OPINION: Dantsoho’s Charitable Practice

Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State, went into jubilation on Saturday, 27th September 2025, as a milestone in community health delivery commenced. A high-impact free medical outreach, sponsored by Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, the Marafan Muri, and the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, was officially launched with ceremonies that highlighted the importance of accessible healthcare for a population deserving of such a noble gesture. The event drew beneficiaries from all over Jalingo. Public health professionals, community leaders, and political figures converged on Sintali Ward to witness a wonderful demonstration of philanthropy.

The occasion came at an opportune moment because across the globe, families grapple with the haunting realities of volatile costs of living and escalating prices of essential medicines, driven in part by fluctuations in production costs, supply chain disruptions, and currency volatilities. Within this hardship, the outreach offered a timely buffer that delivered a package of complimentary health services that addressed immediate health needs.

The programme featured comprehensive free medical consultations, diagnostic tests, and medications; health counselling; free antenatal services for pregnant women; and the distribution of mosquito nets. The intervention was timely and a strategic response to the immediate healthcare needs of the people, particularly in communities where access to routine medical care has been intermittent or financially prohibitive. By reducing out-of-pocket costs for essential services on a targeted scale, the outreach alleviated the immediate burden on households.

This strategy will continue to portray the Tinubu administration in a good light since his appointees, like Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, are servicing the grassroots directly, making the administration’s human sympathy felt at the lowest rung of the ladder. It is also an effort that complements the efforts of the Taraba State government.

Dignitaries at the occasion included Honourable Commissioners and Special Advisers. Prominent among them were Hon. Commissioner Musleem Aruwa, the Chairman of Jalingo Local Government Council; Alhaji Aminu Hassan, who also serves as the Taraba State Chairman of ALGON (Association of Local Governments of Nigeria); the District Head of Jalingo, Alhaji Lamido Abba Tukur; and the Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre, Jalingo, Dr Aisha Shehu Adamu. Also present were the Jalingo local government chairmanship candidate of the PDP in the forthcoming local government election in Taraba State, Hon. Nura Dantsoho; the former chairman of Jalingo Local Government, Hon. Nasiru Bobboji; former Honourable member of the State Assembly, Alh. Saleh Sa’ad and Sintali Muri.

Speaker after speaker thanked the Marafan Muri for giving back to his community, noting that such prominent citizens must pursue this path.
They suggested the necessity of sustaining such health outreach and integrating it with existing public health programmes in the state. The speakers further eulogised the efforts of Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, who, true to type, has long been involved in humanitarian gestures that address the needs of the most vulnerable. His quiet, steadfast work has traversed through many homes, silently impacting lives and building trust within communities. The testimonials and reflections presented by health workers and beneficiaries alike conveyed a picture of Dr Dantsoho as an individual who was born into philanthropy.

Who, then, is Abubakar Dantsoho? Born into an industrious and respected family, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho is the Marafan Muri and the fourth child of the late Alhaji Mahmud Dantsoho, whose memory remains a guiding force in local philanthropic circles. His father, the late Alhaji Dantsoho, was renowned for sponsoring numerous children in Jalingo to pursue formal education; he mentored prominent businessmen, distributed foodstuffs freely, and handled medical bills for many households during his era. He left a legacy of service and philanthropy that his offspring have sustained, creating a durable inheritance of social responsibility and community service. The expansive footprint of his family’s generosity has proven to be a large and influential standard towards which Dr Abubakar Dantsoho continues to strive.

All his life, the Marafan Muri has also demonstrated a commitment to people, especially those who are less privileged. He has consistently offered his resources, networks, and influences to promote the welfare of others. His sustained engagement with help seekers and the elderly in society has endeared him to people. This remarkable feat serves as a culmination of Dr Dantsoho’s longstanding efforts and will also surely serve as a template for other prominent sons and daughters of Taraba to adopt to support government efforts in providing succour to the state’s needy population.

The ordeal of families contending with rising costs is not resolved by a single intervention; rather, it is addressed through a continuum of care, community engagement, and sustained investment. Dr Abubakar Dantsoho has charted a path forward, and the hope is that such initiatives will encourage other influential citizens and equally inspire future generations to serve with dignity and consideration.

– Umar, a public affairs commentator, wrote this piece from No. 3, Kadi Babajo Street, GRA, Jaligo, Taraba.

Disclaimer: This article is entirely the opinion of the writer and does not represent the views of The Whistler.