A MUST READ: WHO IS AMINU TUKUR?

Hon. Aminu Tukur in an exclusive interview with Nathaniel Zakka Arewa on ZaarGossip explained explicitly his role and views in Teaching, Politics, Entrepreneurship and Agriculture as well as his view on Zaar Chiefdom. Below are the excerpts:

A BRIEF HISTORY OF HON. AMINU TUKUR

Hon Aminu Tukur was born on the 18th of December 1961 at Gital of Tafawa Balewa LGA, Bauchi State, his father was an inspector at Gital Central Primary School, there after they were transferred to Shel in 1963 December. By the tradition of their house nobody is enrolled into elementary school until he has graduated from the quranic school, so he wasn’t enrolled into primary school until he was 12 years old. He had a period of 4years of primary education in Zwall between 1973 to 1978 subsequently he got admission to Bauchi Teachers College from 1978 to 1981 and was later transferred to Government Teachers College Missau where he did his form 4 and 5 and pass out on the 9th of June 1983. while he was at Government Teachers College Missau He served as the House Captain of Tafawa Balewa House, College Prefect Secretary, President Debating, Drama and Science Club, President Tafawa Balewa Student Union, Secretary General of the Muslim Society of Nigeria and an active Boys Scout Person.

He got employed and was posted to Government Teachers college Gadau to teach on 14th November 1983, He didn't report until  14th of January 1984 after the take over of Buhari administration from the Shagari regime, He worked for the period of 11years with the Bauchi State Ministry of Education.(I.e from January 14th 1984 to July 1995 when He voluntarily retired).

While he was still teaching he got admission to College of Education Azare in 1988 and graduated in 1991, while at College of education Azare he was the President of the Student Union Government (SUG) for 2 consecutive terms.

As earlier observed, his first place of posting was Government Teachers college Gadau, his second place of posting is Government junior Secondary School Shira, then transferred to Women Arabic Teachers College Alkaleri in June 1991 and finally to Government Comprehensive day secondary school Bauchi where he serve for the period of 1 year.

He then decided to venture into Business and Agriculture and then by 1996 when the ban on political activities were lifted by the then Sani Abacha regime, he participated in the campaign process to contest for the Chairmanship of Tafawa Balewa LGA but on a later note  decided to step aside for Alhaji Ibrahim Halilu who won the election as the  Chairman of Tafawa Balewa Local Government. Area.

After the tenure of Alhaji Ibrahim Halilu, Hon. Aminu Tukur contested for the position again under the platform of United Nigeria Peoples Congress (UNCP), he won and was sworn in as Chairman Tafawa Balewa Local Government in March 1987 and served for the period of 15 months

His tenure should have been for a period of 3 year but was truncated after the demise of Gen Sani Abacha by the administration of General Abdulsalami Abubakar, he got back to his farm and later got himself enlisted as a member of the All peoples party (APP) with the advent of political dispensation under the administration of Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar and through that process he was elected to serve as the National Assistant Secretary of the party in charge of North East for a period of 4 years from 1999 to 2003.

By 2004 he decided to enlist for a French course in the Bayero University Kano for a period of 18 months and pass out with a diploma in French studies, subsequently by 2006 when the political process started ahead of  the 2007 General Election he participated fully which he finally emerged as the candidate of the All Peoples Party (APP) by then it have already been changed to All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).While he was member of the State House of Assembly he enrolled for a diploma course on computer studies with the consultancy services of the University of Jos for a period of 18 Months.

He contested for State House of Assembly under Lere/Bula constituency which is the whole of Tafawa Balewa Local Government and was elected and served for a period of 4 years from 12th of June,2007 to 13th of June,2011 .

Hon. Aminu Tukur then contested for the house of representatives under the same platform and lost to the Candidate of the People's Democratic Party Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara.

Thereafter there was merger of the 3 major political parties in 2014 : ACN, ANPP and CPC Which led to the formation of the APC, He contested once again as a Member of the Bauchi State House of Assembly representing Lere/Bula constituency and won, He served for a period of 4 years which elapse of recent on the 19 of June 2019.

