By Ilyasu Shamsudeen Bogoro
In yet another display of crass ignorance of facts and the reality on the ground, the hagiographic supporters of Bala Muhammad have gone all in to disparage Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar by exhibiting a high level of intellectual ineptitude with poorly written garbage, camouflaging as an essay in response to Tuggar’s recent humbling of Bala Muhammad.
Ibrahim Faustah Mustapha’s major pet peeve is he cannot even write ‘Tuggar’ correctly, an ominous indication that even the political neophytes who fed him with bad intel know little about the Honourable Minister, let alone appreciate his altruistic services to the people of Bauchi and Nigeria as a whole.
Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar’s recent statement raising concern about endemic corruption, nepotism, and total disregard for the plight of the masses may have spooked the inner circle of governance, casting doubt over whether the governor has the political strength or the reputational wherewithal to ever speak about President Tinubu again.
The question is simple: Does Governor Bala Muhammad have the gumption to speak on national issues when he has a lot of troubles at home to grapple with? Bala Muhammad wanted to exploit the temporary economic discomfort occasioned by President Bola Ahmad Tinubu to project his image as he continued to nurture his presidential ambition in the 2027 elections. It was a tactical political manoeuvre to hide his woeful failures in the state. This is why Tuggar’s revelations spooked him. It was a surgical strike that exposed Bala Muhammad’s other side.
As Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar rightly put it, the governor is obsessed with land grabs. Forcing people to leave their homes in return for paltry compensation, which is not enough to help the victims build homes even several kilometres away from Bauchi city centre, is one of their biggest undoings, and history will not forget him. He hides under the matted cloak of city beautification to torment the city residents. Hundreds of people have been forced from their homes. Thousands of people lost their jobs overnight when the state government demolished their shops and banned them from doing business on the streets. The ripple effects are massive. People struggle to earn a living to keep their bodies and souls together, and some are left with no option but to relocate in search of opportunities elsewhere. Is the governor not aware? Why is he obsessed with President Bola Ahmad Tinubu?
Despite the steady increase in cash flow from the federal allocation, life in Bauchi is more expensive than ever. Bauchi is one of the costliest states in Nigeria, as per the most recent statistics released by the National Bureau of Statistics. What has Bala Muhammad done to mitigate this economic difficulty? Nothing. We are in the sixth year of the Bala Muhammad administration. Even the blind defenders of the governor would struggle to come up with verified data on how much Bala Muhammad has done to support our youths with seed capital or any means of empowerment to fend for themselves. Out of sight is not out of mind. This obsession with land and symbolic but not strategic projects has rendered Bala Muhammad politically irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. He is blissfully ignorant of the vicissitude of life outside the Government House.
Unlike Bala Muhammad, Tuggar has never had any issues with the EFCC. Tuggar is not new to Bauchi politics. Tuggar is an indefatigable political force whose impact on the people of Bauchi and grassroots support has never blurred. Unlike Bala Muhammad, who keeps gallivanting from one party to another in search of relevance, Tuggar has never betrayed his people with defection or abandoned them.
It is even more laughable to claim Tuggar is irrelevant in Bauchi politics. Why waste your energy trying to besmirch the unblemished reputation of Tuggar if he is not posing an existential threat to your political dynasty? We, the people of Bauchi, know who Yusuf Maitama Tuggar is. We, the people of Bauchi, know the copacetic efforts Tuggar has been making to ensure Nigeria cements its strategic roles in Africa and the world. From handling diplomatic crises in the Sahel to deepening relations with strategic partners such as China, India, and Russia, which led to the acceptance of Nigeria as a BRICS partner, Tuggar has incredibly scored a series of diplomatic victories for Nigeria. Let us not forget that Tuggar is Nigeria’s top diplomat. Clean from corruption allegations, he is loved by his people and Nigerians for the massive benefits he brings to Nigeria as a foreign minister.
Fauah Mustapha and his ilk must be aware that Bauchi people don’t quickly forgive betrayal. Suppose the fates of Muazu, Kaura’s political mentor, Isah Yuguda, are anything to go by. In that case, Bala Muhammad should brace for the ripple effects his woeful economic policies have brought to Bauchi.
Tuggar’s priority is to focus on actualizing the ambitious foreign policy agenda, which would, in the long run, bring the most desired benefits to the people of Nigeria. Any attempts to distract the minister will ricochet and fail.
Bogoro works as a non-academic staff at the Federal University of Health Sciences, Azare.
