Meet Prof. Tukur, FCT Minister’s look-alike
Weekly Trust: You look like with FCT Minister, Sen. Bala Mohammed. Are the two of you related? Prof. Liman Tukur: Well not at all in terms of blood relationship, or any other form of relationship. Indeed, I have never met him until recently, sometimes around April 21 or 22 when he (Senator Bala Mohammed) led […]
Weekly Trust: You look like with FCT Minister, Sen. Bala Mohammed. Are the two of you related?
Prof. Liman Tukur: Well not at all in terms of blood relationship, or any other form of relationship. Indeed, I have never met him until recently, sometimes around April 21 or 22 when he (Senator Bala Mohammed) led a delegation from Abuja. He was in Adamawa State, perhaps to inspect where they intend to host the national chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Bamanga Tukur in his Wakilin Chamba compound, at Mayo-Karlahi near Jada. That was our first meeting and quite a number of those who accompanied him and indeed, those who were with me also agreed that we quite look alike. In fact, quite a number of them thought we are really brothers.
Somebody even mentioned that we are twins, but we are not. It was a delightful meeting because I had suffered a lot from those who used to think that I’m either Bala Muhammad or related to him in some ways. Some mischievous people sometimes do suggest that they want to be by my side so that they can go and do 419 (laughter).
What kind of suffering did you experience because of the resemblance?
Yeah, honestly some are very embarrassing, while some are quite humorous. There was a time I asked a very close friend of mine, who usually takes me round whenever I’m in Abuja, to stop by an ATM so that I can withdraw some money. One woman who was driving by the opposite direction suddenly stopped and started saying “Na today I come respect this man, na ATM card he go use to take money, today I respect this man.” The person that was taking me around broke out laughing.
There was also another instance outside the country. There was a time in Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, somebody insisted on shaking hands with me while he was going into the mosque and I was going out after observing my prayer. He insisted that I was from Bauchi and I said yes because I had no time to explain to him. His belief was that he met Bala Mohammed. So quite a number of such challenges have happened, at the airport people will rush to me thinking that I’m the FCT Minister Bala Muhammad.
So have you ever been to Bauchi, where Bala Muhammad hails from?
Yes, the only time I was in Bauchi was the time we held a retreat at the Yankari Games Reserve. Many people, perhaps of the Bauchi origin and possibly from Bala’s constituency, gathered together and approached me to ‘greet their representative at the National Assembly,’ but on coming close to me, somebody recognised that it was not the person they thought. So he said “Ah! ba shi bane,” meaning he is not the one. I just laughed and said, “Do I look like Bala Mohammed?” and they all said yes. They also asked me whether I know him.
The experiences are more in Abuja and Saudi Arabia where people look for assistances and others seek for political patronages. Sometimes it is very embarrassing, sometimes very amusing.
Is it true that you had a similar encounter at the National Assembly?
Yeah, that was when we went to see the Chairman of the Public Account Committee Sen. Ahmad Lawan in 2008. One of the committee members even suggested that I should find time to see Sen. Bala Mohammed. I said they should ask Bala Mohammad to find time to see me. Some members of the committee insisted that one way or the other I must be related to Bala Mohammed and I refused to argue with them.
So, it was quite interesting that when we met I jokingly told him that I will present my bill to him because I had suffered a lot and also held the temptation not to do 419 with his name given that we so much look alike. You know Nigerians, being what they are, even if you don’t look alike you pretend that you know this man and you can make things work easy for them, many will just jump at it, but of course everybody has gone far through his own calling and therefore the issue of claiming to be what you are not or trying to assume somebody’s position does not arise. Though sometime it is entertaining if you insist, pretending (jokingly) that you are the senator.
I keep telling people that it was only last month that we met. But some people who know that I really have a brother working with the government still think that Bala Mohammed could be that brother but certainly he is not. Even on that day, Bala jokingly said I should tell my brother that he is also member of our family and I replied him, saying “Distinguished senator you are welcome to the family.”
Who is that your brother you have in government how do you also look alike?
Well, that elder brother of mine is Ambassador Hassan Tukur, the P.S. to President Goodluck Jonathan. However, the resemblance between me and Bala Muhammad is more than that between me and my elder brother. That’s how God wants it.
What’s your impression of the FCT Minister after meeting him?
From the little glimpse that I read or see in the national media both print and electronic, it looks like he is faring well. I am saying this not because he is my look alike. I understand that quite a number of gigantic projects are going on, but of course not what is gigantic may not necessarily be in tune with what people are interested in.