While he was a member of the 6th Assembly from 2007 to 2011 he served as the Chairman House committee on Education, Vice Chairman House committee on Agriculture, Member House selection committee and other committees, while from 2015 to 2019 he serve as Member Education community, Chairman House committee on Agriculture, Member House committee on Information, Member House committee on ethic and privileges. Hon Aminu Tukur is also the one time the Secretary General of the Muslim Society of Nigeria, Chairman Miyetti Allah Cattle breeders Association of Nigeria Bauchi State chapter and currently the chairman Fulani Sociocultural Association of Bauchi State and a Patron to virtually all the Fulani associations in the State.

Beside his his political career Hon. Aminu Tukur is also an active Farmer, having at least 5 different farm locations which are actively involved in cultivation and processing of farm produce, Hon Aminu Tukur belong to the first 20 farmers in Bauchi State, he is a large scale producer of palm oil in the State, Garri, Sugar Cane, Plantain/Banana,  Poultry House and Livestock.

POLITICALLY SPEAKING YOU WERE DIRECTLY AFFILIATED TO THE PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN THE 2019 ELECTION CAN WE ACTUALLY ACCREDIT IT TO YOU THAT YOU ARE A MEMBER OF THE PDP?

 I belong to the All Progressive Congress (APC) and had whatever reason to push in together with my seniors in the political circle, I recall a moment when we had to meet with the national chairman of the party His Excellency Adams Oshomole under the leadership of the then Speaker Federal House of Representatives; Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, together with two of our Senators:Sen. Nazif Gamawa and Sen. Isa Hama and two members of the National Assembly Rt.Hon. Salisu Zakkari and Rt. Hon. Ahmed Yarima Misau and captain Muhammed Ibrahim.

We had cause to tell the National Chairman that the entire process that led to the emergence of the party leadership from the ward to the state level was arbitrarily done not in accordance with the party principles and not in accordance with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We challenged the whole process and even had cause to take the issue to court but unfortunately we were given deaf ears.

I also recall a moment while we were discussing with the APC national chairman on 12th of July, 2018 I told him; as bonafied members of the party, if you fail to change the leadership that will lead to a proper internal democracy in the party be rest assured that we will do our best to see the down fall of the party. We ask him to either annul the ward, local government and State congress that led to the emergence of the present leadership in the APC or come up with a process where by only genuine card carrying members of the party should participate in the emergence of flag bearers of the party.

It was our session with him that led to the adoption of the process that card carrying members of the party should determine who should be the candidate of the political party which was tested in Osun State, but when I discuss the issue with Rt. Hon Yakubu Dogara He told me it was just gimmick and we came to know of it during the General Primaries that led to the party candidates of the 2019 general election, the whole process was Mared and we resolve that we had to look for a better place.

I also recall a moment when there was election to fill in the vacuum created by late Senator Malam Ali Wakili, it was agreed with the national chairman that the procedure to be adopted will be that each card carrying member of the party should decide the fate of the party, the party primaries will be conducted at the 75 wards of Bauchi South Senatorial District, but unfortunately that very day they came deliberately  and couldn’t address anybody until about 6pm, which based on the directives of the party there was an indirect primaries, meaning the working committee members from the ward, the local government executive committee members, members of the federative council who belong to the constituency are the once to determine the fate of the party, so I decided to opt out and picked a ticket with the APP(Action Peoples Party) because a lot of people across the constituency were saying that I Must contest and as political person you belong to the people rather than belong to your own self.

Finally coming back to what you rightly ask about where I belong to? Not only my self but most of us resolve that we had to go to the PDP and we were able to defeat APC in the State, severally i have declared my allegiance to the PDP on different fora, in different interviews. At this very point I can confidently say that my political alienation is now with the People's Democratic Party (PDP) although am not a card carrying member of the Party.

NOW THAT YOU ARE NOT OCCUPYING ANY POLITICAL OFFICE, SHOULD WE SAY YOU ARE RESTING OR RETIRED?

Let me site an instance with one of our fathers who died early this year, i have admonished him severally, He was the pioneer Secretary General of the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) Alhaji Abas, Severally at his old age when he is been confronted about issues of politics he always consoled me on phone saying “Ni sun matsa mini akan abun nan” Meaning this People keep stressing me about this thing oh!  and I will always say to him Baba once you are alive you must participate, if you fail to participate believe me you are killing the political spirit in you which will take you closer to your grave.

