EL-RUFAI’S VISION AND DREAM FOR KADUNA STATE

*Triggering An Objective And Fact Based Intellectual Discourse Devoid Of Undue Sentiments And Theatre

By UCHE DIALA

It is critical that those who make such judgements should be well informed, objective, unbiased and be purged of primordial emotions and unnecessary sentiments.

Men are judged by what they say and equally by what they do and ultimately by whether what they say (said) ultimately aligns(ed) with what they do (did).

It is critical that those who make such judgements should be well informed, objective, unbiased and be purged of primordial emotions and unnecessary sentiments.

Unfortunately, one challenge that I have had as a public affairs commentator for over a decade and half in Nigeria is that most Nigerians are not willing to have objective and intellectual conversations devoid of all manners of primordial sentiments.

Everyone wants to air an opinion on every matter, whether they are informed or know the facts or not, and more often than not, they end up conveying emotionally, tribally and religiously tainted arguments often based on hearsay and depending on wherever their interests, loyalty and sentiments lie at any point in time.

In the attached video, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai presented in a clear and unmistakable manner his dream and vision his state Kaduna which he was privileged out of millions of other Kaduna State indigenes to lead as Governor.

Posterity will be the ultimate judge as to whether he was able to match his words with actions and to what extent – within the context of the time and resources at his disposal as well as the realities and circumstances during the period.

However, as human beings, especially those who paid attention, who are accurately informed as well as those who are sincere, and who are not unduly biased and prejudiced, incontrovertible practical evidence attest to the fact that he not only tried but did indeed walk the talk in many areas. The ones he was not able to accomplish were not due to a lack of sincere commitment, rather due to other exigencies, but he also laid a roadmap for the future which is critical to longterm sustainability of any dream or vision.

No doubt, there were challenges and push backs as always expected and many of those challenges and push backs he tried to take head-on as a sincere, committed and determined leader and technocrat with a strong and no-nonsense personality.

I will just mention one of those challenges and push backs because that is a key factor behind most of the unfair, distorted amd outrightly false narratives and even propaganda and lies against him today, years after he had left office as Governor with undeniable and maybe unmatchable achievements definitely when compared to his peers in other states even with less complicated dynamics than Kaduna.

To build an egalitarian society as he envisioned, certain habits, concepts, conventions, practices and even cultures and traditions have to change. This is where governance get tricky and where only the strong willed leader with integrity, intelligence and a will of steel can succeed in getting any results worth mentioning.

It is not cliché to state that the Kaduna State that El-Rufai inherited had unique and longterm fundamental flaws and fault lines, some of which he highlighted in the attached video. Many before him, in spite of their own achievements, had largely papered through those flaws and fault lines, at best resorting to populism, tokenism, patronage and appeasement where tough and decisive actions needed to be taken. El-Rufai on his part chose a different path. For any paradigm shift and results to be enduring and sustainable, they need to be grounded in universally accepted and all round impacting principles and unbiased rules of engagement for all.

There were some groups, sections and individuals in Kaduna state who had an exaggerated and aggravated sense of entitlement over the decades, long before El-Rufai arrived on the scene. These groups, individuals and sections had weaponised victim mentality and had perfected the art of emotional blackmail and manipulation even in pursuing their legitimate rights and grievances.

These groups, individuals and sections had also been essentially brainwashed by their local leaders – religious, traditional, political, etc., and used often times to further the self interests of those leaders which was often masqueraded as the interest of their people. Essentially, their people became a bargaining and negotiation chip while receiving peanuts in return both in terms of human and physical development. Indeed, often having to pay with their blood, unfortunately.

Make no mistake. The scenario I described above was not particularly restricted to any particular group or section of Kaduna State, but it appears that one particular section or group posed greater resistance to change.

While others were less resistant to or more willing to accept that the dynamics and modus operandi should change, they were less willing to. Funny enough some of the things that they were complaining about other parts or peoples of the state where they were in the minority, they were doing essentially the same in areas where they were in the majority. That is a conversation for another instalment.

However, El-Rufai stood his ground and pushed hard to address those, not for the immediate which would have been convenient, but for the future which would be more helpful to all the people and to the state in the long run. He chose the inconvenient, unpopular, unusual, more difficult and uncomfortable route over the usual populist, patronising and convenient path and for that he is paying a price today, but ultimately God and history will vindicate him, I believe.

As usual, some people (some particular people) will still come here, leave the issues and double down on unintelligent street talk, overused but empty soundbites and emotional tantrums and blackmail all in a bid to distract from the truths and facts.

Truth, Facts Embedded In Critical Questions Like:

▪︎ What was the distribution of civil servants in the Kaduna State civil service across the component parts of Kaduna state under El-Rufai?

▪︎ What was the distribution of employment, including teachers across Kaduna state under the El-Rufai administration?

▪︎ What was the distribution of infrastructural projects, including hospitals, roads, bridges, hospitals, street lights, schools and educational institutions, etc., across Kaduna state by the El-Rufai administration?

▪︎ What was the state and distribution of services, including healthcare care (maternal and child health), school feeding, social investment programs, etc., across Kaduna state under the El-Rufai administration?

▪︎ What was the ratio of distribution of political positions and appointments across the component zones and Senatorial Districts of Kaduna state under El-Rufai and why?

To the vexed and unfortunate issue of insecurity:

▪︎ Before El-Rufai: For context, what was the state of security in Kaduna state, including in Southern Kaduna when El-Rufai took office?

▪︎ What was the security policy of the Kaduna State government under El-Rufai?

▪︎ What where the actions and inactions (if any) of the Kanuna state government under El-Rufai as Governor towards inherited and emerging security issues in Kaduna state?

▪︎ Indeed how was El-Rufai the initiator, architect and the executioner of the much talked about insecurity and killings in Southern Kaduna, which some people even recklessly describe as a “genocide” against the people of Southern Kaduna?

▪︎ After El-Rufai. Again, for context, what is the current state of insecurity in Kaduna state, including in Southern Kaduna 3 years after El-Rufai?

These are critical questions and issues that any honest person from Kaduna state or any external observer like myself must ask and interrogate sincerely with verified and verifiable facts and figures and not undue sentiments and propaganda. Anything less than that would be unacceptable.

It is only after that objective, honest and evidence based interrogation and holistic assessment across all sectors and factors has been satisfactoriy made that a judgement can be passed. Anything other than that is emotional huff puff, witch hunt and vendetta, no matter how loudly, disingenuously or repeatedly done.

Please, feel free to engage, if you are serious minded, sincere, emotionally stable and have every other thing it takes to engage, including verifiable facts and figures. I am just a truth seeker. We all should be.

©️ Uche Diala