With Ayobrown Adetunji
When a man who had just been resuscitated from convulsion speaks; some elders are of the opinion that this half-dead man might be telling tales from the spirits’ world or better still, his (un)wanted trance might have affected him so much that his ordeal from the land of the unknown, is not only unimaginable to him, himself but also unthinkable to his audience. Or how else will you describe a situation where a patron prides himself too much on his aesthetic judgement, threatening the international community, saying; ‘they will go back in body bags’. And same man now melancholic about the backwardness of same region. Funny Nigerian governor; really, wonders will never end. Imagine a Nigerian governor on a live Nigeria Television Authority, NTA Network programme saying that. Obviously, he was far from reality. After the deed had been done, his eyes are now just opening and is able to see clearer because the truth that had befallen his father’s land in his time from his own kind just hit him.
El-Rufai is just seeing and is lamenting that the northern region has development indicators similar to that of Afganistan, a country at war, though many aren’t blaming his vision, but his omission and submission. Just getting obvious, among reasons why many threw caution to the wind and condemned his gut. ‘Don’t take offence at words of his, a man of doubtful sanity’, was the statement credited to Reno Omokri among numerous Nigerians apologising to the international community on behalf of same governor.
Fancying himself a bit of a connoisseur, the Kaduna state Governor dared not only Nigerians, but threatened the entire global and international community, that if they interfere in our (then) just concluded but not accepted 2019 general elections, he will return them in body bags. Now that President Muhammadu Buhari is re-elected, what about the consequences of such unguarded statement – many Nigerians asked then. Saying such on live NTA programme wasn’t bad at all, after all, since it is coming from Kaduna state Governor, Nasir-El Rufai, however the regulator, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) seemed to be off air then or thought the Federal Government owned NTA is more than other broadcasting organisations like AIT, very strange to many. ‘You don’t have monopoly of violence’ – many Nigerians told Gov El-Rufai following his body bag comment that any foreigner that interferes in Nigeria’s politics will leave in body bag.
Governor, Nasir El-Rufai is just waking up from what many people described as slumber after how many years, or how else do you too see this ‘sudden revival’ when he said that Nigeria consists of two countries: a developing South, and a backward, less educated and unhealthy North, with the highest number of poor people in the world? But maybe he has forgotten so soon all that he had said before, during and after the just concluded 2019 elections, particularly after that of presidential of which the Nigerian nation had never witnessed such massive daylight rigging. What good can come from a bad product but a terrible situation, as many thinkers and analysts tagged the process. INEC, commission without server, isn’t that funny? In this 21st century, a commission that will oversee an election of over two hundred million people is not computer compliant. I want to agree with El-Rufai, since the INEC Chairman is from the north… It is not only truly but terribly worrisome for the man, or what do you think?
As if today is the Judgement Day, El-Rufai is now waking-up to the reality, a pathetic situation in his region that many see and described as not only silly but also smelly in this modern world. OMG! El-rufai just discovered this, ‘Nigeria: Country of backward north, developing south’, what a calamity! In the social realm, it is a known fact that appearance is the barometer of which all of our judgements are made. Believe me; you must never be deceived into believing otherwise. Anyone who can say such is capable of more, many tweets suggested that he should consult developed governors, may be in other parts of the world.
Why is ‘Python dance no show inside the Sambisa’ – even after the billions of naira spent and still counting? How come even after a situation where most, if not all Security chiefs of Nigeria military forces are from the north, yet Boko Haram is still in charge in most local governments in the north-east states; kidnapping, armed robbery are perpetrated by Fulani herdsmen, also from the north.
With all the available bounty resources up north, the best and trending on the minds of people like El-Rufai and Buhari is how acquiring another man’s land through pretentious Ruga, so why won’t the region be backward? My take is that Nigerians can now see better, even the repressed northerners too.
The world may do well to note that even among his kinsmen, there is ill feelings concerning his revelation that he had paid public funds to marauders who killed his own people of Kaduna state, because he shares an ethnic affinity with them. They heard him boasted with that….posterity will never forget him, even if we do.
Prophets of doom are never in short supply, Gov. El-Rufai; the patron prides himself of possessing the best of judgement many think. The day of Judgement is tomorrow, a child plays with fire without taking caution or knowing its properties. Nigerians may also recall that sometimes in 2014, El-Rufai accused former President Jonathan and former CAN President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor of founding and funding Boko Haram to the tune of N50 billion; the tendency is to see the governor as funny. Interestingly, this same Nasir El-Rufai, was accused of spreading falsehood, which seem to have led to the arrest and prosecution of one Audu Maikori, who erroneously tweeted about some killings in Kaduna.
Remove Nigeria problems from the north, then you will see that this beautiful country has no problem except those coming from the northern states…many tweeted. If truly, most northern governors don’t and can’t find solutions to problems bedevilling the region, then behold, they are indeed backward according to St. El-Rufai. And if the people of these states truly voted for these set of governors, then, I think I agreed with El-Rufai again on that…why electing hopelessly inexperienced politicians is just pointing to the fact that the region is backward.
What causes backwardness, we are about to know from his analysis, given such an evaluation, the international community was advised to treat the fellow with the contempt he deserves. Though, many have, unlike El-rufai, long ago discovered these problems associated with the north. Nigerians have these advice for his likes; woo investors/international community, not threaten them, allow every votes to count and stop imposition of sectional will.
Not too late on the rent; when the devil collects, he sends your relatives or your friends, a simple true reminder. The end truly justified the means, and just like a wolf, his word is definitely sniffed him out. What you call ordinary farmers/herders crisis, is called massacre. Put your trust in diplomacy rather than weapons, survival is more important than pride.
*Ayobrown, Senior System Analyst, National Pilot Newspaper, writes via: aayobrown@gmail.com
