A Call to Service for Hon Pam Bot-Mang

Matthew Chong writes that Plateau APC Deputy Governorship candidate, Hon Pam Bot-mang, has passion to serve the state

At first glance, the Plateau State All Progressives’ Congress (APC) deputy gubernatorial candidate, Hon Pam Bot-Mang, is the quintessential public servant and current Commissioner for Works, overseeing several infrastructural projects for this administration. Unknown to many is that this  easy-going administrator-cum-politician is thorough and private sector driven in his work approach, bringing to his potential role over 20 years of practical working knowledge with diverse and cross-cultural teams, experience as a proficient shipping and logistics expert.

As a businessman, Hon Bot-Mang, affectionately known as PBM, assured the feasibility of multimillion-dollar long-term shipping portfolio transactions.

Before entering politics, which he considers a patriotic and privileged call to serve his people, and at the behest of  Hon. Simon BakoLalong, Governor of Plateau state and Chairman Northern Governors’ Forum, PBM owned and managed many businesses in maritime, construction, and agriculture, providing shipping services, logistics services, and best practises for SMEs, multinationals, and global businesses. PBM also consulted with multinational company executives. He was a pivotal contributor to the Nigerian shipping’s global best practises.

In the private sector, he was the ideal boardroom maestro respected within his domestic and international networks. PBM has the canny ability to turn unhealthy portfolios into thriving ones by ensuring that all objectives are met for the greater good. He has instilled these traits in his colleagues at the Ministry of Works, which has created lasting effects for the government and people of Plateau state despite the ministry’smeagre funding, earning him the moniker Bulldozer. He’s been praised for revitalising the Ministry’s structured work culture.

Aside his role as the Commissioner for Works, Hon. Pam has served selflessly in key policy committees of this administration, including: Member, PLSG Committee on State Policies, Programs & Projects April – May 2019, Policies, Programs & Projects Review (May 2015 – May 2019),Preparation& Submission of State Government Blueprint (May 2019 – May 2023); Member, PLSG Sub-Committee on State Projects review April – May 2019, Projects Review (May 2015 – May 2019), Preparation & Submission of State Govt Blueprint (May 2019 – May 2023).

Hon. PBM’s sojourn in the private sector started when he cut his teeth from 1998-2002 as a Commercial Officer, then Commercial Manager and finally hard work got him promoted to General Manager at Hamstang Limited Lagos, Nigeria.

A shipping and logistics service provider, ship owners’ representative, maritime broker, vessel management, provision of supplies and bunkers to vessels and crew management.

Our APC deputy gubernatorial candidate has an enviable academic background. He attended the renowned Fatima Private School in Jos for his first school leaving certificate in 1984, after which he proceeded to the prestigious Boys’ Secondary School (BSS) in Gindiri, Plateau state, where he passed his WAEC/SSCE with distinction in 1990. With one of the best SSCE scores in Plateau state at the time, he gained admission to (the once highly regarded) Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, where he studied to become a licenced Aircraft Maintenance Engineer, but this was after completing diploma in banking and finance at the University of Jos in 1992. However, destiny beckoned him to the Shipping industry instead.

As a lifelong learner, he desired more. So, he received a B.Sc. in Management and Law from the University of London, United Kingdom and a 2nd class Upper LLB Law degree from the University of Buckingham, United Kingdom. He also got professional certifications. In 2009, he completed the Developing Leadership Competencies Program at one of the most prestigious institutions in Europe, Cranfield University-United Kingdom, and that same year became an alumnus of Lagos Business School, Nigeria.

Politically, he is a member/stakeholder of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Giring, Jos-South LGC.

Hon Bot-Mang is a devout Catholic whose unwavering dedication to the advancement of the church and its activities are too many to mention. Other denominations have attested to this fact in different fora in Plateau state. This is a proud spiritual legacy that he frequently credits to his parents and to which he has upheld.

Though he is extremely private about this, his philanthropy is well-known throughout the state and beyond. His famous generosity has benefited indigent students, widows, orphans, people with disabilities, among others. Over the years, he has constantly drilled boreholes in distant settlements, linked whole communities to the grid, and supported community initiatives with wide-reaching benefits throughout Plateau state. His belief? Community empowerment outweighs individual empowerment. In retrospect, two events that readily come to mind mainly because of how emotional they were was when the School for the Blind’s management, students and their families in Zawan Plateau State honoured PBM for paying their overdue energy bills of over six years which ran into thousands of naira and also get reconnected. This is in addition to drilling a borehole for them and supplying food, toiletries, and beverages for boarding students. This significantly boosted their lives and their families’ livelihoods. The second was his outstanding role in mobilising his friends and business partners across and well beyond Nigeria to support to the welfare and misfortune of IDPs, who were survivors of the infamous July 2018 BarkinLadi/Riyom massacre temporarily camped at Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS) Building in Anguldi, Jos-South LGA, his immediate constituency. His humanitarian disposition believed this burden could not be left to the government hence his intervention.

Youth in the state recognise PBM as a mentor who cultivates young and potential professionals, leaders, and men owing to his unwavering commitment to education, knowledge, and continual development of young people through his personal youth empowerment activities to become productive Plateau citizens. He often encourages youth on the virtues of self-development and preparedness as they form the critical foundation for a better Nigeria. This informed the euphoric uproar and ovation amongst youths upon his nomination as APC deputy gubernatorial flagbearer.

His guiding philosophy remains, ‘it is better to teach someone how to catch fish to feed their community than to continually distribute fish (tokens), which restricts collective progress’. Several of his Plateau young mentees (and a few out of state) are now captains in the maritime and shipping business, pilots, physicians, engineers, military officials, telecommunications top executives, and yours sincerely.

I am honoured to be one of the four law students he supported in 2014. I must emphasise that PBM financed our tuition and living expenses without fanfare and photo-ops for public validation. He has always been against publicising philanthropy for social credit. Instead, as recompense, he has given us each the responsibility of personally extending this “grace” to others in our various communities. In addition, fate has given us the opportunity today to prove to the world that Dr. NantaweYilwatda, the leader of Generation Next 2023, made the right decision because a goldfish has no hiding place.

In most cases, we were recommendations without personal or business links. In fact, a few of us have never met him face-to-face, which is implausible but truth! Although we hail from diverse geographical, cultural, and religious backgrounds of Plateau state, His detribalized demeanour made these unimportant. His unflinching belief is that effort hard work pays as long as your quality result is merited. Since 2014, law school graduates have joined our small but burgeoning PBM mentees’ club. Funding and educating a single Nigerian law school student is a significant undertaking much alone a few, year after year. This altruistic effort does not cover a fraction of the numerous low-income employment he offered has been providing for young people in Plateau state who lacked the requisite skills and education.

We believe PBM brings quality experience, an unwavering desire to create more value and support our leader through his enthusiasm, technical expertise, empathy, intense dedication to duty, loyalty and be a dependable ally to Dr. NantaweYilwatda, our APC gubernatorial candidate in Plateau State and leader of Generation Next 2023 in transforming Plateau into a model state.

By the grace of God, from whom all good things come, we are optimistic that the synergy and energy of this dynamic duo will safeguard and elevate Plateau to enviable heights as we participate in issue-based campaigns free of rancour, character assassination, and backbiting in 2023.

-Chong wrote from Jos, Plateau State