Comparing Buhari and Tinubu’s impact in North Central

By N.D Dandasu

Policy Analyst and Political Historian

In two years, Tinubu has done more than Buhari did in eight years in the North Central (Middle Belt). The North Central, often referred to as the Middle Belt, comprises all the non-Hausa and Fulani communities in the 19 Northern states.

Let’s compare Southern Kaduna alone; in less than two years, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has done the following:

1. Appointed Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa.
2. Established a Federal Medical Centre.
3. Founded a Federal University of Applied Sciences.
4. Set up a Military Command.
5. Drastic improvement in farmer/herder conflict.

Just taking that part of Middle Belt, unlike during Buhari’s era, the news we keep hearing is about mass burials. It baffles many that the North Central (Middle Belt) often gets tangible infrastructure and juicy federal appointments when a southerner, irrespective of his religion or tribe, is the President of Nigeria. Make your comparison since the return of democracy; I just did for Buhari and Tinubu.

Is it because:

1. Middle Belters are majorly non-Hausa and Fulani communities?
2. Middle Belters are majorly Christians (Arnan Arewa, meaning pagans of the North), a derogatory term often used by Muslim extremists from the core North.

Well, that’s why when they say the North, also referred to as Arewa, the inhabitants of North Central (Middle Belt) often count themselves out because politically, they are not carried along, particularly in Buhari’s administration. Probably, in the future, a moderate Muslim from the North will emerge president and unite the 19 Northern states. For now, the North is never a united entity, which is why Tinubu knows the coalition against his government may suffer setbacks because he’s strategically working on securing North Central and Southern votes ahead of 2027. He knows the game very well and is surrounded by intelligent people. Though it’s obvious his economic policies are anti-people..

Lastly, we don’t pray for Buhari-type leadership again in Nigeria. Reason Senator Shehu Sani said, “the foundation for nepotism in Nigeria was laid by the immediate past administration of President Buhari.”