From Paul Orude, Bauchi
Nigeria’s ambassador to Germany, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has revalidated his membership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, on Monday at the Central Primary School, Udubo, Gamawa local Government of Bauchi State, describing the ruling party as the best thing to happen to Nigeria.
Tuggar who flew in from his base in Germany, arrived Dutse, the capital of Jigawa State aboard a chattered plane at about 1: 45 pm, was received by a mammoth, before proceeding to his ward at Udubo in Bauchi State, for his party rgistration as he was welcomed by a mammoth crowd of supporters.
Fielding questions from journalists shortly after his revalidation, Tuggar, who was a former governorship candidate of the Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) in 2011, said, “I am impressed with the turnout today. It showed how strong APC is even though it is not in power at the state level.
“We have a PDP government in the State but that notwithstanding the party remains the strongest party at the grassroots, local government level, ward level, unit level. It is only a matter of time that APC continues its good work that it has been doing at the federal level. No other government has implemented projects as this current administration”
According to him, no other government has implemented infrastruture projects like the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
“Go to Kaduna and Abuja, you will use a train. The project was completed by President Buhari. Go to Ibadan and Lagos, the same thing. Second Niger Bridge on going. I could go on and on. Look at the fertilizer blending plants all over the country. Look at rice. Why do you think there is no hunger at the moment? It is because there is rice farming, rice Mills. The farmers are growing more. Their yields are growing exponentially,” he said.
On criticisms by the former National Chairman of the APC Comrade Adams Adams Oshiomole that the current registration of members in the party was unconstitutional, Tuggar said that Oshiomole was entitled to his opinion.
“That is a matter of opinion. Let it be tested. We are law abiding country. We have separation of powers, the party also has a constitution and some of the people that are criticising the exercise are going to register. Where are they going to register?,” he queried.
Tuggar attributed the frequent clashes between herders and farmers in the country, which has heated the polity of recent to rapid population growth.
“Don’t forget that we are going to be 400 million people by the year 2050, we are going to be the third largest country in the world and demographically”.
“ So this is something we must find more permanent solution to, the pressure and contestation to arable land and I think the solution really is education and better redefinition and approach to pastoralism and the understanding that it is trans hum an and a way life , it is a culture,” he said.
The envoy said that even in Europe that we are talking about, there are herders called gypsy while inn Nigeria some people keep looking down on herdsmen thinking that they are inferior , and a backward means of existence.
“You will find out that in Europe today that we keep talking about Herders, you have gypsies there and in the US we have cowboys. It is just understanding that we can subsist side by side with each other and continue to progress as a people. They themselves the herdsmen are contributing the way that farmers are contributing to our economy and our wellbeing”
