The Southern Kaduna Youth and Students Forum (SKYSFOM) has written to the Nigerian Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, stating why a former Kaduna governor, Nasir El-Rufai should not be confirmed as a minister.
El-Rufai is one of the people nominated for ministerial positions by President Bola Tinubu. The former governor has been screened by the Senate.Â
However, in a letter signed by Shedrack Danladi, the National President of SKYSFOM on July 31, 2023, and received by the National Assembly on August 2, 2023, the forum said El-Rufai has “over the years conducted himself as a divisive leader who does not have the interest of the stability of Nigeria at heart”.
Danladi described the forum as a group of people whose interest is in promoting peace, unity and progress in Nigeria.
It said the former Kaduna governor’s disposition to building a peaceful and united Nigeria is zero.Â
The letter read in part, “He remains a very controversial character in the Nigerian polity whose utterances and actions have stirred a lot of negative energy in time past and even recently.
“It is no longer news again, that H.E Mal. Nasiru El-Rufai is an Ethno-Religious bigot, particularly against the people of Southern Kaduna. Such a character should not be given another opportunity to serve Nigeria in any capacity, particularly our Nigeria of today.
Characters like El-Rufai are capable of dividing, disuniting and setting Nigeria on fire as he did in Kaduna State, where religious intolerance and distrust among citizens are now the order of the day.
“At this particular point in our history as a nation, Nigeria is in dire need of leaders who will demonstrate and promote Compassion, empathy, inclusiveness, justice, fairness and unity, not the reverse.
The immediate past governor of Kaduna State should not be given consideration because he will do more harm to Nigeria than good.”
The group recalled that El-Rufai recently made “inflammatory and inciteful comments in a viral video against the Christian population in Kaduna State while justifying his same faith ticket legacy”.
“Southern Kaduna is populated by Christians, so, therefore, El-Rufai’s inciteful comments in that video are directed to the Southern Kaduna people,” the group said.
It continued, “During his eight years of rulership and tyranny, many lives and properties were lost in southern Kaduna to persistent attacks without remorse from the El-Rufai’s government rather inciteful, hateful and disrespectful statements against our elders and the Southern Kaduna people entirely.
“His inflammatory statements captured on that viral video alone should propel the Senate not to confirm his nomination because like in Kaduna State, he will surely repeat the same at the National level which will not be healthy to us as a Nation.
“The Nigerian youths may not be patient with, or tolerate El-Rufai’s religious intolerance, extremism, incitement and inflammatory statements like the Southern Kaduna Youth and her people did. Kaduna state is yet to recover from El-Rufai’s religious bigotry, extremism and intolerance legacies, Nigeria should not be his next victim.
“The Senate should assess the performance of Mallam Nasiru El’rufai as Governor of our dear Kaduna State, his administration was characterized by sectionalism and all divisive tendencies. He was that one governor who was interested in talking about how in his ironic perception which religion has a higher population than which, a governor who will tell a higher percentage of citizens of his state that their votes don’t matter, a governor who was antagonistic to any individual, association, group, community or organization that is critical about his administration, a governor who was reckless with words and careless about the feeling or opinion of his citizens of all social and political status.”
The group made the following prayers in their letter:
“The 10th Senate must distinguish herself as a senate that is concerned about the stability of this nation by ensuring that only leaders that are true patriots and has concern for the good of Nigeria get endorsed.
“The National Assembly should ensure all Nominees before her are critically screened, paying keen interest to their past positions, track record as leaders and the activities that characterized their political history.
“Keep to mind that Nigerians whose voice you are, are watching closely.
“Ensure that divisive persons like Mallam Nasiru Ahmed El-Rufai are never given a place in the next cabinet for the sake of the nation’s stability.
“Prioritise the good of Nigeria over everything else in this screening process.”
“We are calling on the Senate to disqualify Mal. Nasiru El-Rufai’s nomination and he should not be confirmed as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria because he is unfit to serve Nigeria at this material time due to his track record of religious intolerance, extremism and disrespect for the rule of law.
Ignoring our call and that of other patriotic Nigerians who are after the unity, progress and development of our dear Nation Nigeria, will speak ill of the 10th Senate,” it added.
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