On El-Rufai’s leaked memo
In the last two weeks, the media both print and online have been a washed with the details of Kaduna State governor Malam Nasir El-Rufa’i’s memo to Mr President. The letter was written in September 2016 but got leaked when President Muhammad Buhari returned from the medical vacation. The lengthy memo has elicited mixed reaction […]
In the last two weeks, the media both print and online have been a washed with the details of Kaduna State governor Malam Nasir El-Rufa’i’s memo to Mr President. The letter was written in September 2016 but got leaked when President Muhammad Buhari returned from the medical vacation. The lengthy memo has elicited mixed reaction from Nigerians. While some Nigerians viewed the memo as apt and timely coming from Buhari close ally, others looked at it as naked betrayal from the governor who rose to power through the help of the president. In the 30 pages memo, El-Rufai told president Buhari that the APC led government has not only failed to manage expectations of a populace that expected over night change but has failed to deliver even mundane matters of governance outside the success in fighting Boko Haram insurgency and corruption.
He also said in the letter that the “overall feeling even among our supporters today is that the APC government is not doing well”. He lashes on the SGF and the Chief of Staff describing them as inexperienced and clueless about APC and its internal politics. Although the governor has admitted that Buhari inherited serious political, economy and governance problems that he had no hand in creating but now have a duty to solve. Interestingly, the governor outlined what he felt as the panacea or solution to the multi-faceted problems.
Governor El-Rufai is right to draw the attention of the president on salient national issues. Besides being a governor, he is an arrowhead that helped to midwife the present ruling party. Also, he knows the party manifesto and in the better position to tell Nigerians whether president Muhammadu Buhari is implementing the policies thrust of his government based on party manifesto or not.
Prior to the recent leaked letter, the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, raised similar issues. She expressed her displeasure on how her husband was being controlled by some “cabal” this compelled Mr. President to respond dramatically that his wife belongs to the kitchen and the other room.
While El-Rufai can advise or vent his anger at the president, it does not necessarily mean through memos. There are various channels and El-Rufai knows them. Nonetheless, he is also guilty of the same issues raised in his memo. Kaduna APC has been embroiled in leadership crises with “Akida” faction led by Chief of Staff to the Senate President, Dr Hakeem Baba Ahmed. It is also on record, those who worked for the success of El-Rufa’i have not been recognised in terms of appointments or even mere consultation on governance in the state. The likes of Dr Hakeem Baba Ahmed, Haruna Y Saeed, Isah Ashiru Kudan, Senator Shehu Sani have stories to tell on how the governor relegated them to the background in spite of their enormous contributions to the victory of the party in the state. As the saying goes, “Who goes to equity must go with the clean hands,” El-Rufa’i hands are not clean.
Ibrahim Mustapha, Pambegua, Kaduna State.