Mr. Tijani started his professional career in 1978 with the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Borno State, Nigeria as a Rural Agricultural Extension Worker. In 1986, he held senior positions in a number of the institutions under the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources. From 1987 to 1988, he held senior managerial positions with the World Bank-assisted Borno Agricultural Development Programme, including being the Research Coordinator, and facilitated the introduction of improved varieties of maize, rice and cowpeas from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Nigeria to smallholder farmers. From 1991 to 1995, he held the position of Deputy Director, and then Director, of a department of the European Community-assisted North East Arid Zone Development Programme in Nigeria. Between 1996 and 2002, he served in senior positions under the State Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and as the First General Manager, Borno Fertilizer Company Ltd, Nigeria, and later as the Programme Manager of the Agricultural Development Programme. Subsequently, from 2002 to 2011, he served as the National Coordinator for several agriculture, rural development and food security programmes under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Nigeria, some of which were assisted by AfDB, IsDB, BADEA, IFAD and the World Bank. Between 2010 and 2011, he also coordinated, on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture of Nigeria, all donor-assisted programmes and projects including the Nigeria National Programme for Food Security (NPFS) and the FAO-China-Nigeria tripartite agreement on South-South Cooperation.

Mr. Tijani, from July 2011 to September 2013, was a Cabinet Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where he served as the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Nigeria.