Tinubu’s Minister Slams North Central APC Over Non-Performance Claims

President Bola Tinubu’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Nentawe Yilwatda, has berated a group of North-Central All Progressives Congress stakeholders for accusing him of underperformance amid worsening regional humanitarian crises.

The North-Central APC Forum on Sunday alleged that since Yilwatda’s appointment in October 2024, his ministry has been largely absent in the face of devastating attacks and widespread displacement in Plateau State.

Speaking via a statement, the forum led by Saleh Zazzaga claimed that the minister has made no impact seven months after entering office.

The group referenced the data from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) that at least 52 people were killed and 1,820 displaced between March 27 and April 2 in Plateau.

The group said, “Seven months into his tenure, we are yet to feel the impact of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, even in his home state.”

The forum accused Yilwatda of failing to visit affected communities, even as indigenous populations continued to suffer repeated attacks. They noted that it was the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs, Yusuf Tanko Sununu, who had visited Bokkos Local Government Area in December 2024 to assess conditions and meet displaced persons, a task they said should have fallen to the substantive minister.

However, in an interview with Punch, Yilwatda dismissed the allegations as politically driven, insisting he had made multiple visits to crisis-hit areas and provided tangible support.

He said, “I want you to go to the communities attacked to confirm that I haven’t done anything.

“I’ve been to Bokkos twice. I’ve taken rice, roofing materials, foodstuff, cement everything.”

According to the minister, he also intervened in Barkin Ladi and the Katako market fire, supplying reconstruction materials and humanitarian aid. He said he had accompanied the Minister of Defence on some of these visits and could provide video evidence of his efforts.

“I don’t want to make noise about what I’ve done. Let people from those communities speak. My contributions are visible, and I’m open to investigations. If you Google it, you’ll see,” he said

He also challenged the forum’s political motives, saying, “This is the season of politics. But let’s not be armchair critics. What has that group done for the APC in the area they claim to speak for?”