By Adamu Aminu
The political relationship between the Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate, Senator Barau I. Jibrin, and the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Hon. Yusuf Abdullahi Ata, remains one of the more stable and consequential alliances within the political structures of Kano North and Kano Central.
Their association predates their current offices. It is rooted in years of joint service within the All Progressives Congress and a shared record of building party structures across the senatorial district.
Ata’s tenure as Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly, from 3rd July 2017 to 30th July 2018, marked the point at which this working relationship took clearer shape. Though brief, that period established a pattern of coordination and mutual respect that has since carried into their present federal roles.
The Speaker’s chair capped years of prior engagement within the State Assembly and the party. It was during that time that Ata’s political capacity became more visible to close observers, Senator Barau among them.
Senator Barau’s endorsement of Ata’s ministerial appointment was therefore not extended lightly. As a national figure whose influence extends beyond Kano, Barau’s support was not based on sentiment or convenience. It reflected confidence earned through years of demonstrated capacity, and was given only after careful consideration.
That confidence has since been tested by the conduct of office, and the record supports it.
From the outset, Ata adopted a field-oriented approach. Between 11th and 15th November 2024, he was in Gombe for the National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development, where he inspected the Renewed Hope Estate. The pattern continued into 2025: Makurdi, Benue State, on 31st January and 1st February; Damaturu, Yobe State, on 8th February; Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, on 16th February; and Katsina on 25th March. Each visit focused on the inspection of Renewed Hope Housing Projects under his portfolio.
Closer to home, the Minister has returned repeatedly to the Renewed Hope Housing site in Lambu, Tofa Local Government Area. The first visit was on Friday, 29th November 2024, followed by 7th March 2025, and most recently as part of a joint inspection under the ministry’s new leadership.
This level of follow-through goes beyond the symbolism of an inaugural visit.
Taken together, inspections across six states and one local government within roughly one year point to a minister who chose direct oversight over ceremonial distance. It is a working style that validates the trust Senator Barau placed in him.
That trust was not without challenge. Ata’s elevation to the Federal Executive Council drew objections from some quarters within Kano’s political class, who questioned whether the former Speaker had earned a place at that table.
However, criticism does not reverse an outcome already determined by performance. Ata’s presence in the Council, and the record of engagement that has followed, stands as a response to those doubts.
One year and ten months into the Minister Ata ministerial appointment, the Barau–Ata alliance continues to shape how both offices address matters affecting Kano North and Kano Central, from federal representation to constituency-level development.
What makes the alliance worth documenting is not only its present utility but also its potential endurance.
Political alliances in Kano are often transactional and short-lived, dissolving once the offices that sustain them change. This one appears to rest on a different foundation: tested loyalty on one side, and a verifiable record of ministerial diligence on the other. It is the kind of combination that tends to outlast the individuals who formed it and the political season that produced it.
For the supporters who have stood behind Minister Ata over the years, the record is clear. An endorsement from a figure of Senator Barau’s national standing, followed by a first year in office marked by visible and verifiable work across multiple states, is not the profile of a political favour.
It is the profile of a partnership earned through effort and reaffirmed through conduct, one likely to be remembered in Kano’s political history long after both men have left the offices they now hold.
Adamu Aminu is the Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development.