Tinubu, Arewa and Ismaeel Ahmed Esq
By Tahir I Tahir Talban Bauchi
Published twice, and last published on the 22nd of June 2025, my article titled, ‘Tinubu and Arewa’, read thus: “Back in 2011, when the CPC/ACN merger talks stalled, I ran into a livid Ismaeel Ahmed Esq., a friend from way back in Uni, who had delved into national politics and was keen on the success of the merger. I remember vividly that he was the first person to sell me the idea of Asiwaju aka Jagaban back in 2011, before Kashim registered me into it in 2022. “Tahir, Tinubu reminded us that 70% of the land in Nigeria is in the North and all of it is arable land for agriculture. What he wants is a political marriage between the North and the Southwest, so that both regions can work together towards exploring and developing the north’s agricultural potential. The north is sitting ona goldmine and it seems it does not even appreciate it”! He continued to wax on, saying, Tin ubu queried us to imagine if they had all this land in the southwest? Ooh lala! The north’s gift with the south’s business savviness was the combo that wo uld lead the emancipation of the largest black nation. The merger failed in 2011, but in 2015, it clicked. Obviously the insec urity then was quite unbearable, and the North’s quest for power was justified, as GEJ would have been sworn in for a 3rd consecutive time, just coming off of OBJ’s two terms, with a brief 2 year stint in power of late Umaru Yar’adua in-between.”
Tinubu is now in power and the narrative is that he is an enemy of arewa. How? Because of the appointments made in his govt. The claim is that arewa is not given key appointments. However, in Tinubu’s govt, the Hon. Minister of Agric and Food Security Sen. Abu Kyari is from the North, as well as the Minister of State Agric, Sen. Dr. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi. They have just delivered 2000 tractors with over 10,000 implements. This is the first trench from a proposed 10,000 trucks. Over 2.1 million bags of fertilizer were distributed to farmers in the last farming season, with an unprecedented drop in food prices. Just two days ago, there was a huge drop in the price of beans. Food security which is number one in Mr. President’s Renewed Hope Agenda is well on track. Food scarcity is out of the conversation, and availability is in! What is being tackled now gradually is affordability.
The minister for Foreign Affairs is Amb. Yusuf Tuggar from Bauchi State. Another ‘Senior Minister’ who has been an Ambasaador to Germany for almost 8 years in the previous administration. Under the current govt, Tuggar has had a free hand in handling Nigeria’s foreign relations, ushering in investors from Qatar to Dubai, and from Brazil to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He has been able to restore the joint efforts between Nigeria, Chad, and Niger, in handling terrorism and insurgency. A recent hale of fire that claimed over 100 terrorists on the fringes of Lake Chad was possible, courtesy of the three nation’s collaboration.
The Health Minister, also from Bauchi State, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, who is one of the shining stars of the govt, has just delivered over 4000 free C-Section operations for women across the country, and another 4 million Nigerians additionally captured into the National Health Insurance Scheme, taking up the figure to about 20 million Nigerians captured under NHIS. It is the single largest capture in the nation’s healthcare history. The minister also just launched the Enterprise Content Management System (ECM), ushering in paperless governance, in its digital transformation journey, in line with President Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda policies. The policy is striving for an 80% digitisation of processes by the end of 2025, and achieving a fully paperless civil service by 2030! Wait a minute, did you see how corruption in the civil service is being tackled tactically? Hmm!
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The National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu is also ‘arewa’. He has courageously taken the war against terrorism to the terrorists. Today, Turji is begging for amnesty and dialogue after his top lieutenant was killed by a joint force of vigilantes and a DSS special force. The two defense ministers, Alh. Badaru, and Alh. Bello Matawalle are both arewites, and despite arewa’s apprehension or skepticism over their appointments, we cannot shy away from the very huge milestones reached in the armament of our military, especially the acquisition of fighter aircraft and attack helicopters, training of military personnel with different special forces’ units across the country. The DSS has a dedicated unit now, that partners with civilian vigilantes in the states.
The NAVY too has had special acquisitions of fast patrol warships, while also engaging in the local production of defence boats in Nigeria. Indigenous defence manufacturing companies have been massively patronised, with some exporting to neighbouring countries and even overseas. IPOB, Boko Haram, ISWAP, and bandits are all being decimated tremendously. You cannot fault our defence efforts, with a determined and patriotic defence chief like Gen. Christopher Gwabin Musa. Guess what? The CDS is from arewa too!
The ministers of Housing, Culture and Tourism, Women Affairs, Police Affairs, Works (state), regional development (state).. and so many others are all arewa fa. The new humanitarian minister, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda is arewa. The education minister was initially from arewa, but was dropped a few months ago for obvious reasons, which no matter how arewa I am, I cannot argue with that decision.
Nonetheless, the current state minister for education is Suwaiba Ahmad, who is a professor of science education. In the continuation of this arewa list, are many Special Advisers and Assistants that are very influential and powerful within the Tinubu administration. Hadiza Bala Usman is ofcourse the Special Adviser on Policy and Coordination, Ya’u Darazo is Special Adviser Political, and Masari is Senior Special Assistant Political. We also have Abdulaziz Abdulaziz who is Mr. President’s SA on media. Others are former Gov. Masari as Chairman Tetfund, former Gov. Ganduje as Chairman FAAN, and NCC’s Chief Executive, Dr. Aminu Maida. Just yesterday, Gov. Almakura was also made UBEC Chair. NASENI is headed by a very young arewite, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu. Adamu Garba, the Chairman/ CEO of Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission is an arewite, and so is the DG of NEMA, Ms. Zubaida Umar, whose one year in office was recently celebrated by the entire staff of the agency for exceptional leadership. The DG of NPA is Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, and yes, he is also an arewite. To crown the long list is our VP, Sen. Kashim Shettima, whose PULAKU Initiative is working assiduously towards the emancipation of terrorism ravaged communities in the North, starting with over N50 billion naira as seed funds to start in some pilot North Western States, with Kaduna’s Tudun Biri as an example.
The Barrister at the beginning of this article, Ismaeel Buba Ahmed Esq. has just been appointed the Executive Chairman of the Compressed Natural Gas Initiative, PCNGi by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Lucia, KCOSL. Barrister has hit the ground running already, launching CNG buses, pickup trucks, and ambulances at the defence headquarters. Ismaeel is arewa, young, and a vibrant youth leader who has been APC all his life! So who says Tinubu does not appoint Northerners, or loyalists, or northern technocrats? Who insists that Tinubu does not like arewa? The anti-arewa narrative is merely being driven by some disgruntled parties who want to remain in office till thy kingdom come. It is being driven by people who left office just “last administration ago”, and want to hang onto office in this administration too, as movers and shakers of government. They are the drivers of the “steeringless bus”, carrying the Tinubu is anti-arewa narrative, and this vehicle is clearly headed to nowhere in particular.
They will stop driving it as soon as it leads them to a position in office. Their wailings will cease as soon as they are appointed or elected into one position or the other. Well, well-meaning youths from arewa thank you Mr. President for Ismaeel’s appointment. We will not let you down Insha Allah Mr. President. Ismaeel is a young, determined and ambitious fella who will stop at nothing to make sure he delivers on the mandate of his office. Mr. President, on your mandate we stand Sir, as a younger generation of patriotic Nigerians from the North, who want you to succeed, and want arewa to be rescued from the damage and desecration of yesteryears; amen ya Allah, so help us God.
Tinubu, Arewa and Ismaeel Ahmed Esq
