Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, has been berated following his recent criticism of Bauchi State governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, over the latter’s critique of the country’s tax reform policy of President Bola Tinubu.
The attack on Governor Mohammed, labelled undiplomatic and opportunistic, has been condemned by the Chief of Staff to the governor of Bauchi State, Dr. Aminu Hassan Gamawa.
In a statement issued on behalf of the governor, Dr. Gamawa accused Tuggar of a desperate attempt to gain favour from his political benefactors while ignoring his own failings in office. The Chief of Staff pointed out that rather than addressing the pressing issues within his foreign ministry portfolio, Tuggar had resorted to attacking a governor whose agricultural policies have significantly transformed Bauchi State into an economic hub. It stressed that under Mohammed’s leadership, Bauchi has seen the creation of thousands of jobs, particularly through initiatives like the Kaura Economic Empowerment Programme (KEEP). This initiative, the statement said, empowers local farmers and youth with skills in fish farming, animal husbandry, and cash crop production.
“Ironically, Tuggar, a man from Bauchi State, remains blissfully ignorant of these realities. If he had spent more time in his home state instead of gallivanting across foreign capitals, he would have seen firsthand the transformation Bala Mohammed has brought to Bauchi. His detachment from the grassroots and his own local government, which President Bola Tinubu failed to win in the last election, underscores his irrelevance to the people he claims to represent,” the statement added.
According to the statement, Tuggar’s performance as Minister of Foreign Affairs has been allegedly marred by a series of diplomatic blunders, resulting in a significant decline in Nigeria’s international standing.
“Under Tuggar’s mismanagement, ECOWAS, a once united and robust sub-regional body, is now in disarray. His poor advice to President Tinubu on the crises in the Sahel has led to the withdrawal of key member states like Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. This is a historic failure, unprecedented in the history of Nigeria’s leadership in West Africa,” the statement noted.
The statement further claimed that Tuggar has overseen the deterioration of Nigeria’s relationships with its Sahelian neighbours, worsening security challenges along the 1,600-kilometre border. Furthermore, the Joint Multinational Anti-Terrorism Taskforce, once effective, has now been rendered obsolete due to Tuggar’s incompetence.
“Nigeria has suffered severe diplomatic setbacks under Tuggar, including the embarrassing visa ban and subsequent equivocations by the United Arab Emirates. His inability to resolve these issues highlights his failure as a foreign minister. Tuggar has dragged Nigeria into the orbit of French hegemony in Africa, abandoning the country’s historically Afrocentric foreign policy. This shift has alienated nations fighting against French neocolonial dominance and has positioned Nigeria as a willing accomplice to France’s imperial ambitions,” the statement read.
The Chief of Staff emphasised that Tuggar’s allegations against Governor Mohammed regarding land use in Bauchi State were nothing more than a smear campaign, pointing out that the governor’s Tiamin Rice Project, a large-scale agricultural initiative, has provided direct and indirect jobs to thousands of Bauchi indigenes.
“Furthermore, Tuggar’s insinuations about increased federal allocations to Bauchi reveal his ignorance of the economic realities faced by states across Nigeria. Inflation, the new minimum wage, and the federal government’s poorly executed macroeconomic policies have strained state finances nationwide. Bala Mohammed’s prudent use of resources has earned him national accolades, including the ‘Rural Road Infrastructure Governor of the Year 2022’ and the ‘Urban Renewal Governor of the Year 2024’. Tuggar’s failure to acknowledge these achievements is both dishonest and petty,” the statement added.
Counselling Tuggar to seek ways of redeeming his lacklustre performance as Minister, the statement noted that constant criticism of Governor Mohammed in the hope of running for Bauchi State governor in 2027 will ultimately fail.
“Tuggar’s tenure as Foreign Affairs Minister has been defined by inertia, incompetence, and irrelevance. President Tinubu’s frequent avoidance of Tuggar during foreign trips speaks volumes about the minister’s redundancy. Tuggar’s inability to address pressing diplomatic issues, coupled with his fixation on attacking Bala Mohammed, highlights his lack of focus and effectiveness.
“Tuggar’s attacks on Bala Mohammed are clearly motivated by his ambition to contest the Bauchi governorship in 2027. However, his strategy of maligning the Governor will backfire. The people of Bauchi have witnessed Bala Mohammed’s transformative leadership and will not be swayed by the baseless rhetoric of an absentee politician,” the statement concluded.
Reiterating that Governor Mohammed’s principled stance on national issues, including his criticism of the tax reform Bills, reflected his commitment to the welfare of Nigerians, the statement urged Tuggar to remove the log from his own eye before attempting to point out the speck in Governor Mohammed’s.
