Pauline Tallen Deserves Ministerial Slot, As APC Jos North Wages War Against Buhari -Shabul Mazadu
Yakubu Busari
The All Progressives Congress (APC), Jos North chapter uttered its dismay on President Muhammadu Buhari for not nominating someone from Jos North as minister of the Federal Republic.
The BLUE PRINT newspaper Monday July 29, 2019, reported the APC chairman, Alhaji Sani Muhammad Gangare, expressing dismay with President Buhari over what he calls neglect of Jos North in the list of his nominees.
The report has it as follows: “We read President Buhari’s list of ministerial nominations with great shock because it neglected our collective hard work that resulted into electing him as President in 2015 and 2019.
Despite our massive support, we feel neglected with the non-inclusion of our people by him for appointment,”
“Mr. President is aware that many of our teeming youths have either lost their lives or incurred several degrees of injuries and other economic lost for supporting him since his sojourned into partisan politics from 2003 to date.
“In Jos North we did not only canvass for him but consistently voted massively for him, wherever he went.
“In 2015 and 2019, we maintained the same political posture and gave him 93, 800 votes and yet our efforts is now glaringly again neglected with the appointment of someone from Shendam whose votes was only 38,196.
“We can make bold to say that the posture of the Presidency towards us in Jos North was not only a grievous neglect but we see it as creating a political imbalance within the state. ”
Anyone that is following Plateau political terrain will attest to the fact that Dame Pauline Tallen is more of a daughter and a darling to Jos North. Jos North is one of her strongest holds politically. Most of the people of Jos North; Anaguta, Afizere, Berom, Hausa, Yoruba, Ijaw and any other tribe sees Tallen as a mother. Several times the Hausa community called her their own just as Plateau Central and Plateau South do.
A minister is an ambassador of their state and not for a particular zone, tribe or religion. They can come from anywhere, but what is expected of them is to carry all indiscriminately. When President Umaru Yar’Adua appointed Dasuki Nakande as state minister of communication, he worked for the overall interest of Plateau without discrimination. There are testimonies from so many people of other zones on how he empowered them.
The concern here should be, will Tallen carry everyone along, and not she shouldn’t have been nominated because they come from the same zone with the governor.
Tallen did not discriminate any of the zones when she facilitated the Micro Enterprise Enhancement Scheme where 1600 women benefitted and the cosmetology training where 200 women were trained. Jos North women kept showering torrential accolades on her.
As Minister of State for Science and Technology, she secured so many appointments for Plateau Citizens without recourse to tribe, religion and zone. The records are there. Little wonder our distinguished senators said her DNA is in every Nigerian, which is true.
It is surprising that at the time Jos North APC is lamenting on her nomination many of the party stalwarts and that of the PDP congratulated her; likewise stakeholders and many well wishers from the same Jos North.
In terms of working for Buhari’s victory at the polls both in 2015 and 2019, Tallen is one of the strongest and front line soldiers. No woman beats her record in this feat in Plateau State.
She is seen by Nigerian women as their leader. And if women would be given ministerial positions, Tallen deserves one.
What I had expected Jos North APC to have done was to appreciate Buhari for appointing their daughter and a nationalist as minister and then demand for another slot.
Jos North APC should not be disappointed because the Tallen we know will treat them like her children and will do what they expecting.
