Tax Reforms: Bauchi Govt Fires Back at Tuggar Over Alleged Undermining of Bala Mohammed

The foreign affairs minister, Yusuf Tuggar, has come under fire from the Bauchi State government for criticizing Governor Bala Mohammed’s position on the tax reform plan.

Mohammed was allegedly attacked by Tuggar for opposing the Federal Government’s tax reform initiative.

Responding Aminu Gamawa, the governor of Bauchi State’s chief of staff, said in a statement released on Wednesday that the minister’s outburst was an effort to gain political significance.

He accused Tuggar of being disconnected from the realities of government and called his remarks “opportunistic and desperate.”

Gamawa claimed that Tuggar’s attack on Bala Mohammed was merely an effort to stay politically relevant by focusing on the governor, whose agricultural policies have made Bauchi State a thriving economic center.

He outlined a number of Mohammed’s projects, including the agriculture industry in particular, which he claimed had produced thousands of jobs for young people and farmers. He mentioned a few of these programs, including the Kaura Economic Empowerment Programme, which “has empowered locals with skills in cash crop production, animal husbandry, and fish farming.”

A man from Bauchi State named Tuggar is blissfully unaware of these facts. He would have witnessed firsthand the change Bala Mohammed has brought to Bauchi if he had stayed in his native state longer rather than traveling to other capitals, the statement continued.

Additionally, Tuggar’s criticism of the land use practices of the Bauchi government was characterized in the statement as a baseless smear campaign. It defended Mohammed’s Tiamin Rice Project, claiming that it had improved the state’s economy and produced thousands of employment.

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“Tuggar’s denial of such attempts as ‘land grabbing’ is a flagrant distortion that ignores the truth. His remarks reveal a basic lack of understanding on the contribution of large-scale agriculture to economic growth.

“Yusuf Tuggar’s efforts to discredit Bala Mohammed are pointless and desperate. His allegations are unfounded and unpersuasive due to his poor performance as Foreign Affairs Minister and his disinterest in the realities of Bauchi State. Before trying to point out the speck in Bala Mohammed’s eye, Tuggar ought to take the log out of his own, Gamawa continued.