In 2011, when the CPC/ACN merger talks stalled, I ran into a livid Ismaeel Ahmed Esq., a friend from way back in the university, who had delved into politics and was keen on the success of the merger. He was the first to sell me the idea of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu aka Jagaban in 2011, before Kashim Shettima 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. What he wants is a political marriage between the North and the South-west, 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 South-west? Ooh lala! The North’s gift with the South’s business savviness was the combo that would lead to the emancipation of the largest black nation. 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 Goodluck Jonathan would have been sworn in for a third consecutive time, just coming off President Olusegun Obasanjo’s two terms, with a twi-year stint of late Umaru Yar’Adua in-between.
Against all odds, Tinubu is now in power. The North has the minister of agriculture, and the minister of state for agriculture. Under the leadership of Senator Abu Kyari, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, the Tinubu administration has entrenched an all-year-ound farming regime for two years running now, with small holder farmers receiving 50 to 90% of their inputs: improved seeds, pesticides, fertilisers, and other implements from the agric ministry. The prudent management of the resources earmarked for 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 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, Tinubu has also created a Livestock Development Ministry. Before its 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. 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 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. Gov. Umar Bago of Niger state signed on behalf of Nigeria as Niger state aims 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 agriculture sector, the federal government will soon be flagging off a multi-billion dollar funding of Nigeria’s Special Agro-industrial Processing Zones comprising Kaduna, Kwara, Kano and Abuja. Plans are underway to expand to 24 additional states.
In all, I can clearly see President Tinubu’s blueprint for the North in terms of agriculture. I’m not forgetting that the health minister hails from the North, Bauchi, my state actually, and from the get-go, the witty and world renowned Professor Ali Pate 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, 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 two 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 subsidised from N80,000 to 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 across the country. The North also has the education minister, and heads of UBEC, TETFUND and quite a number of chief executives in the education ministry. The ministry was repositioned and now has the minister of state education from the North. Under the Vice President’s Office, a northerner, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, is heading NEMA. Minister of Regional Development is Abubakar Momoh, another northerner, to oversee the newly created development commissions. North-west, North-central and the North-east Development Commissions are all there for the North.
Under the NSA, Nuhu Ribadu, security has improved, and 24/25 is recorded as the year with the least terrorist attacks in Nigeria in the last 10 years. The Chief of Defense Staff, General Christopher Musa, has ensured that the security agencies/armed forces synergise. 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 pummeled daily. Their kingpins are annihilated also daily. Security is getting better and that is the greatest evil bedeviling the North. Do I need to mention the two ministers of defense from the North? Of course,I need to appreciate the good that is coming from their ministry, despite all our misgivings. What about the Budget Ministry? Northerner? Let me check..
Some Arewa’s 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 region. The North today consists of many appendages, aside the Arewa that we ‘proudly used’ to speak of. Peter Obi, 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, garnered a lot of votes from the North, 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 prestigious Arewa, talkess 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 eight years, and remained patient for all he had in his locker to unfold, why won’t we support Asiwaju for good eight years?