LIFE AND TIMES OF MRS. MAIRO ISTIFANUS ZABADI -The Golden Pillar of a Family, a Princess of Yandang, Mother, Wife and Community Builder By Raymond Enoch

There are people whose lives are measured not merely by the years they spent on earth, but by the number of lives they touched, the burdens they carried for others and the spaces they occupied in the hearts of their families and communities.

Mrs. Mairo Istifanus Zabadi was one of such women. Her story is deeply rooted in family, ancestry, marriage, motherhood, courage and service. She was a woman whose presence could not easily be separated from the people around her. To her siblings, she was a sister and a dependable pillar. To her husband, Professor Istifanus Zabadi, she was a companion who stood firmly behind his aspirations and responsibilities. To her wider family, she was a mother figure and rallying point. And to the Yandang community, she was a woman who carried the dignity of her ancestry with uncommon commitment.

Mrs. Mairo Istifanus Zabadi was the ninth child among the ten children of Jauro Iliya Santaka Kpanang of Watasi, Kufuru Clan of the Yandang Tribe, Didango Rhobi, Jegam District, Sanwie Chiefdom, Lau Local Government Area of Taraba State, Nigeria.

Born into a family deeply connected to the traditions and communal identity of the Yandang people, she grew into a woman whose character was shaped by the values of family responsibility, courage, resilience and communal belonging.

She was a Princess by birth and a woman of considerable strength by character.

Her marriage to Professor Istifanus Sonsare. Zabadi further connected two people from the same Yandang ancestry and community. Professor Zabadi’s own public career has been distinguished by scholarship and engagement in international relations, peace, security and strategic studies.

But behind the public intellectual whose name became associated with universities, national security discourse and strategic affairs was a wife who, in her own quiet and sometimes forceful way, helped sustain the family and stood by the man she married.

A woman who spoke when it mattered
Mairo was not known for silence when responsibility demanded a voice.

She was frank, courageous, resourceful and dogged. Those who knew her closely understood that she was not a woman who easily surrendered to circumstances. She could be firm, outspoken and direct, particularly when the welfare of her family or community was at stake.

Her courage was not simply the courage of confrontation. It was also the courage to accept responsibility.

As a daughter, sister, wife and mother, she understood that family was not merely a biological relationship. It was an obligation.

She therefore remained deeply involved in the affairs of her extended family, carrying responsibilities that went far beyond what might ordinarily have been expected of one individual.

The daughter who became a mother to many Perhaps one of the most enduring dimensions of Mairo’s life was her relationship with the wider family.

Although she was the ninth child of Jauro Iliya Santaka Kpanang, her position within the family evolved beyond that of a younger sister. She became a mother figure and rallying point, particularly to the children left behind by her brothers and sisters.

This was one of the defining features of her life. She did not limit motherhood to those directly born to her. Her sense of responsibility extended to nephews, nieces, relatives and members of the wider family.

In this sense, her motherhood became communal. She was the kind of woman people could turn to when they needed counsel, encouragement, intervention or simply the reassurance that someone was standing with them.

That role explains why her passing has created a vacuum that cannot easily be filled.

A Princess who remained connected to her roots.
For Mairo, her identity as a Yandang woman was not merely a reference to ancestry. It was a living connection to people, culture and community.

Mairo’s story belongs to that less frequently told history.

She stood by her husband and believed in his dreams. She supported the family vigorously and extended her care beyond her immediate household.

Her strength was particularly important given the demanding nature of her husband’s professional life. A professional journey of a scholar and public intellectual inevitably places demands upon the family. Mairo was part of that family story.

A life of service without seeking the spotlight

One of the striking aspects about Mairo is that her public identity did not depend upon seeking constant publicity.Her importance was more evident in relationships and service.

She was a woman of family networks, community connections and personal influence.

That influence could be seen in the confidence with which she participated in community affairs and the recognition accorded her by the Yandang community.

The 2025 Yandang Cultural Carnival was therefore more than a social appearance. It was one public expression of a relationship with her people that had been built over time.

On September 3, 2026, the story of Mrs. Mairo Istifanus Zabadi entered its most painful chapter.

For her family, it was not simply the loss of a wife, mother or sister.
It was the loss of a rallying point.

It was the loss of the woman who could connect generations, speak frankly when necessary, offer strength when others were weak and remind family members that they remained part of one larger story.

Her death therefore represents a significant moment in the history of the family of Jauro Iliya Santaka Kpanang.

The ninth child had become, in many ways, one of the family’s central pillars.

And when such a pillar falls, everyone feels the weight of the loss.

Mrs. Mairo Istifanus Zabadi leaves behind a legacy that cannot be adequately captured by titles.

She leaves the legacy of a daughter who honoured her family; a wife who stood by her husband; a mother who extended motherhood beyond biology; a sister who carried the burdens of others; a Princess who remained connected to her people; and a woman who was unafraid to speak when it mattered.

Her life demonstrates that influence does not always come from occupying the most visible office. Sometimes influence is found in the home. Sometimes it is found in the extended family. Sometimes it is found in the community gathering where an elder woman is called upon to represent motherhood.

Mairo’s was such a life.
A golden pillar difficult to replace

Until her death, she remained the only daughter of Jauro Iliya Santaka Kpanang who continued to play a significant maternal role as a rallying point, model and inspirer to the children left behind by her siblings.

That role gave her a special place in the family.

She was not simply remembered as one of ten children.

She became one of the people around whom the larger family could gather.

Her absence will consequently be felt across generations.

The challenge before those she leaves behind is not merely to mourn her, but to preserve the values she represented—courage, responsibility, family unity, generosity, resilience, community consciousness and the determination to stand for what is right.

For the Yandang people, her memory is also part of a larger story of women who preserve culture, sustain families and quietly strengthen communities.

For her husband and immediate family, she was irreplaceable.
For her brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces and wider relations, she was a dependable presence.

For the community, she was a Princess and Mother. And for posterity, she should be remembered as a woman who lived for more than herself.

Mrs. Mairo Istifanus Zabadi may have departed on September 3, 2026, but the responsibilities she carried, the relationships she nurtured and the lives she influenced remain.

The golden pillar has fallen. But the structure she helped hold together remains standing.
May her memory remain a blessing, and may the values she embodied continue to live through the generations she left behind.