I use to tell him that politicians of these days are so stupid In their way of thinking and approach to solving issues, they seem to be so much self centered and interested in what they can gain out of the political process rather than what the People and the Nation will benefit from their wealth of experience. If people should see your Caliber in any political gathering then their is definitely going to be some elements of respect because of your age, capacity and experience of over 50 years. So by taking you to a wider perspective I just want to let you know that “I THINK I WILL RETIRE FROM PARTY POLITICS AT THE POINT OF DEATH” Once I am alive I will remain in it.

AS A ONE TIME TEACHER AND A 2 TIME LEGISLATURE CAN YOU SAY EDUCATION IS PROGRESSING IN OUR STATE?

 You can even go beyond the State, put the Country on a scale, you will discover that our's is just a failed system simple! Just recently I interacted with a body of professionals from the discipline of education, they asked me on instances that affect education currently in Bauchi State, they were much more concerned on examination malpractices and other vices that are associated with educational sector, I told them they are facing a clay that is too stick and dangerous to climb.

What I told them was this when I was enrolled into form one in 1978 we were only 36 in the class, at the point of graduation we were only 36 in the class. This days, I will live to recall a time I went on a school inspection precisely in 2009, and I saw in one of the junior secondary school in Misau, in a single class I was able to count 86 Boys, 104 Girls. Now if our classes are such congested to a situation where you can have more that 4 initial school registers that we know, tell me how a teacher of English or Mathematics teach this students efficiently? How will he/she be able to mark their assignments during the break period, tell me what miracle will he use to mark their exam scripts during the vacation. So it goes to tell us that there is a total failure in our approach to solving educational problems in the State and the Nation at large.

Secondly it is a universal acclamation that every Nation or State should see to it that not less than 26% of it's annual budget is been allocated to education. I am sure I have never heard of a situation where by in Bauchi State 26% of the total budget of the state Is been given to education I'm yet to witness  of that era. Believe me if we can allocate 50% of the total budgetary allocation for a year in Bauchi State and even in the country, I am telling you we will not solve the problem of education but we will definitely reduce it to a great minimal.

Our's is a Nation where by the structures are not there, furniture are inadequate, you can sum it up by saying that the learning environment is dilapidated. When we talk of the learning environment we talk of everything that has to do with learning, meaning the school structure, a library, football pitch, best seating arrangements and other sitting aids that will facilitate faster learning and easy comprehension and finally the capacity of the teachers. Believe me the capacity of the teachers is grossly inadequate.

You will discover that the children of people in authority don’t attend public schools, now when leaders fail to patronize public schools along with the children of the ordinary, definitely it get to tell you that things are wrong completely, let me site and example to what happen when we were in Bauchi State college, Tatari Ali was sworn in as Governor of Bauchi State but believe me he had a son who was my namesake Aminu Abubakar Tatari Ali, he was a Student of Bauchi State Teacher's College.

I never knew any kind of preferential treatment that was given to him, we were been served food on the same dining table, slept in the same room and taught by the same teachers. There wasn’t anything special to show that there is a son of a Governor in that school. I will live to recall that military Governors in succession, their kids schooled at Sa'adu Zungur Primary School along with the kids of the very ordinary, but these days you hardly see the son of a counselor attending Public School not to talk of a Local Government Chairman.

The public schools are been left for the children of the very ordinary to waste their energy and time, at the end of the day you will discover that a Primary 6 Pupil cannot write his name correctly. It is not surprising that somebody who has just finished his SS3 can not differentiate between a simple and a compound sentence. If this is where we are then definitely ours is a failed system, meaning we are heading for the dooms rather than heading for prosperity.

We must appreciate the fact that no society can develop above the level of its teachers and if the Teachers in a state do not have the capacity to develop the skills in the individuals that are all over then definitely such a country is a failed state.

WHAT IN  YOUR OWN OPINION IS  THE WAY FORWARD TO SALVAGE OUR STATE AND NIGERIA AS A COUNTRY FROM THIS VERY PROBLEM

I think I will have to use a term in economics, there must be a division of labour in solving the problem of education in the country, if GOVERNMENT in the 60s, 70s and early 80s can afford to finance Education 100% then we must be realistic that the number of entrance into schools have increased more than 10 folds by factor of multiplication.

