Secret Reporters No place to hide
I was enjoying my self imposed solitude as a way of marking Easter when news of El-Rufai’s despicable act filtered in. Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai is a classic example of the saying that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Years ago, this man seemed to know everything about leadership and how to so make Nigeria great. From public lectures to university annual lectures, columns on national dailies, and social media pages Mr. Perfect as he seemed sold his ideology of good leadership and received applauses, commendation, and gained fellowship while some could not wait to have him or his likes in the seat of power as soon as possible.
Now that he is Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai has been nothing but a disappointment. While pursuing a Diploma in Public Administration thirteen years ago, Dr. Robert Dode in a course titled Public Policy Analysis taught us that “Public Policy is nothing but the wishes and preferences of the elite”. Is this true, let’s use El-Rufai as a case study.
1.0 Who is an elite?
An elite is someone who feels he/she has arrived. Note that it doesn’t necessarily mean someone who’s rich or occupying an exalted position as there are people who are in that cadre yet remain humble. An elite in this context is someone who not only feels he has arrived but feels he is a super-human. Others are inferior to him. He doesn’t breathe the same air they breathe. No, he inhales something greater than oxygen. An elite is someone adorned with pride and arrogance. Does El-Rufai fit this description? Yes he does.
2.0 El-Rufai’s policies:
Does his policies as Governor make the ordinary man or woman smile? Take a trip to Kaduna and see for yourself. The man claims he is embarking on reforms of the state civil service but a closer look reveals civil servants marked for premature retirement are those from Kaduna South extraction. His demolition law will render over 3,500 families homeless in Gbagyi Villa and it’s environs without any palliative measures by the Government. Is he bothered? Nah. The man is busy enjoying the allure of public office. How about his Anti-Religious Freedom Bill? Let’s not go there please.
3.0 The infamous slap and the counter slaps:
Does El-Rufai appear to you as a gentleman? Hell no. Don’t be deceived by his frail looks. The man is a tyrant. Truth is, God is punishing Nigerians for their gullibility by unleashing a wave of tyrants cloaked in green, red, and blue party colours waving demon infested brooms. Reports have it that during a cabinet meeting his Deputy, Architect Barnabas Bala Bantex humbly expressed his displeasure over some policies of his boss. Mr. Tyrant would have none of that and ordered the man to shut it. “How dare you speak in my presence? Don’t you know you are a lesser human? People like you don’t exist where people like me are.” That was the elite speaking. Well, the Deputy Governor remained calm and offered to resign as he could no longer be part of a government inflicting untold hardship on the people who brought them into power. That was it. Mallam El-Rufai who by then was so infuriated opted to correct his Deputy with some hot slaps. The man stayed cool, allowed the meeting to progress and surprisingly delivered a well-packaged thrashing to his boss at the end of the meeting. The Governor was astonished and ordered that the incident should be kept a secret but unluckily, the little bird had already departed, singing loudly all the way down here.
Should he have slapped his Deputy? No. There are official ways of punishing an erring subordinate if truly he erred. Should the man have retaliated? Well everyone has a right to self defense and remember, no one has monopoly of violence. Is Gov. El-Rufai faring well in office? I don’t think so. If the man doesn’t change his ways, he’s heading to an obvious failure. This recent act of his is despicable and condemnable.
Comrade Ubon Marcus
(Ubon Marcus is appalled by the futility of APC’s leadership and has retired to Ikot Udo Abia in Etinan LGA from where he will bring their wrongdoings to limelight)
