Engr. Barnabas Gemade was born on 4^th September 1948, he attended Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria where he obtained B.Sc (Honours) in Civil Engineering in 1974 and City University, London for his M.Sc in Highway & Transport Engineering in 1978.

He was the Senior Manager/Site Agent with Carl Ploetner (Nig) Limited 1979 – 1980 for the Construction of Wasagu Kotonkoro Road in Kebbi State..  He left the Company in  1980 to co-found  Sam-Barns  &  Partners  (Consulting  Engineers)  with Head Office at Jos,  serving as the Managing Partner. He held that position till  1985 when he was invited to serve as Deputy  Managing  Director at the  Benue  Cement Company, BCC Plc,  Gboko.

Engr. Barnabas Gemade was meritoriously promoted to Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Company.  He was the first indigenous Managing Director of the Company.  He served in that capacity for six (6) years.  During his tenure,  Benue Cement Company Plc produced  900,000 tons of Cement every year with an annual turnover of over N500 million using a workforce of over 1,500 persons. It was also during his tenure that the  Benue  Cement  Company  (BCC)  Lions  Football  Club brilliantly won the   1989  Edition of the  Challenge  Cup and the  1990 Mandela (Confederation of  African  Football  CAF)  Cup  Champions  Cup. He ensured the smooth running of the business enterprise, employed a good number of youths, and gave financial empowerment to indigenous businessmen and contractors..

He trained and appointed many indigenous Managers to take over from the Expatriate Managers.  Particular mention can be made of Mr.  Agum, Engr. Nyagba,  Aende, Unum, Atagher, Mku, Ulam,  Sam Tar,  Achiatar, Chive, Kankwe,  Yaji, Lorngurum, Ukpi etc.

Owing to Chief Engr. Gemades impeccable credentials and meritorious service, the then Military Head of State, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida appointed him Honourable Minister of Works and Housing and Member of the Ernest Shonekan-Ied Interim National   Government, (ING) in 1993. He was also a Member of the Board of Directors of the National  Agency for Science  &  Engineering  Infrastructure,  NASENI. The Interim National Government was however short-lived owing to a palace coup staged by late Gen. Sani  Abacha in November 1993.

However, during his short tenure as Minister, he facilitated the construction of many Federal Roads in the State e.g.  Yandev-Buruku, Awajir Gboko-Ihugh, Tse Mker etc. He employed a good number of Benue State indigenes into the Federal Civil Service most of whom are now high-ranking officers. He also empowered numerous Benue people by contract awards, housing allocations, and plots of lands in Abuja and Lagos.

He is a Registered Engineer by the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, (COREN), 1979,  Fellow of the  Nigerian  Society of Engineers,  (FNSE), 1989, and  Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Science & Technology, (FNIST), Ibadan, and became  Honorary  Fellow of the Nigerian  Institute of Public  Relations (FNIPR) 1990.

He is a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (2011 till date), he is married and blessed with children.

SPECIALIZATIONS

• Highway and Transport Engineering