Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar is not a career politician seeking favors in the corridors of power. Those who know him recognize a man who carries himself with dignity, honor, and quiet confidence. His record speaks to a lifetime of service built on merit.
For anyone to suggest that his role as Foreign Affairs Minister is the product of lobbying is not only misled but has been entirely divorced from reality.
Tuggar’s career—from business to diplomacy—has been defined by competence and achievement, not opportunism. The Bauchi State Commissioner of Finance, Yakubu Adamu desperately trying to earn his boss’ appraisal has chosen to blur the line between fact and fiction by claiming that Ambassador Tuggar earned his role as Minister through the efforts of the former First Lady to the President. Perhaps a reminder of the Ambassador’s pedigree is in order.
Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar is no stranger to public service, diplomacy, or governance. Educated in International Relations at the United States International University in San Diego, he later earned a master’s degree from the University of Cambridge. His academic credentials were a prelude to a distinguished career that spanned business, politics, and international diplomacy. In the oil and gas sector, he established himself as an entrepreneur and consultant, contributing to industry-defining studies and serving on corporate boards. His foray into politics saw him represent Gamawa Federal Constituency of Bauchi State from 2007 to 2011, where he played a key role in shaping procurement policies, petroleum governance, legislative budgeting, and foreign affairs. The records are there to corroborate this.
His tenure as Nigeria’s Ambassador to Germany, beginning in 2017, cemented his reputation as a skilled diplomat. In this role he spearheaded the repatriation of 1,130 Benin artefacts, including 22 looted bronzes valued at over €100 million, a landmark achievement in the global movement for the restitution of cultural heritage. His negotiations extended beyond diplomacy, fostering economic partnerships that included the Nigeria Presidential Power Initiative with Siemens, an agricultural financing agreement between NIRSAL and Petkus Technologie GmbH, and a $50 million investment fund for Nigerian startups through AfricaGrow (Allianz Global Investors). Each initiative reflected his ability to leverage diplomacy for economic transformation.
In recognition of his contributions to national development, Ambassador Tuggar was awarded the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON). In August 2023, he assumed the role of Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, bringing with him a wealth of experience and a record of innovation. In both government and diplomacy, his work speaks for itself—whether or not the Hon. Commissioner chooses to acknowledge it.
It is insulting to hear anyone narrow Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar’s appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs to be the outcome of the goodwill of any single individual. While not downplaying the impact his good and quality relationships have on his influence, Ambassador Tuggar has distinguished himself by hard work, experience, and global recognitions to earn him a role in a government that means serious business with the international community. He has maintained and sustained solid relationships both in Nigeria and abroad that have earned him global recognition as a diplomat and politician per excellence.
In fact it was courtesy one of those relationships, that Ambassador Tuggar was able to attract Bruderhilfe Social Development Initiative, a German charity organisation to donate 90 mobility carts to Bauchi State in April 2020.
It was also Ambassador Tuggar’s relationships while as Ambassador in Germany that he used to attract investments from Imagination First GmbH a German organisation to invest in Bauchi State under Bala Mohammed.
It is those relationships, his charisma, his intellect and his exceptional intuition that have earned Ambassador Tuggar his respect and place as a thoroughbred and sophisticated diplomat.
There are very few diplomats today who can measure up to half of Ambassador Tuggar’s qualifications, exposure and worth. He is a first class choice of the President for the role of Foreign Affairs Minister, and it goes without saying that he is delivering far above his predecessors in office.
Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar has distinguished himself. Unlike this pathetic Yakubu Adamu who only found himself as a Commissioner for Finance in Bauchi State through the sordid relationship his has with the Governor’s son, Shamsudeen Bala Mohammed. He is in fact serving only at the pleasure of the Governor’s son.
In Bauchi State today, the activities of a company owned by allies of the State Governor, RZI Ventures Global Resorts would alarm its residents. The company is used to pay monthly stipends to a certain prince in the state and his friends.
There is also DreamLabs Nigeria Limited, and Ayab Agro Allied which have received billions of Naira from the State coffers and are serving the same purpose for the state government—under the watch of the Commissioner of Finance, Shamsudeen Bala Mohammed.
Does he have the moral ground to speak about Ambassador Tuggar? He had better learn to earn the kind of respect, experience and patriotism that Ambassador Tuggar has before mentioning his name next time.
Muhmood Umar Sanda, SA to the Hon. Member Representing Udubo