I will live to recall that it was Tatari Ali regime between 1979 and 1983 that increase the number of secondary schools across the former Bauchi State (present Bauchi and Gombe State) to 63 schools, I use to know of having only 5 Primary and 4 Secondary schools in Bauchi town:Government Technical College Bauchi, Government Girls Secondary School Bauchi, Goverment School Bauchi and Bauchi Teachers College, but now in Bauchi we have more than 30 schools if not 50.

And when we look at the revenue drive of the state we will definitely have to appreciate the fact that the revenue is not enough even if the total sum will be taken just to service education, it will not solve the problem. But unfortunately Government have all along been shy in telling the truth, let parents know of their responsibility as parents, lets assume that government should build schools equip them, bring in teachers who are competent and qualified to do the job but parents should be taught of the fact that they must take charge of the welfare of their kids and wards. So Parents must be given a responsibility in the education of there wards. Mind you free education does not really entells that everything should be free.

If during our days we were been given transport money to go back home during vacation which is even enough to even bring you back after the vacation and at the same time you are been given a monthly stipends in the school by the Government, we must face the reality that those good olds days have passed forever and we must appreciate the fact that changes are inevitable and we must adopt to it such that the problem will be solved, meaning Government should get to know of it's capacity and ability to face the public and tell them the truth, do you want us to develop the educational sub-sector? Yes! Alright come to a round table, this is what we can afford  and we expect you to put in your quarter by at-least feeding your kids, SO THERE SHOULD BE A DIVISION OF LABOUR IN TRYING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF EDUCATION IN BAUCHI STATE AND IN NIGERIA AT LARGE.

TAKING YOU BACK TO POLITICS SIR!  AFTER THE EMERGENCE OF SEN. BALA MOHAMMAD AS THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF BAUCHI STATE WHEN IT WAS TIME FOR HIM TO MAKE CERTAIN APPOINTMENTS ESPECIALLY FOR THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CHAIRMEN, RUMOR HAS IT THAT YOU WERE CONSULTED FOR THAT OF TAFAWA BALEWA LGA, CAN YOU TELL US WHAT ACTUALLY TRANSPIRED.

Well the Governor called me and he told me that he had me in mind to be the chairman of the Local Government but unfortunately he came to realize that my self, the member representing the entire local government in the state House of Assembly and his Commissioner nominee are from the same district in a local government where we have two District that are very much distinct, and we must appreciate the fact that the plurality of our local government entells that every segment should be given a sense of belonging, so I appreciated him for taking me into confidence to share my opinion and I encourage him that the present leadership of the local government should be constituted and it was constituted and am contented with that.

WHILE YOU WERE MEMBER DURING YOUR FIRST TENURE AND YOUR SECOND TENURE IN THE STATE ASSEMBLY, CAN YOU ACTUALLY RECALL THE NUMBER OF BILLS YOU PROPOSED? THOSE THAT WERE APPROVED AND THOSE THAT WEREN'T?

Most of the bills that I actively got myself involved in have been passed to become laws in Bauchi State

Most of which were executive bills during the 6th assembly and there are several bills that has to do with educational institutions. In 2007 to 2011 I presided over all of them, reennecting the bill of Tatari Ali polytechnic, college of education Azare and several other tertiary institutions belonging to the state Government and I need not to say that I was the architect but I was the principal actor in the bill that came up with the creation of districts, village areas and hamlets in Bauchi state and I WAS THE BRAIN BEHIND THE BILL THAT CAME UP WITH THE CREATION OF ZAAR CHIEFDOM which is still in place despite the fact that the bill that recognize additional village areas and hamlets have been scrapped but that of the Zaar Chiefdom is still intact and I can take credit of been the single author of that bill because I was the one that was even dictating when it was typeset and finally read before the floor of the house. Equally the bill creating Bauchi state university I was the one that handle the bill and during the 8th assembly I sponsored 4 bills, one has to do with the blockage of high ways in the state by markets etc and the bill was accented  to by the Government and its now illegal for anybody to block passages just in the name of market in the state, I sponsored another bill making it mandatory for all federal and state roads in the state to leave 50meters either sides to serve as cattle roads in Bauchi state, that one was equally accented to, there is a bill I equally sponsored that has to do with the banning of gambling in Bauchi state it was equally passed and accented to by the then Governor and the last bill has to do with the blockage of ways in our urban centers during Friday prayers and Sunday service and it was equally accented to by the then Government, so I sponsored 4 bills during my stay in the 8th assembly, and you should know that public petition committee is a statutory committee meaning is a constitutional committee, so whatever that is been passed by public petition was passed under my chairmanship and we have passed several resolutions that has to do with public petition that emanate from several individuals and institutions in the state, these once are too numerous I cannot mention and there are motions that are uncountable, but one can go to the state House of Assembly and see the chart of our performance and am happy to let you know that we have done our best.

