By Alkasim Abdulkadir
In September 2021, while serving as Nigeria’s ambassador to Germany, I accompanied Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar on a visit to Bauchi State. After a series of consultative meetings with his political associates, we left in a long convoy of supporters on outreaches that included condolence visits to individuals and communities; the trip lasted from dawn till dusk, from one community to the other. One episode has become a lifelong personal lesson for me. We visited a particular Shatoka -hamlet of not more than three huts to condole with the family of Jauro Bashir, who had passed away. The family was shocked that Amb. Tuggar remembered them and went above and beyond to visit them from his faraway base in Berlin. The above is just one example that typifies Amb. Tuggar’s persona. This cannot be the man described maliciously and erroneously as someone far removed from his people.
Nowhere in recent times has the concept of post-truth become more blatant, like in the article penned by an unknown Ibrahim Faustah Mustapha. The article opens with a rather preposterous statement that Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar “lived quietly in Germany for nearly eight years, carving out a life far removed from his people”. This statement not only reeks of fallacy but, with certainty, bears the hallmarks of outright disinformation.
As with a post-truth environment, individuals like Faustah Mustapha prioritize false narratives, misinformation, and disinformation, disregarding facts well documented in the public domain. First, the writer claimed that Tuggar had made no impact in Bauchi State, and then in another breath said his gains were limited to a few. This contradiction is a pointer to his obfuscatious agenda.
No amount of revisionism can rewrite Tuggar’s stewardship as Nigeria’s ambassador to Germany and the attendant impact of his interventions in Bauchi. It is on record that he facilitated Governor Bala Muhammad’s visit to Germany. The pertinent question to ask the writer is how he succeeded in glossing over the governor’s visit to Germany, where he met policymakers and industrialists in German society to showcase Bauchi State’s untapped potential in the areas of Agriculture, Solid Minerals, Renewable Energy, Waste Management, Education, and Health, all organized by Amb. Tuggar.
There is pictorial and video evidence showing Governor Bala’s appreciation for Amb. Tuggar’s indelible efforts to support his government in achieving development. He went as far as praising the altruism behind providing opportunities for the state in Germany. It is important to reiterate that Governor Bala Mohammed was accompanied by his aides, Prof. Sani Malami and Ahmed Yarima during that visit.
One of the remarkable outreaches he performed as ambassador was inviting his classmate Karun Koenig and Water is Right Foundation in Bauchi State to provide toilet and water facilities to LGA hospitals in the state. This is alongside the provision of hundreds of bicycles for people with disabilities, which was launched at the Government House in Bauchi State. Unfortunately, Governor Bala’s self-interest led to the rejection of an agreement that would have brought a German car assembly company to Bauchi. The writer conveniently omitted these facts in his write-up.
As recently as December 2024, the Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar Foundation donated food items worth ₦35 million and a cash donation of over ₦12 million. Furthermore, he also secured a donation of 200,000 USD from ECOWAS through the Red Cross to aid flood victims in Bauchi State. In terms of local empowerment, over 550 machines and equipment were provided to women and youths to help them become self-reliant. The items include tricycles, sewing machines, grinding machines, water pumps, and wheelchairs. Equally important are the people who have been supported in gaining employment through the good offices of Amb Tuggar, like Justice Habibu Idris Shall of the Commonwealth International Court.
It is imperative to stress that no name-calling of Ambassador Tuggar will erase the issues at hand, which remain the state government’s mismanagement of funds allocated to the state. Despite receiving an estimated N144 billion in Federation Account Allocations and other statutory funds and palliatives, the good people of Bauchi have been short-changed with no tangible impact to show for it. The Bauchi State Governor and his lackeys should worry about the allegations that state-owned enterprises are being sold through questionable processes to associates with equally questionable capacities; or the meagre salaries of state civil servants that are sometimes delayed for as long as three years.
In conclusion, Amb. Tuggar is known as a welfarist by those who have encountered him across political spectrums. Thus, he cannot be considered an outsider in his constituency or state. Such a warped representation of the Ambassador could have only stemmed from the pecuniary imagination of the author. It is interesting to note the jitteriness coming out of Bauchi State; it has become apparent to all that the Governor has been allowed to ride roughshod over everyone for far too long. But the truth must be told, and ultimately, the people of Bauchi State must be liberated from the shackles of the Governor’s theatrics of self-aggrandizement.
Alkasim Abdulkadir is the special assistant to Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar on media and communications strategy.
