When the roll of honourees was called at this year’s The Voice Achievers Award in London, the name Rt. Hon. Naanlong Gapyil Daniel resonated beyond ceremony. Officially conferred with the African Political Figure Award, the Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly was celebrated in terms that his admirers say best captures him — an African Political Hero.
Rt. Hon. Naanlong Gapyil Daniel (Speaker, Plateau State House of Assembly)
Organised by The Voice magazine, a Netherlands-based Pan-African organisation hosting its this year’s international awards in London, the platform recognises Africans advancing leadership, economic empowerment and diplomacy, and with the honour Rt. Hon. Naanlong joins an elite league of continental trailblazers celebrated for selfless service to Africa’s advancement, including Zambia’s late founding President Dr. Kenneth Kaunda for historic Pan-African leadership; former Kenyan Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga, Icon of Democracy; Nigeria’s Rt. Hon. Sir Samuel Ifeanyichukwu Onuigbo, 2025 African Impact Excellence Award; former Anambra Governor Peter Obi, Personality of the Year; Banjul Mayor Rohey Malick Lowe, African Woman of the Year; Kenyan Governors Gladys Wanga and Wavinya Ndeti for excellence in public administration; cross-border political figures Kalonzo Musyoka and Lindiwe Sisulu; former ICC Chief Prosecutor and Gambian High Commissioner to the UK, H.E. Fatou Bensouda, honoured in 2012; Rwanda’s First Lady H.E. Jeannette Kagame, honoured in 2017 for her humanitarian legacy; and Sierra Leone’s First Lady Dr. Fatima Maada Bio, African Woman of the Year 2022 for her advocacy for women and girls.
Rt. Hon. Naanlong Gapyil Daniel (Speaker, Plateau State House of Assembly)
For Daniel, who represents Mikang State Constituency, the recognition is a validation of a legislative career defined by stability and consensus.
His emergence as Speaker in July 2025 is often cited as his defining political moment. At a time when the Plateau Assembly was fractured by intense zoning tensions and legislative deadlock, Daniel emerged as the unanimous consensus candidate. His elevation was not accidental; it was deliberately engineered to satisfy the delicate power-sharing balance among Plateau’s three senatorial districts, restoring equity and dousing a potentially explosive crisis. Colleagues and analysts have since described him as a stabilizing force — a presiding officer who bridged partisan divides, guaranteed regular and productive sittings, and replaced the familiar Executive-Legislature friction with synergy under Governor Caleb Mutfwang.
That capacity for leadership was honed long before the gavel. As Majority Leader in the 9th Assembly, Daniel earned a reputation for legislative prudence, rigorous oversight and democratic diligence. Under his Speakership, observers note, the House has deepened public trust in parliament while maintaining its oversight mandate.
Rt. Hon. Naanlong Gapyil Daniel (Speaker, Plateau State House of Assembly)
Perhaps the strongest argument for the London honour lies at home. In Mikang, Daniel’s grassroots appeal has defied political convention. Recently, stakeholders and youth groups from across the Local Government Area staged massive rallies endorsing him for a historic fourth term in 2027 — with his constituents openly rejecting traditional rotational zoning to retain him on account of competence, accessibility and developmental impact. His landslide victory in primary elections affirmed that mandate.
The Voice Achievers Award, therefore, is more than a personal trophy. For Plateau State, it is an international spotlight on a model of legislative leadership that prioritizes peace over partisanship, competence over zoning, and stability over strife.
As a global audience of the African diaspora, members of the diplomatic corps in the United Kingdom, the Nigerian community and other distinguished guests gather to honour a distinguished African political figure, The Voice Achievers Award becomes more than a personal trophy for Rt. Hon. Naanlong Gapyil Daniel. For Plateau State, it is an international spotlight on a model of legislative leadership that prioritises peace over partisanship, competence over zoning and stability over strife, as the Speaker is crowned with a befitting jewel of honour.
