The history of Nigeria’s politics is never complete without Senator Ibrahim Nasir Mantu CFR, former Deputy Senate President (2001-2007).

Senator Ibrahim Nasiru Mantu was born in Chanso village, Gindiri District, Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State on February 16, 1947. He attended the Gindiri Demonstration Primary School from 1955 – 1961 and obtained the First School Leaving Certificate. He worked with the Public Works Department (PWD) Jos, as a Stores Requisition Clerk from 1962 – 1963 before proceeding to the Gindiri Teachers College in 1964. On leaving Gindiri in 1967, he joined the Nigerian Tobacco Company Zaria in 1968 as a Quality Checker. He moved to BEAM, a Division of UAC Nigeria as a Kalamazoo Specialist Salesman in 1971.

Mantu studied on his own to obtain O’ level GCE and Diploma in Professional Salesmanship which facilitated his movement to John Holt Ltd. in 1973 as a Trainee-Manager. He was later confirmed as a substantive Manager. In 1976 Mantu became the General Manager of John Holt Ltd, Maiduguri Venture. In 1977 he was promoted and transferred to Lagos as Deputy General Manager, Building Materials Division, John Holt Ltd. He resigned in mid 1977 to join Plateau State Supply Company Ltd as its first Commercial Manager.

Mantu holds a B.A. (Hons.) degree in Political Science from the Washington International University. He was awarded Honourary Doctorate Degrees of Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, University of Jos, Madonna University, Okija and University of Applied Sciences and Management Port Novo, Benin Republic.

Senator Mantu joined politics in 1978. He was elected Deputy State Chairman of NPN in Plateau State in 1980. He was a founding member of the Liberal Convention. Mantu’s overwhelming popularity saw him contesting the National Chairmanship of the N.R.C. in 1990 but was edged out in a surreptitious power play. In 1993, Mantu was the Director General of National Republican Convention Presidential Campaign Organisation. In 1998, he was elected the National Publicity Secretary of the defunct UNCP and was later elected Senator on the platform of the same party. This election was truncated by General Abdusalam Abubakar’s regime. In 1999, Mantu was re-elected in a fresh contest as Senator representing Plateau Central Senatorial district on the platform of the PDP.

On inauguration in 1999, Mantu was appointed Chairman Senate Committee on Information, the position he held till August 10, 2001, when he was elected Deputy President of the Senate. He was appointed Chairman, Joint National Assembly Constitution Review Committee from 2001 to 2003 and 2003 to 2007 respectively.

He was Chairman of Policy Analysis and Research Project (PARP) which metamorphosed into National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS). Though a Legislator, Mantu handled so many executive assignments. Prominent among these were his appointment by President Obasanjo as Amirul Hajj twice (2005 and 2006) and Chairman Palliative Consolidated Committee for Cushioning Measures, the position he used to stop the planned “mother of all strikes” by the Nigeria Labour Congress. He is a member of the Board of Trustees (BOT) and National Executive Committee (NEC) of the PDP.

Mantu was the Chairman of the Elders Advisory Council of Goodluck Support Group and PDP Project Reloaded. He is Patron and Chairman of so many Governing Councils of Public and Political Institutions. He has received over twenty chieftaincy titles from highly placed traditional rulers across the country. He was a delegate representing the North-Central Zone at the 2014 National Conference.

Mantu died in the early hours of today.

May Allah bless and have mercy on his soul.

• Mallam Jamilu Ja’afaru

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Life and Times of Sen. Ibrahim Nasiru Mantu, CFR (February 16th 1947-17th August, 2021) by Mallam Jamilu Ja’afaru