By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
More attacks came the way of immediate past governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, as he emerged in the cross hairs of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 Northern States and Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Chairman of the association, Rev. John Hayab, pulled no punches in criticizing El-Rufai, describing his eight-year administration (2015-2023) as one that plunged the key North-Central State into grief, sorrow and blood just as he accused the ex-governor of discrimination against Christian communities in the State during his time in office.
“He (El-Rufai) is angry because Kaduna is no longer burying people daily as it used to under his administration. That is why he is coming out with statements capable of stirring fresh problems for the State,” Hayab alleged.
Days ago, the State governor, Uba Sani, literally ripped El-Rufai to shreds, alleging that the latter, whose tenure was replete with bloodshed by terrorists, was seeking to return the State to that infamous situation -something Sani vowed his administration will never welcome.
The governor, an estranged political godson of El-Rufai, therefore, handed his immediate predecessor “a final warning” to desist from his alleged machinations to steer the State back to the orgy of bloodletting and divisive politics of his era or face the full wrath of the law.
Now, on another front, Rev. Hayab re-echoed the concerns of the State government,saying El-Rufai allegedly betrayed public trust by mismanaging conflicts, plunging the state into grief, and diverting huge loans to sectional projects that excluded mainly Christian communities.
Rev. Hayab also condemned the former governor’s urban renewal programme, alleging that it was funded with massive loans but concentrated only in selected areas of the state.
“He collected huge loans to develop one region, leaving Christian communities in Kaduna metropolis abandoned. Then he turned around to say he had no regrets. That is not the mark of a leader with conscience,” Hayab fumed.
Speaking as a guest on TVC News ‘Politics Tonight’ programme, Rev. Hayab, in a statement shared in Kaduna today, said unlike El-Rufai, former Governors of the State such as the late Ahmed Makarfi, Namadi Sambo, Patrick Yakowa, and Ramalan Yero made deliberate efforts to promote unity and peace in Kaduna State.
Hayab also faulted El-Rufai’s recent claims that he had no regrets over his actions in office, describing such comments as insensitive and heartless.
Hayab noted that the killings of fathers, mothers, friends, and relatives in the predominantly Southern Kaduna, saw many communities there conducting mass burials of 20, 30, or even 40 people at a time under El-Rufai’s watch.
“For him to still say he has no regrets shows he governed without conscience and carried out those actions deliberately,” Hayab further alleged.
The CAN Chairman was at odds with El-Rufai’s repeated attempts to downplay Southern Kaduna’s population, saying it was part of a long-standing agenda to justify a Muslim-Muslim ticket in the state.
He recalled that during the 2006 census, the population of Southern Kaduna was so overwhelming that the Kaduna Shariah Committee even threatened legal action against the National Population Commission (NPC) before eventually accepting the figures obtained as genuine.
According to him, Southern Kaduna with its eight Local Government Areas (LGAs) accounts for more than 35 per cent of the State’s population, pointing out that when Kajuru, Chikun, and Kaduna South are added, the figure climbs to well over 50 percent.
He maintained that contrary to El-Rufai’s narrative, the reality on ground demonstrates that the region’s numbers are significant and cannot be dismissed.
Rev. Hayab disclosed that he once erroneously promoted El-Rufai in 2015, believing in his capacity and exposure, but later discovered that the then governor was intolerant and unwilling to listen.
An apparently combative Hayab recalled confronting him several times, including over his claim that Southern Kaduna did not vote for him, to which El-Rufai once apologized.
“El-Rufai does not have grace in speech. He lacked maturity as a leader and even insulted the North by saying there are no elders. A true elder unites people, not divides them,” Hayab stressed.
The cleric stated that El-Rufai’s recent outbursts are driven by bitterness over the peace currently being enjoyed in Kaduna, which stands in contrast to the hostility that defined his tenure.
PHOTO CAPTION: Rev. Hayab.
