Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has decried what he described as unemployment, poverty, and poor access to healthcare in Bauchi State.
Tuggar, who stated this in Bauchi on Saturday while declaring his interest in contesting the 2027 governorship election in the state, said the north-east state was at a crossroads.
“Our state stands at the crossroads. We’re rich in history, culture, and human potential, yet many of our people continue to face poverty, unemployment, insecurity, and limited access to quality education and healthcare.
“This must change, and it will change. I am stepping forward, not for power but for service, not for privilege but for progress.
“Past leaders in the state have done their part, and we thank them for that,” said the former minister.
“I am coming forward to build on the good legacies of previous leaders and correct mistakes of the past where they occurred,” he added.
The former envoy, however, assured residents of Bauchi of his commitment to improving their lives through an improved economy, particularly in agriculture, by increasing household income and enhancing their purchasing power.
“This we will achieve by investing the money of the state in the areas of economic advantage, namely farming during the rainy season, as well as during the dry season, raising animals at home by women, youths, and others, and improving transhumance through making the forest reserves and transhumance corridors modernised and improved.
“And we are not just doing this at the top of our heads; we have a blueprint for implementing this because agriculture is very important. We have something similar for solid minerals, so we have come very much prepared,” Tuggar declared.
The former minister said that the full payment of workers’ salaries on time, improvement of local markets in the state, which he said were important to the economy and families, as well as support for farmers and the development of agro-processing industries to create jobs, were top on his agenda.
“Our core message here is that we will move from subsistence to prosperity, making agriculture a business, not just survival,” he added.
He also said that while Bauchi enjoys relative security in comparison with neighbouring states, it has its fair share of insecurity, which he said was deteriorating.
“We will use community policing and dialogue, and, importantly, our traditional institutions. We will strengthen collaboration with security agencies and local communities,” he added.