Iconic vet Dr Junaidu Maina @70
One of Nigeria’s foremost veterinary doctors, Dr Junaidu Ahmed Maina, will be 70 years old tomorrow, October 2. Our beloved father, our mentor, our role model, our pride, our vanguard and our bedrock was born into a humble nuclear family of five in Tudun Wada, Gusau in present Zamfara State. This second son of his family, all of them boys, grew up to become a father of five girls.
Having been brought up without a sister, our dear father still managed to find a deep understanding of females. He understood his girls very well and knew exactly what was best for them. He gave us his all: love, care, time, wealth, education and exposure and prepared us well for the challenges of adult life. He never held back because we are girls. We had the best of childhood.
Baba made sure that we lacked nothing while growing up. He invested in our studies and ensured that we attended good schools. He took it upon himself to travel with us every December for a vacation in or outside the country. Those moments we continue to cherish and will remain forever fresh in our memory.
Baba, how did you manage to do that? Moving around with 4 to 5 kids of ages between 1-10 years? It couldn’t have been an easy ride for you. We bet many fathers would rather send the kids with their Mom than to partake in such a party!! In Baba’s typical way of pacifying others even where he deserved pacifying, he kept reassuring our Mom that the absence of a male child in the family was of no concern to him. He would say, “I am really grateful to Allah for my daughters. I am proud of them. I am not missing anything by not having a son.”
Baba often makes a joke of not having a son by saying, “Only great leaders have allfemale children. I am great by this standard.” It is hard to find his type: thoughtful, unselfish, humble, unique, charming, and honest to a fault! Also down to earth, modest, amicable, a caring family man, a great leader and a professional to the core. Baba is a complete embodiment of goodness and positivity and we are the proud seeds of such a magnificent tree.
Baba’s relationship with each of us is unique, his love unrivaled, his care and concern over our affairs unprecedented. He is always there for us. Whenever any one of us was in distress, Baba would be most affected. In later years when we realized this, we came to the decision to only share our problems with him after they have been resolved.
His relationship with our Mom is unparalleled. We grew up seeing them as friends, each other’s adviser, helper, comforter and admirer. Baba wants the best of everything for Mama. He wants the best of everything for her and makes a lot of sacrifices just to ensure that she reaches her full potential. He encourages her in her pursuit of knowledge. Theirs is a beautiful and strong bond! We sometimes asked ourselves ‘do these two people ever quarrel?’ As we always see them together in joyful mood; always teasing each other. Their chemistry and the peaceful atmosphere they created within our home made all of us to aspire to have such a wonderful relationship and peaceful homes when we grow up. Thus, the search for Baba in every suitor began and what a long search it was! Alhamdulillah three of us are now happily married; we found a part of our dear idol in each of our spouses.
To celebrate Baba without giving his second love a good mention is akin to overlooking ‘the beautiful icing on a tasty cake’. next to the love of his family is his unwavering devotion to the veterinary profession. Their love story began in 1971 when he secured a Hungarian Government scholarship to study Veterinary Medicine at Szeny Istvàn University in Budapest. the opportunity was nearly lost due to poor communication and transportation systems at that time. After six years in Hungary, Junaidu Maina transformed into Dr. Junaidu Maina, a Veterinarian who would transverse various fields of the livestock sector at different levels. Baba served in numerous organizations as a livestock researcher, livestock project manager, administrator, technical advisor and consultant. He sits on the chair as well as member of numerous boards and committees of elite international livestock organizations including those of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO.
Baba’s passion for livestock development is remarkable. He is ever ready to contribute his quota towards moving the livestock sector forward. He is always on the move participating in conferences, workshops and meetings. He made numerous write-ups, interviews and television appearances on the issues of farmer-herders clashes, cattle rustling and livestock transformation in general. He is at all times current on livestock development and management programs around the globe. It baffles us how at this age he accurately quotes figures, current statistics and dates of events related to livestock! He loves sharing such information! Our Mom would always say, if you are in a hurry, don’t ask Baba anything about livestock because you will spend half the day listening to in-depth SWOT analysis of the Nigerian livestock sector!
Baba is a born leader and a mentor to the younger generation. meet Baba for 30 minutes and you will leave with a lesson for life. He leaves an indelible mark. Baba, you may be seventy years old today but you have the body, soul, intellect and the stamina of a human being in his prime! Happy 70th birthday, dear Babababa! Continue to soar, our iconic Veterinarian!!