Barrister Abdul and wife, flanked by wife, friends and family members
Barrister Yusuf Ibrahim Abdul has described his 60 years anniversary as memorable and fulfilment as his parents lost sixteen of his senior sibblings before their ten or fifteen years anniversary.
Barrister Abdul disclosed this while fielding questions from Journalists on the sidelines of his 60 years celebration held at the Zara Gardens on New year day in Lokoja.
The celebrant who is a lawyer, Human rights activist and promoter of NGOs, said having attained the 60 years mark amidst childhood challenges, made him to call network of friends for the celebration .
He noted that it was the mercy of God that made him and his elder brother to have survived up to sixty years, adding that if his dead siblings were to resurrect, there would be commotion of Joy for his life.
He said the story of his parents was pathetic as his male children wouldn’t celebrate their tenth year anniversary while the females may lived up to fifteen years and died , saying he is eternally grateful to God to have kept him thus far.
Barrister Abdul while reminiscening the childhood life , said life was tough for the parents that he was born on the farm, with only a bicycle as an asset, however the fingers of God on his life, saw him through schools to became a lawyer, with Masters and PHD.
He commended his wife and children for being the pillar of support for him to attain this age of fulfillment, saying behind every successful man there is a good wife.
He said at 60 from a family that male children wouldn’t last more than 10 years , without a silver spoon, counted himself a blessed child that rose to establish organisation that employs over 40 staff and NGO that controls over one million people.
Barrister Abdul, who has vast interest in Tax Administration and Real Estate said, his book” Through Helps to Heaven” would soon be launched , stressing that the book is an appreciation of where he is now from where he was coming from on the journey of life.
He added that he is committed to wiping the pains of the poor and vulnerable who would go to bed on empty stomach, adding that he has ventured into the area of providing food for the people.
He said because of his life journey, he has to set up an NGO known as Millennium Development Farmers Association, with a network called One Landlord, five hundred tenants to drive agricultural revolution.
According to him” we are in linkages with food organisations that are willing to give us technology that will drive Agriculture seamlessly. We want to make agriculture attractive to the people through application of modern technology.
” The reasons our youths are not embracing Agriculture is because it is archaic and energy sapping. As i launched into my 60′ im going to commit remaining portion of my life into driving the NGO in order to make my generation and those after us to embrace agriculture.
” We keep talking about literacy campaign, but you cant remove illiteracy until you understand the root causes of of it. One of the causes is Child Bread Winner.
We have children who are the bread winner of their families. They have to go to hawk before their parents can feed. How do you remove such a child from the street to school without taking care of the feeding of the parents. We have recognised this and our center is working had to provide source of livelihood to families.” He disclosed.
On the issue of tax burden on the people, he lamented that the tax regime in Nigeria is against the poor saying it is only the civil servant with traced salaries that are faithful in paying tax which is deducted at source.
He described tax administration in Nigeria as regressive in which it takes more from the poor than the rich, saying government should reverse the trend to Progressive tax regime to take more from the rich than the poor.
He called on the government to invest in functional education as a means of reducing poverty and creating jobs for the teeming youths.