Tinubu, Arewa and Ismaeel Ahmed, by Tahir Ibrahim Tahir
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 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 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 GEJ would have been sworn in for a third consecutive time, just coming off of OBJ’s two terms, with a brief two-year stint in power of the 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 government. The claim is that Arewa is not given key appointments. However, in Tinubu’s government, the Hon. Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abu Kyari, is from the North, as well as the Minister of State for Agriculture, Sen. Dr. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi. They have just delivered 2,000 tractors with over 10,000 implements. This is the first tranche 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 was an ambassador to Germany for almost 8 years in the previous administration. Under the current government, 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 joint efforts between Nigeria, Chad, and Niger in handling terrorism and insurgency. A recent hail of fire that claimed over 100 terrorists on the fringes of Lake Chad was possible courtesy of the three nations’ collaboration.
The Health Minister, also from Bauchi State, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate—one of the shining stars of the government—has just delivered over 4,000 free C-section operations for women across the country, and another 4 million Nigerians have been additionally captured into the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), taking 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 as part of the country’s digital transformation journey, in line with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. The policy is striving for 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!
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 Defence Ministers, Alh. Badaru and Alh. Bello Matawalle, are both Arewites. Despite Arewa’s earlier 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, and the training of military personnel with different special forces’ units across the country.
The DSS now has a dedicated unit 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. Nonetheless, the current State Minister for Education is Suwaiba Ahmad, a professor of science education.
Continuing the list of Arewa appointments:
- Hadiza Bala Usman, Special Adviser on Policy and Coordination
- Ya’u Darazo, Special Adviser, Political
- Masari, Senior Special Assistant, Political
- Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, Special Adviser on Media
Others include:
- Former Gov. Masari as Chairman, TETFund
- Former Gov. Ganduje as Chairman, FAAN
- Dr. Aminu Maida, Chief Executive, NCC
- Gov. Almakura, recently made UBEC Chair
- Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, head of NASENI
- Adamu Garba, Chairman/CEO of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission
- Ms. Zubaida Umar, DG of NEMA
- Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, DG of NPA
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 as seed funds in some pilot North-Western States, with Kaduna’s Tudun Biri as an example.
The barrister mentioned at the beginning of this article, Ismaeel Buba Ahmed Esq., has just been appointed the Executive Chairman of the Presidential 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 pushed by those 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 steering-less 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-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 fellow who will stop at nothing to ensure 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.
