In an interview granted Channels Television recently, El Rufai
in his usual manner sounded rash, brash, saucy, arrogant, insolent
and illogical while answering questions on the groundswell of
agitations for a restructured Nigeria that has gained currency in
our polity recently.
He went on to arrogate to himself possession of the
alpha-knowledge of the true meaning of restructuring while talking
down on all others calling for the country to be restructured in a
bid to correct most of the flaws of the current arrangement that
have stifled development and caused stunted growth.
He also described agitations for restructuring as political
opportunism and irresponsibility, saying those agitating for it are
doing so because it has become a popular thing to do and they hope
to exploit it to achieve their presidential ambitions.
This, as it is usual with the governor of Kaduna State, is far
from the truth and absolutely untenable. A man who former president
Olusegun Obasanjo described as a malicious liar, a pathological
purveyor of half truths and with little or no integrity.
Years after, El Rufai’s continued peddling of falsehood has
assumed even more diabolical dimension.
On October 1, 2015, the Emperor of Kaduna posted on his Twitter
handle that the administration of former president Goodluck
Jonathan spent a humongous sum of N64bn for Nigeria’s independence
celebrations between 2011 and 2014 while official figures show that
only the austere sum of N332.6m was spent between 2012 and 2014, an
amount nowhere near even half a billion naira not to talk of
64.
Also most recently, El Rufai had also accused the Jonathan
administration of mismanaging the Ecological Fund, saying Jonathan
favoured only PDP states in the disbursement of the Fund. However,
a factual analysis of the disbursement showed that El Rufai lied
again.
One begins to wonder why El Rufai would not stop peddling
falsehood just to score cheap political points. This is the same
man who admitted to paying killers of our fellow citizens in cold
blood instead of arresting and prosecuting them!
It is therefore not surprising to hear claims that those who are
supporting the call for restructuring are using it to ride to their
presidential ambition when we all know that the call for
restructuring has always been a burning issue in the country even
long before El Rufai’s APC was formed, and even longer before he
dreamt of ever being a governor.
The only difference now is that the loud and unrelenting
secessionist agitation of IPOB, MASSOB and such other bodies
including calls for restructuring by foremost socio-cultural
organizations from the south and middle belt areas of the country,
helped by Buhari’s abysmal performance as president have given bite
to the call.
The fact is that among the largest sections of the country
calling for restructuring, only a very few and negligible number of
them are even politicians not to talk of having presidential
ambitions. From religious leaders to students, activists,
journalists, socio-cultural organizations, professionals, etc,
almost every Nigerian talks, understands and want restructuring as
the best option for a more just and more equitable society where
everyone/region would achieve their greatest potentials without
being inhibited by the frameworks of the current system.
If El Rufai’s false assertion were to be considered, we can
confidently remind him that John Nnia Nwodo has no presidential
ambition, Yinka Odumakin has no presidential ambition, Annkio
Briggs has no presidential ambition, Onyeka Onwenu has no
presidential ambition, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida has no
presidential ambition, Ohanaeze, Afenifere, PANDEF, Middle Belt
Forum etc, all have no presidential ambitions, yet, they cry
restructuring.
Even the APC Governors Forum of which El Rufai is a member has
also supported the restructuring campaign.
Restructuring is an agenda whose time has come. Nigeria can
never last for too long if we do not restructure. It is either we
restructure or Nigeria perishes. We can no longer continue to
pretend as if everything is alright when indeed the current system
has been retrogressive, lopsided, unjust and unfair to the largest
sections of the country.
It is the looming danger that attends attempts to rebuff the
shrill and urgent cries for restructuring that make men like Femi
Fani-Kayode and others in the mould of those mentioned above to
drum the need to heed the people’s cry in the ears of the
authorities.
Rather than denigrate such people, the nation owes them immense
gratitude for standing up to be counted when the need arose. Such
cries are the cries of battle to save our nation and people rather
than be led by the folly of sycophancy and parochialism towards a
collective perdition.
The desperate attempt by enemies of progress like El Rufai to
reduce the 2014 national conference to mere politics and child’s
play shows that the few forces still fighting desperately to hold
on to the status quo will not let go easily since they seem to
benefit immensely from it at the expense of the people.
In doing this, El Rufai had said “We all know the circumstances
in which the so-called CONFAB was put together, we all know the
composition, how lopsided it was how important stakeholders were
not taken into account, how even the composition and numbers do not
reflect the demographics and diversity of this country and we took
a position as a party not to participate but to encourage our state
governors to be there at the table”.
This is nothing but part of the tissue of lies manufactured by a
repressive and regressive bunch parading themselves as progressives
and who wish to keep lording it over the nation despite the growing
outcry for restructuring.
How come El Rufai said the composition of the 2014 CONFAB was
lopsided when in the same statement he admitted that his party
decided on their own not to participate in it? The fact is that the
conference was peopled by Nigerians from all walks of life and its
resolutions were painstakingly reached to the large satisfaction of
a majority of Nigerians despite the diversities inherent in the
composition of the CONFAB delegates.
Another fact is, no matter how desperate figures like El Rufai
try to peddle falsehood and half-truths to attack the urgent need
for restructuring in this country, the “restructuralists” will have
their way in the end because a system that thrives temporarily on
deceit, injustice and oppression owing to its structure of
government, politics and resource management would soon fail,
unavoidably!
It is either we restructure now or we end up in pieces. Those
calling for restructuring are patriots. They are the ones who love
Nigeria, and not those with political power that would do
everything to guard their hold to insatiable lust for power at the
detriment of the people and the nation.
That is the reality!