SPEAKING ABOUT ZAAR CHIEFDOM, THE BILL HAVE BEEN PASSED INTO LAW BUT STILL THERE IS NO STAFF OF OFFICE FOR THE GUNGZAR. AS SOMEONE WHO ACTUALLY PIONEERED THAT BILL WILL YOU ACTUALLY SAY THE ZAAR PEOPLE HAVE GOTTEN SOMETHINGS WRONG AT SOME POINT OR THE GOVERNMENT.

Well the failure has to do with the Zaar ethnic Nationality, they have fail to appreciate the beauty of the law and act in accordance with the provision of the law, the bill is explicit it have stated the criteria, the demarcation and whatever that is contain therein that will lead to the emergence of Gung Zaar for the Zaar Ethnic Nationality and unfortunately the Zaar counsel of elders and whoever that is concerned fail to appreciate the beauty of the work that is been put in place

BY VIRTUE OF WHAT YOU ARE SAYING, THERE IS NO FAULT WHATEVER ON THE SIDE OF THE GOVERNMENT? IS THAT WHAT YOU ARE ACTUALLY SAYING?

Usually we are been Governed by enabling laws so if a law is been put in place you must respect the law, when you fail to respect the law, the law will never respect you but rather it will annihilate you, except If the law is been modified or amended, but for the mean time the content of the law as bee?  passed and accented to by the Government of Mallam Isa Yuguda hasn’t been appreciated by the concern people for the actualization of Zaar Chiefdom.

PRIOR TO 2019 THERE WAS A CALL BY THE NIGERIAN YOUTH TO PARTICIPATE IN POLITICS WHICH LED TO A BILL FOR NOT TOO YOUNG TO RUN BUT AFTER  THE ELECTION THERE WAS A COMPLETE FAILURE OF THE EMERGENCE OF THE YOUTHS AMONG THOSE WHO WERE ELECTED INTO POWER AS ONLY A POCKET FEW EMERGED,GIVING CREDENCE TO THE TWO MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES AND THEIR PRIMARIES. WHAT IS ACTUALLY IN YOUR OPINION IS THE PROBLEM.

Well there are 2 things, in all advance societies you will discover that Talents don’t emerge but they evolve and when you look at the age at which president Barack Obama became the President of the United States of America  that does not mean that he wasn’t a popular figure, contesting from the lower rank up to the level of the president of the united states, the fundamental tool has to do with the fact that one has to be known by his antecedence and his capacity to relate with people, in a plural society like ours in Nigeria that is so diverse having so much of ethnic differences, religious intolerance, sectional kind of approach to solving issues, one has to take a longer period to be known and identified by the people, that is a fundamental factor to what led to a very few young men into the political offices.

SECONDLY we must admonish the fact that democracy is money consuming that is why when you asses the percentage of young adults and women in the political circle you will discover the fact that women are been relegated to the background because of the fact that they don’t have the financial ware-withal to contest in a setting that is known to be the Nigeria setting where everything is “Pay Cash and Carry It” Nobody can dispute the fact that in this country politics is been thrown to the highest bidder, whoever that pays much get the office he is aspiring for. So money is there, factor of been known is also there.

And don’t forget the fact that Wisdom has to do with age, people are still comfortable with having older kind of opinion in presiding over issues simply because of the fact that they were able to asses what has transpired yesterday and are in position to preside over what is currently happening today and will make a fair and better assessment of what may transpire tomorrow.

