By Israel Bulus, Kaduna
The Southern Kaduna Awake Group, in collaboration with the Middle Belt Forum, Kaduna chapter, has taken a swipe at former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, accusing him of deploying “reckless hate speech” against the people of Southern Kaduna to regain lost political relevance.
The groups were reacting to El Rufai’s interview on Channels Television’s One-on-One with Seun, where he claimed Southern Kaduna people were violent, entitled, and constituted less than 25 per cent of Kaduna’s population.
Addressing a press briefing in Kaduna on Tuesday, the National Leader of the Middle Belt Youth Forum, Comrade Nasiru Jagaba, said El-Rufai had yet to recover from the Senate’s rejection of his ministerial nomination last year, which he linked to petitions from Southern Kaduna detailing allegations of human rights abuses, disregard for court orders, and suppression of the press during his tenure.
“His years in office will be remembered for mass sackings of civil servants, the forceful expansion of grazing reserves at the expense of indigenous landowners, and failure to protect communities from relentless attacks,” Jagaba declared.
The groups also dismissed El-Rufai’s comparison of Southern Kaduna to the Islamic Movement of Nigeria led by Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, describing it as a dangerous attempt to criminalise an entire population.
They further stressed that contrary to El-Rufai’s claims, President Bola Tinubu’s administration had already sited major federal projects in Southern Kaduna, including a University of Applied Sciences and a Federal Medical Centre.
Publisher of Gurara Accord, Bomba Dauda, echoed the groups’ position, saying El-Rufai was only seeking relevance by scapegoating Southern Kaduna.
“Consistently, he has used politics as a weapon of vendetta. His administration thrived on division and undemocratic practices. He suppresses one side to gain relevance in another using religion, but that tactic no longer resonates with today’s reality,” Dauda said.
He insisted that leaders should promote unity rather than division, adding that El-Rufai should be held accountable for “dangerous narratives that promote discord.”
