Jamil Idris
It is amazing the length the former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, would usually go to wreck maximum havoc. Perhaps the greatest weapon in el-Rufai’s arsenal is his uncanny ability to deploy warped logic to obfuscate raw and irrefutable facts. Using what he assumes to be sophistry, el-Rufai at all times seeks to sow the seed of discord and pitches leaders against the led. Even as an influential Minster of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) during the Obasanjo administration, el-Rufai perpetually pitched that government against the people and brought so much opprobrium to that government in spite of the best efforts of the legendary Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.
Similarly, as Governor of Kaduna State for eight years, he unconscionably reaped unmerited political dividends by pitting unsuspecting groups and persons against each other. He left the state soaked in tension, insecurity and huge debt. Thank God for the phenomenal leadership qualities of his young successor, Senator Uba Sani, who has since assumption of office in May 2023, been busy cleaning up the huge mess el-Rufai left behind. Governor Sani, who was recently named Nigeria’s Governor of The Year (2024), has been doing an exceedingly great job uniting the people and opening up rural communities across Kaduna State irrespective of the ethnic or religious inclinations of the good people residing in the 23 local government areas of the state. No wonder that for the first time in decades, Kaduna has been enjoying relative peace, safety, security and sustainable development. May the beautiful state never again be governed by a divisive and mischievous leader like Mallam el-Rufai.