Barrister Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang was born on March 12th, 1965, in Wussasa, Zaria.
Over the years, his exposure has compelled him to seek answers across known divides in order to establish an enabling atmosphere for peaceful coexistence, while respecting the inherent borders of consanguinity imposed by history, in order to ensure the prosperity of the Plateau’s varied peoples.
He is the former chairman of Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, and also a Barrister Caleb Mutfwang was among the Governorship contestants in Plateau State for the 2023 election, he won the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship primary ticket of the State.
Background And Education
Although born in Zaria, Caleb Mutfwang Esq was privileged to attend the prestigious Boys Secondary School, Gindiri, Plateau state and graduated in the year 1982.
After finishing from Boys Secondary School, Gindiri in 1982, he worked briefly with the then Federal Office of Statistics and the defunct Nigerian Bank for Commerce of Industry (NBCI) before continuing his educational pursuit at the School of Preliminary Studies, Keffi from 1983 to 1984.
He then attended the University of Jos from 1984 to 1988 and the Nigerian Law School from 1988 to 1989, after which he was admitted to the Nigerian Bar as a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court on December 14, 1989.
Caleb Mutfwang Career
From 1990 until 1995, he worked as a private and active lawyer for the Kaduna-based law company BYOMA, ICHABA & CO (FIDELITY CHAMBERS).
On the 21st of March, 1996, he founded Caleb Mutfwang & Co, a firm of legal practitioners registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission.
From 2002 to 2004, he worked as the Deputy General Manager, Legal & Secretarial Services at Peugeot Automobile Nigeria Limited in Kaduna.
From 2003 to 2004, he served as Acting Company Secretary. The Nigerian Bar Association, particularly the Section on Business Law, the International Bar Association, the Christian Lawyers’ Fellowship of Nigeria, the Christian Legal Society of America, and the Nigerian Institute of Management are among the professional bodies to which he belongs.
He’s also a graduate of Hawaii’s famous Haggai Institute for Leadership Development. In addition to serving on the boards of various firms, he provides legal services to individuals, corporations, federal ministries, international agencies, and governments.
Barr Caleb Mutfwang Served the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme in Kaduna State during which he was elected by his colleagues as the President of the Nigerian Christian Corpers’ Fellowship in Kaduna State.
From secondary school to NYSC, he had several leadership positions. Served on the Endowment Fund Committee of the Karl Kumm University formed by the Church of Christ in Nations, among other positions of leadership in the Church and society (COCIN).
Caleb Mutfwang: The Great Politician
In pursuit of this noble objective; to guarantee the prosperity of the diverse peoples on the Plateau, in 2011 he offered to represent the good people of Mangu/Bokkos in the House of Representatives, under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Mutfwang narrowly lost the primary election to the eventual winner, however in furtherance of his belief in politics without bitterness, and in demonstration of team spirit; he actively mobilised resources for the eventual victory of his opponent at the primaries, as well as other PDP candidates in the general elections which enhanced his popularity greatly.
Unsurprisingly, he was literarily called upon by the great people of Mangu Local Government Area in 2014, to run for the office of the Chairman of the Local Government Council; which he overwhelmingly won in all but two of the polling units with an unprecedented vote margin of over 70 thousand votes!
He was elected as the Secretary of the Association of Local Governments (ALGON) in Plateau State, a body that has remained cohesive within the PDP in the State.
On March 10, 2022 in Mangu Local Government Area, he declared his intention to run for the governorship election under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau to provide enduring security that will stabilize the economy of the state for the prosperity of the people.
He encouraged Plateau people to remain united and chase the All Progressives Congress (APC) out of power in Plateau and at the national level in 2023. He noted that the Plateau people will not be disappointed if given the mandate to lead them in 2023 as their governor.
The Plateau PDP had 18 gubernatorial aspirants of which Dr. Timothy Golu, Chief Latep Dabang, Pastor Vincent Nanle, and Mr. Jack Yakubu Pam withdrew from the contest.
Bode Ogunmola, the returning officer who declared the result, claimed that Mr. Mutfwang received 252 votes to win the governorship primary over the other 13 candidates that ran in the election.
