65th Birthday: Activist reminds former Governor el-Rufai how terrible He governed Kaduna
By Uangbaoje Alex, Kaduna
A Kaduna based Civil Rights Activist, Abdul Usman Bako, lashed out on former Governor Kaduna State, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, reminding him of how terrible he governed the State for 8 years.
Bako, while wishing the former Governor a happy birthday in a message titled “allegations of corruption and high-handedness in kaduna state: the Nasir El-Rufai legacy”, added that “my wish for him is that he takes out to reflect and remind himself of how bad he governed Kaduna.”
He urged him to “seek forgiveness from Allah and the good people of Kaduna State who suffered under him.”
According to him, “Malam Nasir El-Rufai’s tenure as Governor of Kaduna State was marred by allegations of corruption, high-handedness, and disregard for human rights.
“From questionable procurement practices to deductions from local government funds to arresting those telling truth to power to inciting ethno-religious tensions, the list of controversies surrounding El-Rufai’s administration is lengthy.
“One wonders how a man that should be busy clearing his name is in the public space pointing a finger at the current administration. What he pretends not to see is that the remaining fingers are pointing back at him.
“His preoccupation should be the alleged misappropriation of N423 billion by his administration, among others yet to be investigated.”
Bako, noted that as a civil society activist working in the health sector in Kaduna, he clearly recall the “Save One Million Lives” program during the Elrufai era, where N700 million was allocated to it, but after a year, the funds were reduced to N555 million without the program taking off.
“The program initiative had a work plan that was not adhered to, resulting in unnecessary construction projects, including the construction of an office for no apparent reason. It was alleged that the then first lady’s pet project, which was not included in the program plan, received millions of naira in the name of nutrition.
“This is the same man that despite playing to the gallery on transparency and accountability, deliberately denied civil society access to the bill of quantity for the renovation and upgrade of 255 Primary Health Care centers in the 23 LGAs.
“This lack of transparency allowed for contract awards without specifications, which allegedly enriched consultants, contractors, and politicians at the expense of citizens in the state.
“As a result, minimum health standards requirements were not met in most of the said renovated and upgraded PHCs. As a member of the accountability mechanism in the state, evidence gathered during our project monitoring visits suggest that these projects prioritized enriching individuals over the needs of citizens.”
He added that, due processes in procurement and contracting were also ignored as seen in the award of a refuse collection contract to Zoom lion Nigeria Limited over 150 other indigenous contractors.
“Human rights abuses, including attacks on journalists and vulnerable citizens, became commonplace during El-Rufai’s administration. Even a former Governor, Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, was not spared. Through his provocative works and body language he promoted ethno-religious tensions and division.
“The creation of a peace commission was mere window dressing, as the administration’s policies deliberately exacerbated hate and division. Intervention programs were indiscriminately swapped to favor individuals, as evident in the case of Jim Lawal in the Ministry of Agriculture.”
While acknowledging that the administration of Governor Uba Sani is not perfect, he said it is a huge departure from the elitist, high-handed and divisive administration of Malam Elrufai.
“Today, ethno-religious tensions have immensely reduced in the State, despite the huge debt burden he left behind the State is still moving on. Gradually economic activities are now returning back to normal in most rural communities with increasing infrastructural development and economic empowerment.” Bako added.
