The war of words between Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, and Nigeria\u2019s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, escalated on Saturday as Tuggar accused the governor of promoting a North-South divide through his criticism of President Bola Tinubu\u2019s Tax Reform Bills. The minister also addressed concerns over US migration policies and delays in posting ambassadors to foreign missions.<\/p>\n
Speaking on ARISE NEWS Channel, Tuggar criticized Governor Mohammed\u2019s approach to opposing the Tinubu administration, accusing him of insincerity and stoking regional tensions. \u201cThe problem with him is not criticising President Tinubu but the manner he is doing it. He lacks sincerity of purpose and is creating a North-South divide,\u201d Tuggar stated.<\/p>\n
Tax Reforms and Regional Tensions<\/strong><\/p>\n Tuggar dismissed claims that the North opposes Tinubu\u2019s administration due to the tax bills, describing such narratives as dangerous and politically motivated. He argued that Governor Mohammed\u2019s criticisms were driven by personal ambition rather than genuine concern for the people.<\/p>\n The minister also accused the governor of mismanaging Bauchi State\u2019s resources, citing the expansion of the government house as an example of misplaced priorities. \u201cInstead of focusing on social services, infrastructure, or education for out-of-school children, he is busy expanding the government house at a cost of over N16.6 billion. Is that our priority?\u201d Tuggar queried.<\/p>\n He further criticized the governor for neglecting agrarian communities, leading to artificial flooding and hardship for residents. \u201cBauchi is full of agrarian communities. Blocking rivers has created disasters and unnatural flooding,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Governor Mohammed\u2019s Allegations and Tuggar\u2019s Response<\/strong><\/p>\n Governor Mohammed had previously accused Tuggar of being distracted by his ambition to become governor. In response, Tuggar denied the claim, stating that his actions were driven by a desire to support Bauchi State\u2019s development. He highlighted his efforts to facilitate partnerships between the state and German companies, including the signing of five Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and the provision of mobility aids for the disabled.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it was about governorship, I wouldn\u2019t have organised these initiatives. I wanted him to look good. But now, he is deliberately misleading people and sowing discord for his personal ambition,\u201d Tuggar explained.<\/p>\n US Migration Policy and Contingency Plans<\/strong><\/p>\n Tuggar also addressed concerns over US President Donald Trump\u2019s migration policies, which could affect Nigerians. He revealed that the federal government is monitoring the situation and making contingency plans to handle potential deportations. \u201cWe are in constant touch with the US government and know the number of Nigerians being held. Thankfully, the figures are not as high as in other countries,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Delays in Posting Ambassadors<\/strong><\/p>\n When asked about delays in posting ambassadors to foreign missions, Tuggar explained that logistical preparations, including providing vehicles and family support, were necessary before deployments could proceed. \u201cThe President knows best. He said he is not ready for that yet, and I\u2019m going by what he said. Our missions are functioning, and we will continue to do our best,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n Tinubu\u2019s Foreign Policy Pillars<\/strong><\/p>\n Tuggar outlined the four pillars of Tinubu\u2019s foreign policy, known as the \u201c4 Ds\u201d: Democracy, Development, Demography, and Diaspora. He emphasized Nigeria\u2019s commitment to constitutional governance and protecting the fundamental rights of individuals. \u201cWe support constitutional governance and will engage with all countries to protect and advance our national interests,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The ongoing dispute between Governor Bala Mohammed and Minister Yusuf Tuggar highlights the political and regional tensions surrounding Tinubu\u2019s tax reforms and governance priorities. As the federal government addresses challenges in migration policy and diplomatic postings, the need for unity and focus on national development remains paramount.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The war of words between Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, and Nigeria\u2019s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, escalated on Saturday as Tuggar accused the governor of promoting a North-South divide through his criticism of President Bola Tinubu\u2019s Tax Reform Bills. The minister also addressed concerns over US migration policies and delays in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7010,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7007"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7007"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7007\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7011,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7007\/revisions\/7011"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}