Tinubu, The North And Arewa
By Tahir I Tahir Talban Bauchi
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 on a goldmine and it seems it does not even appreciate it”! He continued to wax on, saying, Tinubu 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 would lead the emancipation of the largest black nation.
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The merger failed in 2011, but in 2015, it clicked. Obviously the insecurity 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.
Against all odds, and as the Gods ordained, Tinubu is now in power. The north has the minister of agriculture, and also the minister of state for agriculture. Under the leadership of Sen. Abu Kyari, the Minister of Agric and Food Security, the President Tinubu GCFR’s administration has entrenched an all year round farming regime for two years running now, with small holder farmers receiving 50 to 90% of their inputs: improved seeds, pesticides, fertilizers, and other implements from the agric ministry.
The very prudent management of the resources ear-marked for the farmers through the National Agricultural Growth Scheme, Agro-pocket project, is reaching the farmers directly. Harvests have been good and more and more small holder farmers are registering and benefitting from the farmer-subsidy. States like Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Gombe and Kaduna are keying in overwhelmingly, and the states are also contributing, to top-up the subsidy from the Federal Government. 10,000 tractors as promised by President Tinubu, will soon start reaching our farmers, with the agric ministry in Abuja already taking stock of the first batch of 2,000 tractors from Belarus. It is safe to say that we are nearer to achieving food security.
For the north, President Tinubu has also created a Livestock development ministry. Before the creation, the idea was well researched, and reputable persons like Prof. Attahiru Jega of the ‘we will not take it melodrama’ headed the Presidential Livestock Committee. President Tinubu appointed another northerner, Alhaji Idi Mukhtar Maiha, to head the ministry. Then again, Prof. Jega was recently appointed Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Livestock farming. Late last year, in one of President Tinubu’s trips abroad in search of FDI, a deal was struck with JBS of Brazil, to invest $5 billion in the Nigerian Livestock sub-sector of the economy. Gov. Bago of Niger signed on behalf of Nigeria as Niger state is scheduled to provide over 1.2 million hectares of land for the take-off of the partnership. Ogun State has also keyed in and signed agreements with the Brazilian conglomerate. Still in the agric sector, the Federal Government will soon be flagging off a multi-billion dollar funding of Nigeria’s Special Agro-industrial Processing Zones including kaduna, Kwara, Kano and FCT Abuja. Plans are underway to expand to 24 additional states.
In all of this, I can clearly see the footprints of President Tinubu’s blueprint for the north in terms of agriculture. I’m not forgetting that the Health minister is from the North, my state actually, and from the get-go, the witty and world renowned professor has ushered in $3 billion in foreign investments and grants into our health sector value chain. This is aside other investments and grants worth over $200 million dollars, and another Brazilian pharmaceuticals’ $240 million investment in Lagos. Today we have companies and pharmaceuticals producing a whole lot of consumables in the health sector including medical textiles.
Even HIV rapid test kits are now manufactured in Nigeria. Just 2 days ago, 774 fellows were employed across all the local governments of the country. This is aside the 2400 doctors and nurses recruited. C-section is also now free in Nigeria, and dialysis is being subsidized from N80,000 to about N15,000 in select centres across the country, with more centres coming on-board. 120,000 health workers are being retrained with over 1400 primary healthcare centres upgraded and revitalised all over the country. The north also had the Education minister, and heads of UBEC, TETFUND and quite a number of Chief executives in the education ministry. The ministry was repositioned and we now have the minister of state education from the north. Under the Vice President’s office, we have a northerner, Mrs. Zubaida Umar heading NEMA. We have the Northwest, Northcentral and the already existing Northeast Development Commissions all there for the north.
Under the NSA, Nuhu Ribadu, security has improved without a doubt, and 24/25 is recorded as the year with the least terrorist attacks in Nigeria for the last ten years. The Chief of Defense staff, Gen. Christopher Musa has ensured that the security agencies/ armed forces work with synergy between them. This is yielding results greatly, as the airforce complements the ground assaults of the army, the navy, the police and civil defense. We can see how the Lukarawa were dealt with decisively, unlike the way Boko haram was allowed to fester. Bandits are now begging for amnesty or negotiations as they are being pummeled on a daily. Their kingpins are being annihilated also on a daily. Security is getting better and that is the greatest concern or evil bedeviling the north. Do I need to mention the two ministers of defense from the north? Ofcourse I need to appreciate the good that is coming from their ministry, despite all our misgivings in the first place. What about the Budget Ministry? Northerner? Let me first check..
Some of arewas politicians hungry for power are beating broken drums and blowing punctured vuvuzelas, crying foul that the north is being undermined. But they forget that the north has all these sons and daughters working assiduously to make life better for the north.
The north today consists of many appendages, aside the arewa that we ‘proudly used’ to speak of. I remember clearly that Peter Obi garnered quite a lot of votes from the north, a million plus actually, so the arewa they speak of is not a unanimous block. Perhaps, only in their fantasy, as they ‘samba’ around, that arewa will unite against Asiwaju. No sirs, the north will not unite in your phantom quests, and as you drivel this idea around, the north is now wiser. It has its own eyes and ears and no longer depends on yours or that of a few selfish leaders. You used yours to build your own sons, daughters, spouses, inlaws and friends and forgot about prestigous arewa, not to talk of the north. Not even your neighbours were in your budgets. Not only the north, the nation is feeling the drop in food prices, ‘upping’ of the security tempo, and the health benefits coming to fruition.
The economic reforms’ decisions were hard, and Asiwaju was bold enough to confront them. And now things are beginning to turn around for the better. If we supported Baba Buhari for good 8 years, and remained patient for all he had in his locker to unfold, why won’t we support Asiwaju for good 8 years?
Tinubu, The North And Arewa