By Jude Ndukwe
—jrndukwe@yahoo.co.uk; Twitter: Stjudendukwe
In an interview granted Channels Television recently, El Rufai
in his usual manner sounded rash, brash, saucy, arrogant, insolent
and illogical while answering questions on the groundswell of
agitations for a restructured Nigeria that has gained currency in
our polity recently.
He went on to arrogate to himself possession of the
alpha-knowledge of the true meaning of restructuring while talking
down on all others calling for the country to be restructured in a
bid to correct most of the flaws of the current arrangement that
have stifled development and caused stunted growth.
He also described agitations for restructuring as political
opportunism and irresponsibility, saying those agitating for it are
doing so because it has become a popular thing to do and they hope
to exploit it to achieve their presidential ambitions.
This, as it is usual with the governor of Kaduna State, is far
from the truth and absolutely untenable. A man who former president
Olusegun Obasanjo described as a malicious liar, a pathological
purveyor of half truths and with little or no integrity.
Years after, El Rufai’s continued peddling of falsehood has
assumed even more diabolical dimension.
On October 1, 2015, the Emperor of Kaduna posted on his Twitter
handle that the administration of former president Goodluck
Jonathan spent a humongous sum of N64bn for Nigeria’s independence
celebrations between 2011 and 2014 while official figures show that
only the austere sum of N332.6m was spent between 2012 and 2014, an
amount nowhere near even half a billion naira not to talk of
64.
Also most recently, El Rufai had also accused the Jonathan
administration of mismanaging the Ecological Fund, saying Jonathan
favoured only PDP states in the disbursement of the Fund. However,
a factual analysis of the disbursement showed that El Rufai lied
again.
One begins to wonder why El Rufai would not stop peddling
falsehood just to score cheap political points. This is the same
man who admitted to paying killers of our fellow citizens in cold
blood instead of arresting and prosecuting them!
It is therefore not surprising to hear claims that those who are
supporting the call for restructuring are using it to ride to their
presidential ambition when we all know that the call for
restructuring has always been a burning issue in the country even
long before El Rufai’s APC was formed, and even longer before he
dreamt of ever being a governor.
The only difference now is that the loud and unrelenting
secessionist agitation of IPOB, MASSOB and such other bodies
including calls for restructuring by foremost socio-cultural
organizations from the south and middle belt areas of the country,
helped by Buhari’s abysmal performance as president have given bite
to the call.
The fact is that among the largest sections of the country
calling for restructuring, only a very few and negligible number of
them are even politicians not to talk of having presidential
ambitions. From religious leaders to students, activists,
journalists, socio-cultural organizations, professionals, etc,
almost every Nigerian talks, understands and want restructuring as
the best option for a more just and more equitable society where
everyone/region would achieve their greatest potentials without
being inhibited by the frameworks of the current system.
If El Rufai’s false assertion were to be considered, we can
confidently remind him that John Nnia Nwodo has no presidential
ambition, Yinka Odumakin has no presidential ambition, Annkio
Briggs has no presidential ambition, Onyeka Onwenu has no
presidential ambition, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida has no
presidential ambition, Ohanaeze, Afenifere, PANDEF, Middle Belt
Forum etc, all have no presidential ambitions, yet, they cry
restructuring.
Even the APC Governors Forum of which El Rufai is a member has
also supported the restructuring campaign.
Restructuring is an agenda whose time has come. Nigeria can
never last for too long if we do not restructure. It is either we
restructure or Nigeria perishes. We can no longer continue to
pretend as if everything is alright when indeed the current system
has been retrogressive, lopsided, unjust and unfair to the largest
sections of the country.
It is the looming danger that attends attempts to rebuff the
shrill and urgent cries for restructuring that make men like Femi
Fani-Kayode and others in the mould of those mentioned above to
drum the need to heed the people’s cry in the ears of the
authorities.
Rather than denigrate such people, the nation owes them immense
gratitude for standing up to be counted when the need arose. Such
cries are the cries of battle to save our nation and people rather
than be led by the folly of sycophancy and parochialism towards a
collective perdition.
The desperate attempt by enemies of progress like El Rufai to
reduce the 2014 national conference to mere politics and child’s
play shows that the few forces still fighting desperately to hold
on to the status quo will not let go easily since they seem to
benefit immensely from it at the expense of the people.
In doing this, El Rufai had said “We all know the circumstances
in which the so-called CONFAB was put together, we all know the
composition, how lopsided it was how important stakeholders were
not taken into account, how even the composition and numbers do not
reflect the demographics and diversity of this country and we took
a position as a party not to participate but to encourage our state
governors to be there at the table”.
This is nothing but part of the tissue of lies manufactured by a
repressive and regressive bunch parading themselves as progressives
and who wish to keep lording it over the nation despite the growing
outcry for restructuring.
How come El Rufai said the composition of the 2014 CONFAB was
lopsided when in the same statement he admitted that his party
decided on their own not to participate in it? The fact is that the
conference was peopled by Nigerians from all walks of life and its
resolutions were painstakingly reached to the large satisfaction of
a majority of Nigerians despite the diversities inherent in the
composition of the CONFAB delegates.
Another fact is, no matter how desperate figures like El Rufai
try to peddle falsehood and half-truths to attack the urgent need
for restructuring in this country, the “restructuralists” will have
their way in the end because a system that thrives temporarily on
deceit, injustice and oppression owing to its structure of
government, politics and resource management would soon fail,
unavoidably!
It is either we restructure now or we end up in pieces. Those
calling for restructuring are patriots. They are the ones who love
Nigeria, and not those with political power that would do
everything to guard their hold to insatiable lust for power at the
detriment of the people and the nation.
That is the reality!
By Jude Ndukwe
—jrndukwe@yahoo.co.uk; Twitter: Stjudendukwe
Read more https://www.nairalaw.com/between-el-rufais-lies-and-the-restructuralists-realism-by-jude-ndukwe/