemic in Nigeria.
Was this his first time? No. In December 2018, the general set up the TY Danjuma Foundation. The foundation’s principal aims are to provide durable advantages through the implementation of development programmes. The Foundation operates more as a philanthropic organisation rather than simply as a charity. This allows for the foundation to seek out other deserving causes and NGOs to partner with and make grants available.
The TY Danjuma Foundation seeks to alleviate poverty in communities by providing basic amenities, education for children and young adults while also providing free medical care for indigent people. $500,000 has been given out as grants to NGOs working to relieve suffering in Danjuma’s home state of Taraba.
The TY Danjuma Foundation is currently partnering with over 50 NGOs throughout Nigeria, and with support and cooperation of 36 state governors.
In line with its vision of providing access to quality healthcare delivery, the TY Danjuma Foundation collaborated with Development Africa; a charity and international non-governmental organization to develop a modern, sustainable, and specialized mother and child facility in Takum Local Government, Taraba State.
The project commenced on October 24, 2016, and is situated on a 6-hectare land provided by the Taraba State Government, located opposite Government Day Secondary School along Takum-Lupwe road.
“The foundation is a Nigerian foundation and, as a result, will support initiatives across the country. The rationale for commencing in Taraba was simply to fulfil the adage that ‘charity begins at home’. Now that we have a chief executive on board, we will examine different communities across the country where we can make a difference. My vision is that the foundation will play a pivotal role in building a Nigeria where all citizens have access to quality health care, education and equal opportunities to realise their potentials,” Danjuma said at the TY Danjuma NGO Consultative Meeting in Abuja in 2010.
Only a few generals in this country commands national attention as General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma does. When he talks, people listen and take him seriously. He has been a participant and a key player in major decisions that have shaped this nation. He still commands respect with lots of people believing in him.
Though largely known for his service in the military, Danjuma has also proven to be an astute businessman. He left the military in 1979 and founded his oil firm and a shipping company, NAL-Comet, which now has more than 2,000 employees in Nigeria. He has many other flourishing businesses across the globe.
Born on December 9th, 1938, General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, is a soldier, businessman, politician, and philanthropist, who always managed to combine all of his careers. His native town is Takum in Taraba State.
He was born into the family of Kuru Danjuma, the farmer who was also specialized in metal parts trade for farming purposes, and his wife Rufkatu Asibi. The birth town of Theophilus Danjuma, Takum, was a farming community, where the crops like rice, yams, and cassava were widely cultivated all around the neighbourhood.
Theophilus came from a respectable family – his father was very highly respected in society for being a hardworking and dedicated peasant, and all his ancestors were also very important people in Takum.
The young Theophilus Danjuma started his basic education at the St. Bartholomew’s Primary School, which was situated in Wusasa. Later, he moved on to study at the Benue Provincial Secondary School, located in Katsina-Ala. In this school, he was very popular among his classmates and teachers. He participated in sporting activities and was the captain of the school cricket team.
In 1958, Theophilus received the Higher School Certificate. The young man decided to enrol at the Nigerian College of Arts, Science, and Technology, situated in Zaria (Ahmadu Bello University). In this school, he decided to study History, by also receiving the Northern Nigeria Scholarship. Still, Theophilus Danjuma was forced to leave the university halfway through studies, in 1960. He went on to enrol in the Nigerian Army, where his amazing military career took a start.
On Wednesday, December 9, Danjuma, who is the Abonta of the Kwararafa Kingdom and Gam-Gabaro Donga, will celebrate his 83rd birthday; from all over the world the great legend of Jukun extraction is celebrated and it should be so, as no man can be separated from his shadows.
…Samuel is the Publisher of Taraba Truth and Facts Newspaper
