In recent days, the media is awashed with several reports and comments on the immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir Ahmed El-Rufa’i. Unlike the favourable comments that greeted his intervention last five months on the infamous naira redesign exercise of the previous government, this time El-Rufa’i was being scolded for addressing a group of well wishers (Muslim clerics) that went to congratulate his effort of facilitating the victory of APC in the just concluded elections in Nigeria.
Malam El-Rufa’i was called names in response to his opinion that politics is a game of numbers and the majority would always have its way. Hence Kaduna State could have Muslim governors and deputy governors for many years going by that doctrine of democracy. This statement earned El-Rufa’i the anger of a section of the society by labelling him as an extremist, a fundamentalist, an Islamist, etc. Some were even insinuating that he intends to plunge the country into religious war, thereby undermining the national unity desired by President Tinubu in order to govern Nigeria effectively.
It was a surprise that these name-callers deliberately decided to ignore the other doctrine of democracy which El-Rufa’i kept emphasising in that particular speech, i.e. fairness, which he mentioned more than five times when explaining that despite a same-faith ticket in Kaduna State between 2019 and 2023, each and every individual, community or geographical location were treated fairly as dictated by democracy. It is therefore sad to see such a one-sided reaction to the two parts of a democratic principle. Worthy to note is that the El-Rufa’i’s eight years in governance of Kaduna State was purely guided by principles, which sometimes might not be palatable to citizens; hence some actions, decisions or utterance could earn the dismay of either Christians or Muslims or both. Characteristically of El-Rufa’i, he kept his focus and calm once he was convinced of its propriety.
There have been occasions when El-Rufa’i’s actions also hurt the Muslims of Kaduna alike. For instance, this same group of Muslim clerics that visited him were some few years back among the most vocal critics of certain actions of El-Rufa’i when his decisions were not favourable to their positions; just like how a vocal few are now condemning this same person they hailed and held in high esteem when he spoke the “truth they liked” about the infamous naira redesign exercise of the Buhari regime.
Speaking the truth irrespective of whose ox is gored is a sterling quality of accomplished leaders since time immemorial. It is therefore heartening to find this rare quality in the person of El-Rufa’i. Before we condemn and hang him let us look at some encounters that El-Rufa’i also had with some Muslims during his leadership of Kaduna State, we can then compare and deduce if he deserves the names he is being called because of the speech he delivered when the ulamas came calling and was made to go viral in social media by some vested interests.
Nigerians are quick to forget the furore generated by El-Rufa’i’s utterances in support of the action of the Federal Government against the Shi’ites in Zaria, Kaduna State. As a leader, Malam Nasiru El-Rufa’i condemned the indiscipline of the Shi’ites and publically criticised the attitudes of Shaikh Zakzaky and his followers regarding public peace and obstruction of free passage for other road-users. Just like the current uproar and insinuations against El-Rufa’i and blames that he was pursuing an Islamisation agenda in Kaduna State, the Shi’ites in 2015 made similar allegation that El-Rufa’i was pursuing an agenda to obliterate Shi’a Islam in favour of the Sunni version of the faith. True of a committed leader, El-Rufa’i never succumbed to such cheap blackmail. He instead redoubled his focus on building a new Kaduna State for all, irrespective of faith, ethnicity or gender.
In the same vein, El-Rufa’i’s dogged stand on strict observance of COVID 19 protocols did not go down well with a lot of Muslims, especially when he ordered the closure of weekly Jumu’ah congregations in some mosques across Kaduna State. He was then viewed as anti-Muslim and some even condemned him as an agent of global forces fighting Islam. As a leader, the then governor was not distracted in taking every needed decision to protect Kaduna State against the vagaries of the Covid-19 pandemic. At the end, Kaduna State recorded minimal incidences, which made El-Rufa’i to be rated as the best Nigerian governor that took necessary measures of shielding his citizens against the calamity – a feat he achieved despite the most unpleasant comments showered on him. The same El-Rufa’i referred then by Kaduna Muslims as insensitive got infected with the Covid-19 virus in the course of his efforts towards establishing effective buffer against the virus for the protection of the people. He defied several advices and warnings by medics in order to move around and get his people protected against the pandemic, yet he was being called names.
Another incident that caused condemnation on Malam El-Rufa’i by Muslims and Christians alike was his decision to introduce measures that would control religious preaching and checkmate some unwholesome activities of the clergy. He was castigated and condemned in many quarters. A number of threats, including death prediction on his person, were voiced. As a good and responsible leader, however, Malam El-Rufa’i was never perturbed. He went ahead to regulate the conduct of preaching and the excesses of some religious organisations. Despite threats and blackmails on his person regarding his stance on the need to reposition Almajiri schools, he stood firm and ensured that sanity prevailed in the way and manner children were treated in Almajiri schools in Kaduna State. That has been the worthy step which saw the state in 2021 on the top ladder in religious harmony and child education. His commendable actions and decisions in that respect formed part of the best practices adopted by the Federal Government in the new Almajiri Commission.
Similarly, the decision of the Kaduna State government under Malam El-Rufa’i in 2020 to strengthen the processes of selecting traditional rulers through introduction of additional criteria and ensuring probity and due diligence during such important exercise was negatively viewed by certain people who hastily concluded it as an attempt by El-Rufa’i to obliterate the age-long Islamic practice of appointing emirs that was perfected by Shehu Ɗanfodiyo. Some vested interests spent a lot of resources to sway public opinion against the genuine intention of Malam El-Rufa’i and the state government. Characteristically of a strong and effective leader, that did not deter him from repositioning the recruitment process of traditional leaders in Kaduna State. The success of that dogged stance is now for everyone to see. A new Emir of Zazzau emerged out of a most transparent process, to the admiration of all. Had the governor yielded to pressure, anybody could have been the traditional leader of the great people of Zazzau, despite Zaria’s long standing record of excellence in knowledge and enterprise; which the current emir epitomises.
El-Rufa’i’s unique and unparalleled urban renewal project of the Kaduna metropolis is another subject of dismay among some Muslims in the state. The beautiful expansion of roads and dualisation of some others necessitated the pulling down of some buildings, including mosques, which did not go down well with some Muslim faithful. Similarly, the extension of Katsina Road to link up with Bachama Road through a Muslim cemetery was also resisted, just like the numerous demolitions that greeted Kasuwar Barci in order to turn it into a modern market. Despite adequate provisions for rebuilding the affected structures and compensations, Malam El-Rufa’i was called names by a section of Muslims. At the end of the exercise, however, El-Rufa’i was vindicated through several and numerous positive comments and accolades in his favour by highly rated statesmen of both Muslim and Christian faiths.
Whenever it relates to Malam Nasiru El-Rufa’i, it is therefore advisable that people should carefully study his position or utterance before judging him wrongly. El-Rufa’i is one of the most detribalised and highly accommodating public servants ever produced by Nigeria. It is on record that no state governor in Nigeria promoted youth and gender involvement in governance like El-Rufa’i did. Similarly, El-Rufa’i was the only governor in Nigeria that replicated Tinubu’s leadership philosophy of involving non-indigenes in governance of a state.
It is therefore too late for those trying to use the El-Rufa’i’s comments on same-faith ticket as a weapon to abuse the minds of Nigerians and particularly President Tinubu’s or pull down El-Rufa’i’s hard-earned coveted position and personal approval of Mr. President. In actual fact, such people are applying the same weapon used in fighting President Tinubu to fight Malam El-Rufa’i, hence they remain the losers that they actually are.
* Professor Al-Amin is the Chairman of Nigerian Academics Network (NANET)