That doesn't mean the young men are not active and does not have the capacity to think forth with, they do! But the factors I have earlier enumerated

• Been known
• Been assessed
• Been tested

Having the resources

These are definitely some of the drawbacks that are associated with the inability of the young adults to get into positions of authority with regard to electable positions in the country

THERE IS A GENERAL MISCONCEPTION OF RECENT ABOUT CERTAIN HAPPENINGS BETWEEN FULANI HERDERS AND FARMERS, IN BRIEF WHAT IS THE TRUE HABIT OF A FULANI MAN EXEMPTING HIM FROM A TERRORIST?

Man is a product of his environment,  go to Cameroon Republic you will never hear of farmers and herders clash, the same when you go to Niger republic. it has to do with the policies of the government. In all the francophone speaking countries of west and central Africa there are gazetted and designated areas that are been put in place for grazing 100% no trespass, unfortunately when you look at the Nigerian Scenario you will discover that virtually all the grazing reserves, all the cattle routes are no longer there they have been taken over by either selfish individuals who have gotten the mandate of the people to preside over their affair or are arbitrarily been allocated to farmers.

Don’t just put it to the fact that its only the Fulani that are nomad, make it a general assessment by language classification, the Fulani along with the Tivs who are known to be living a kind of Tom and Jerry life because you will discover that the tension between Tivs and Fulanis is so much pronounced beyond any other, but let me tell you it is only the Tivs and the Fulanis that are known in Nigeria to be the people who belong to the Congolic class of languages and they belong to the Bantustan clan of languages and all Bantustan clan of languages are known to be cattle breeders

There is an adage that says “when you push some one to the wall then he reacts” a herder that is known to be somebody who come, stay for a period of time been a nomad, graze his cows for a certain period and move else where, when he comes back he will discover that even his passage is no longer there the passages are been blocked, how will he pass? When he happen to pass through where he use to pass through as his passage you will discover that he has destroy crop, the owner of the crop will face him squarely for a combat, that was what led to where we are now,

Had it been that the country is serious like the other francophone countries there be such, you will discover that what is been put in place by our forefathers and our colonial masters have been discarded, if you look at Bauchi state for instance most of the grazing reserves that were known to exist in the former Bauchi state were not only gazetted by the first republic or rather the precolonial days to the post independence period, but during the tenure of General Yakubu Gowon as the military head of state of Nigeria virtually all these grazing reserves were even fenced, Galambi cattle ranch that is 2 kilometers from my farm was completely fenced by the government of General Yakubu Gowon but now it is a farm belonging to a very senior citezen of the state, a grazing reserve that was fenced by Ngas person who is supposed to be a farmer to take care of the interest of herders and surprisingly it was taken over and put to use privately by those who belong to the family of the herders

So our's has to do with the bastardization of the legal processes and what was put in place that will give room for sanity, trust and confidence across, so invariably it led to where we are. On the average when you ask the few elders in our society what use to be the relationship between cattle herders and the ordinary farmer whom they usually come and pass on the farm on their way up north or down south during the dry season, they will let you know that it has been a perfect kind of relationship in those days.

Not forgetting the fact that our policies as a country has relegated them to a bunch of illiterates, when somebody is an illiterate he cant differentiate between what is right and wrong, this is not what is tenable in francophone countries, I was in a nomadic settlement in northern Senegal believe me they are been put into clusters, in each cluster there is a primary school, health center, veterinary clinic, pipe borne water and if that area have no telephony there is a mask for them that connect them to telephones that they can relate with the outside world. This is what is tenable in all francophone countries, their nomads are not ignorant, they are not illiterates, they know of their rights and are actively been involved in the scheme of things but this is not so with the Nigerian scenario.

Had it been the nomadic Fulanis were been forced, as the proclamation by General Yakubu Gowon when he come up with the universal primary education (UPE), he said it is free but compulsory, had it been it was enforced by this time you hardly come across an illiterate person in this country. Once people are enlightened you will discover that their approach to violence is very minimal, so illiteracy is a contributing factor to where we are.

The issue of kidnapping and banditry has to do with the fact that virtually all their possession has been consumed through legal means and other security issue  that is been created by their inability to find a safe haven for themselves.

So it will be right to state that the problem is neither from the Farmer nor the herder but the failure of Government to segregate