Tuggar: One Minister’s Bold Answer to the Farmer-Herder Madness By Umar Farouk Bala
At a time when northern Nigeria groans under the twin burdens of insecurity and climate change, one man is daring to connect the dots between conflict and climate — and to act decisively.
That man is Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs. Long viewed as a silent fire consuming rural communities, the farmer-herder crisis is more than an ethnic or economic clash.
It is a climate war — fought over shrinking water bodies, disappearing pasturelands, and unpredictable weather. What began as a struggle for survival has morphed into a full-blown security threat destabilizing the entire northern region.
But in Tuggar, there emerges a minister who sees beyond the surface, and who is placing climate resilience at the heart of national security. On March 5, 2025, he touched down in Udobo, Bauchi State — a region once famed for its abundant wetlands and rich farmlands, now battered by years of neglect and conflict.
That visit was no photo op. It was a statement. A shift from the old order of reactive militarization to a bold, developmental response rooted in science, diplomacy, and common sense.
Through his collaboration with the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Tuggar is championing a return to modern, climate-smart agriculture.
The introduction of solar-powered irrigation systems and mechanized farming tools is more than innovation — it is liberation. Liberation from hunger, from violence, from hopelessness.
“This land once fed nations,” Tuggar declared. “We aim to revive that legacy — not displace those who till it.” It was a promise. One that rang true in the hearts of local farmers, many of whom had lost everything but hope.
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And Tuggar is backing those words with action..By dispelling suspicions of land grabbing and ensuring that the revival of Udobo will benefit its original inhabitants, he is restoring trust where suspicion once reigned.
By sourcing funds through diplomatic channels — from ECOWAS and key federal agencies — he is proving that foreign policy is not just about embassies and envoys. It is about lives.
His strategic approach recognizes that climate resilience is not a luxury — it is a necessity for peace. Where crops fail, guns rise. Where irrigation flows, bullets stop. Grassroots voices are beginning to echo his impact.
Farmers like Aisha Muhammad, who once relied on seasonal rain, now speak of year-round farming prospects. Youth leaders such as Musa Adamu Udobo welcome the employment opportunities and migration alternatives this revival project offers to restless northern youths.
In a region where conflict is often used as an excuse for inaction, Tuggar is showing what purposeful governance looks like. Under President Bola Tinubu, leaders like Tuggar are redefining foreign affairs as tools of domestic transformation.
Nigeria, through his efforts, is telling a new story — one where food security equals national security, and where the battle against climate change is also a battle for peace. Ambassador Tuggar is not just reviving farms — he is reviving futures.
His message is simple yet profound: “Food security is national security. Udobo’s revival symbolizes our resolve — a Nigeria where no farmer fears progress.”
In the face of rising heat and heightened tension, Tuggar stands tall — not just as a diplomat, but as a climate realist, a peace advocate, and a believer in the power of the land to heal a nation.
Umar Farouk Bala is a serving corps member at the PRNigeria Centre, Abuja. He can be reached via: [email protected].
