Rebuttal to “El-rufai And The Southern Kaduna Question: Breaking The Alter Of Manipulation” – by Hon. Abubakar MG
Upon reading Hon. Abubakar MG’s article titled “El-rufai And The Southern Kaduna Question: Breaking The Alter Of Manipulation”, I found it necessary to respond comprehensively to what I consider a distortion of facts and an attempt to whitewash the nightmare the Southern Kaduna people endured under Nasir El-Rufai’s eight-year tenure as governor.
This rebuttal aims to debunk the falsehoods, expose the true nature of El-Rufai’s governance, educate outsiders about the reality on the ground, and raise the voices of Southern Kaduna’s victims through the eight years of horror under Nasiru El-Rufai.
I begin by acknowledging a single truth in MG’s work: the Southern Kaduna crisis did not originate under El-Rufai. However, it is equally undeniable that he poured gasoline on an already burning fire, igniting a storm of violence and injustice that still burns till this very day.
The conflict in Southern Kaduna has deep historical roots agreeably brought about by people from other lands coming over to blazingly kill, maim, pillage, displace and overall commit genocide with the blessings of their kin men in power, who looked the other way while giving a silent nod of approval.
An action people like Hon Abubakar MG and his principal want to explain away today as just dispute linked to land ownership, ethnic identity, and religious coexistence. Yet, successive governments before El-Rufai maintained a fragile balance despite challenges.
El-Rufai, however, broke this balance by adopting policies and actions that actively marginalized Southern Kaduna’s indigenous peoples, thereby telling every one just like he said to his listening audience “they know their place.”
The problem plaguing Southern Kaduna and indeed much of Nigeria’s Middle Belt is the persistent violence against indigenous communities, often perpetrated or tolerated by those in power who share ethnic or religious ties with the aggressors.
This explains how a Fulani man could be imposed as Emir of Jama’a Federation a profound and an unjust violation of indigenous rights and traditions, unprecedented in the core North. Such impositions are symptomatic of conning dispossession sanctioned by the state leaders and government.
We all know such an imposition will never be tolerated if it were the other way around, why then is this visited on Southern Kaduna people and you turn around and blame them for speaking about the injustice. Aiken to you pissing on their feet and trying to tell them it is raining.
El-Rufai’s record reflects a consistent pattern of religious bigotry, discrimination, and exclusion. His open disdain for the Christian population of Southern Kaduna is well documented through videos and public statements where he admits to deliberately excluding Christians from appointments and governance.
His assertion of achieving a Muslim-Muslim political ticket in Kaduna for his two terms in office and then replicating this strategy at the federal level underscores his dangerous agenda that seeks to erode Nigeria’s pluralistic foundation.
All these happened in our time and in one generation and not so ancient history enough for you Hon Abubakar to be making such unfounded statements, rewrite the history and blame the victim.
The Christian Association of Nigeria’s silence during his tenure only deepened the sense of abandonment among Southern Kaduna’s Christian communities. His administration’s failure to appoint Christians to responsible positions, coupled with rhetoric that mocked and demeaned them, contributed significantly to the state’s polarization.
Yes, CAN dropped the ball on not speaking up enough at that time, however it does not give license to a bigoted governor El-Rufai to gloat and brag about his despicable actions openly on video for the whole world to see. Such a distasteful and sickening thing to own up to by a man trusted with the leadership of a people.
El-Rufai’s time in office coincides with the rise of banditry, kidnapping, and general insecurity in Kaduna and neighboring states. Evidence suggests that his administration not only failed to check the activities of armed groups but actively supported and funded them as part of a calculated political strategy.
This has been corroborated by audio and video materials where El-Rufai openly discusses backing certain militant groups, some whom he took Kaduna State resources in Billons of Naira to in Niger Republic.
Such actions betray the public trust and point to governance driven by self-interest and ethnic/religious favoritism, at the expense of peace and security for Southern Kaduna’s people.
We must not forget that the same El-Rufai told the world himself and his then principal Late Gen Mohammadu Buhari brought most of these blood thirsty Fulanis to destabilize Nigeria in the event Buhari losses the 2015 elections to Goodluck Jonathan.
These are the people that are killing, snatching Nigerians all over for ransom and preventing Nigeria from food security by making farming impossible for the indigenes of Nigeria.
El-Rufai’s has shown disrespect towards indigenous traditional institutions including the imposition of Fulani village heads in non-Fulani areas, which was an assault on the cultural and political autonomy of Southern Kaduna’s people.
This strategy served to weaken indigenous authority, undermine communal land ownership, and facilitate land grabbing. The same El – Rufai today has apostles who want to tell us he is a saint.
Attempts by communities to resist these impositions were met with accusations and neglect by the government, further marginalizing the indigenous population and increasing the tensions. Just like in the case of the writer, the few Southern Kaduna leaders who dare spoke up and demanded justice were mealined, deamonized and called all sorts of names imaginable.
The decision to run a Muslim-Muslim ticket in a religiously mixed state like Kaduna was a blatant political message of exclusion. Beyond the symbolism, it translated into systemic underrepresentation of Christians in government and security, such bigoted injustice and cruelty by a man whom Hon Abubakar came short of saying deserves a Nobel Price.
This sectarian approach was not an aberration but a central plan of El-Rufai’s governance, deeply damaging Kaduna’s social fabric and fueling cycles of violence in his time.
The true measure of El-Rufai’s legacy lies in the lived experiences of Southern Kaduna’s people:
- Survivors of attacks like the Goska village massacre recount horrific losses and abandonment by state authorities.
- Displaced youths face shattered futures, denied education and livelihoods, such youth could be seen working as gate-keepers and maids in most homes in places like Abuja.
- Widows and orphans continue to endure trauma without recognition or support from any one, with the rest of their families scattered all over.
- Community leaders still face frustration over repeated attacks and lack of protection which still happens in some areas till this day.
These voices contradict narratives like that of Hon Abubakar which seeks to minimize or deny the suffering visited on these communities through out the eight years of El -Rufai in office.
Despite the trauma, Southern Kaduna’s people demonstrate remarkable resilience. Grassroots peace initiatives, interfaith dialogues, ability to forgive and move on, and self help community rebuilding efforts that offer hope for the future.
However, lasting peace requires the following (Here is the message for Gov. Uba Sani):
- Inclusive governance that represents all communities fairly. Accountability for past crimes through investigations and prosecutions followed by swift enforcements.
- Restoration of indigenous rights and institutions. Impartial security provision protecting all citizens especially those who have been victimize one too many times.
- Civil society, religious bodies, and the Nigerian nation must support these efforts, and call out people trying to rewrite history. (The people may forgive, but they must never forget.
To forget the truth of Southern Kaduna’s ordeal is to betray justice. We must remember and resist attempts to rewrite or whitewash history. Hon. Abubakar MG’s article fails the test of truth and scholarly integrity by ignoring the voices of victims and denying clear evidence.
Southern Kadunaans must reclaim their narrative telling their story honestly, factually, with all its pains regardless of whose Ox is gored so the world knows what happened and continue to happen.
The nightmare endured by Southern Kaduna under Nasir El-Rufai’s administration is a huge wound on Nigerians of Christian faith in general not just the southern Kaduna people. Healing demands truth, justice, and inclusive leadership. Only then can Southern Kaduna and Nigeria move towards peace, unity, and dignity for all.
This rebuttal stands as a demand for that truth and justice, for the victims, the survivors, and future generations of southern Kaduna indigenes.
High Chief Christopher I. D. Wenegieme writes from Aurora, Colorado.