Mr. Ogumlnmola made the announcement that Kefas Ropshik received 113 votes and finished in second place. He also noted that 604 delegates were scheduled to take part in the election; however, only 601 of them showed up and cast their votes.
In addition to this, he mentioned that out of the total votes cast, 593 were genuine votes while only eight were invalid votes.
He made the announcement, “Mr. Caleb Mutfwang having scored the highest votes is today declared governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Plateau.” [He] said this because Mr. Mutfwang received the most votes.
According to the results that were revealed, Alfred Damial finished in third place with 92 votes, which was followed by Dauda Gotiring who received 88 votes, and Jonathan Akuns who received 16 votes. Nine people voted for Satu Jewun, while four people voted for Shedrack Best and four people voted for Bagudu Hirse.
On June 22, 2022, Mrs. Josephine Piyo, a grassroots politician is a former Chairperson of Riyom local government area of the State as well as a former lawmaker in the state house of assembly was unveiled as Barr Caleb Mutfwang running mate ahead of the 2023 general elections.
The Achievements (Feats) of Caleb Mutfwang
His term in office was unfairly shortened by the APC-led government after he was elected for a three-year term. Despite this move backward, during his brief term of one year and three months, he was able to accomplish the following:
- Purchased from a source and dispersed over 30 trucks of fertilizer to farmers in polling units, with a subsidy of 40% off the market price;
- Over 30 law school students received allowances, and one impoverished Mangu LGA law school student received full tuition;
- Assisted a number of others, including Mangu LGA extraction PhD students.
- Long vacation lessons were organized for Mangu LGA SSCE students.
- Backlog of worker leave and study allowances has been cleared;
- About 50 kilometers of rural roads were graded;
- 12 youngsters were sponsored to attend the Peugeot Training School with the goal of establishing a modern mechanic village in Mangu;
- Several women and girls were sponsored for skill acquisition training in Mangu and Jos.
- The LGA’s Chairman’s Guest House was remodeled;
- Within Mangu town, I was in charge of supervising and ensuring the completion of a 5-kilometer road network;
- Transformers were purchased to improve rural energy supply to several locations;
- Planned and hired consultants for the construction of a new ultra-modern agro-allied market in Mangu as part of a public-private partnership;
- Contractors have been selected and mobilized for the construction of a one-thousand-seat multi-functional theater in Mangu town.
- Initiated proposals for the Mangu and Panyam Districts’ Town Planning Surveys.
Personal Life
Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang Esq. is married to Helen and together they have three children Timothy, Nanbam, and Enoch.
Helen Mutfwang; formally Helen Ingbo Goldie, was born in Port Harcourt, Rivers State; to John & Juliet Goldie in 1967. She hails from Brass LGA, Bayelsa State, and first made her way up North to Kaduna in 1991; for her youth service under the NYSC Scheme after she had finished her Law School in Lagos State.
She would eventually meet Caleb in Kaduna; who as stated earlier was mandated to serve in Kaduna as well. They got married on the 13th of February, 1993, a true testament to the NYSC’s development of common ties among the youths of Nigeria; and promotion of national unity, irrespective of cultural or social background.
From secondary school to NYSC, he had several leadership positions. Served on the Endowment Fund Committee of the Karl Kumm University formed by the Church of Christ in Nations, among other positions of leadership in the Church and society (COCIN) where he worships.
Having lived outside Plateau State for a good part of his life, mostly in Kaduna State; life has taught him to appreciate the dynamics of living in a multicultural environment with the attendant challenges of managing religious and ethnic fault lines.
Over the years, this exposure has constrained him to seek solutions to these divides, in order to provide the enabling environment for mutual co-existence; while recognizing the natural boundaries of consanguinity created by history, so as to guarantee the prosperity of the diverse peoples on the Plateau, who are dear to his heart.
Barrister Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang is well-known as a committed Christian who loves humanity. He is clear-minded, credible, and capable of leading the process to raise the bar in governance; and thereby raising Plateau to a new citadel of glory, in line with our collective dreams of a peaceful and prosperous Plateau.
Website: calebmutfwang.carbonmade.com
Read Also: The Biography of Dr. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda
