IN the last 12 months, Nigerians were blessed with about four million babies. Within the next 20 years, about three million of these babies would have survived infant mortality, malaria and other preventable diseases to become adults, willing and able to join the workforce.
“Most of them will not have jobs unless the current leadership at federal, state and local government levels make the right choices about the use of our resources. If at federal level, we spend about 75% of the budget on current consumption and only a quarter on capital investments, the future of those three million babies would be worse than that of the millions of people unemployed in Nigeria today.”
The above was the opening of a piece that Mallam Nasir el-Rufai wrote on Nigeria’s infrastructure deficit years ago, long before the stirring of gubernatorial ambition. Now, it is clear that he did not only hit the ground running, the pattern of his strides and bated breath evinces preparedness.
However, in the course of doing what he believes to be best for his state, Governor Nasir el-Rufai is not only ruffling feathers, he is stepping on toes, flagrantly throwing away established patronage traditions. In some respects, his vision of the state’s future and his unprecedented actions towards arriving at certain goals amount to a violent upset of the status quo.
Now, six weeks into his four-year tenure, friends, foes, political allies and antagonists all see in Mallam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai a resolute non-compromising break with the past in many respects. el-Rufai’s Kaduna State is home to not less than 60 retired military generals, scores of former ministers, retired federal bureaucrats, traditional title-holders from numerous other states and an endless list of made men from all walks of life.
The current President, Mohammadu Buhari, and former leaders such as Generals Yakubu Gowon, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Theophilus Danjuma have residences in the state. Altogether, Kaduna State comprises about 63 ethnic groups, including Hausas and Fulanis. The name, Kaduna, was taken up by Lord Frederick Lugard and his colonial colleagues when they moved the capital of the then Northern Region from Zungeru to Kaduna in 1916. This move of the colonial office to Kaduna started 1912-1918/20 with the initial effort having been made in 1902 from Jebba to Zungeru.
At the start of British colonial rule in Northern Nigeria, the people who lived in the area became ‘Northern Nigerians’- a construct which continues even till date.
In terms of intellect and ideas on nation-building, the diminutive ‘giant’ had always been one of those ‘noisemakers’ who command much attention across the Nigerian political landcape.
A common thread that pervaded his writings on Nigeria’s infrastructure deficit, hunger in the land and palpable mis-governance is the need for change a message that is amplified by other stakeholders in the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Coming into power without a practical demonstration of commitments would have been enough to wave off el-Rufai as one of those idealistic theorists who gently slide into the norms that most governors and political leaders go by. Luckily, he came to power with a good chance to stand in total contrast against at least two grossly non-performing predecessors whose impact was barely felt.
However, the Zaria-born el-Rufai, whose inauguration was nearly marred by stone-throwing protesters who insinuated that the Emir of Zazzau is part of the old order, began to unfold his mission before the ink dried up on the swearing-in instruments.
First was the announcement, during his inaugural address, of a 50 percent pay cut for himself and his deputy, Mr. Barnabas Bala, until the state’s financial situation improves. Guaranteeing free and compulsory basic education for every child up to JS3, regardless of gender, religion or ethnicity; focus on jobs, security, education, and healthcare; difficult decisions, and; leaders’ sacrifice of official comforts of their offices for the greater good of all were priorities he reeled out.
“The fact is that today’s Kaduna State cannot meet its obligations without handouts from the Federal Government. We cannot comfortably pay salaries of our teachers and nurses and civil servants. And after struggling to pay salaries, we can do little else. We cannot fix the schools, help our farmers, repair our roads, or treat the sick. We have arrived at a dead end. The patient is sick, and it needs radical therapy,” Governor El-Rufai stated while emphasizing that leadership by example is the most persuasive way to demand sacrifices from all citizens.
Under el-Rufai, Kaduna State has again become one of the states dominating the headlines for positive developments, negative ones and a few others in broadly ambiguous categories. The very bad news was the death of more than 20 teachers/civil servants and injury caused to scores of others when a suicide bomber struck in Zaria last Tuesday.
Scores of street beggars were being rounded up in Kaduna as the el-Rufai administration begins an unusual move to rid the core state in Northern Nigeria of mendicants. Also, 115 street gang members, locally known as “Yan Sara-Suka,” were arraigned in court for allegedly terrorising communities in the state. Thirty-eight of them faced charges of criminal conspiracy and terrorism, 32 for possession of hard drugs and 45 for terrorism and culpable homicide, while special patrols continue in notorious areas known to be harbouring criminal activities..
“Kaduna is now very calm, and we need the cooperation of the general public to make the state safer for all”, the Kaduna State Police Command stated as it began the discharge of the governor’s orders.
While the new administration needs to come up with lasting social programmes to discourage youths from the long-existing practices of street begging (almajiranci) and thuggery, it is apparent that its focus differs from its predecessors’. About two weeks before the May 29 handover date, erstwhile Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero had split members of the state’s House of Assembly over a determined effort to get approval for the spending of N2.744 billion 2014 Subsidy Reinvestment Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) funds meant for the state’s 23 local government councils.
An abolition of the joint state and local government accounts through which state governors across Nigeria recklessly fiddle with local councils’ huge monthly allocations became Governor el-Rufai’s priority. With that, he affirms the ruling APC’s campaign for genuine fiscal federalism, leaving governors in other parts of Nigeria with a challenge of how to redirect their attention away from the easy plunder of huge resources in the hands of council chairmen, many of whom seem continually confused about differentiating between their right and left.
el-Rufai rode to power on APC’s populist platform after battling hordes of determined Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) elements within and outside his party. The resolute manner with which he demolished hundreds of illegally-approved buildings in Abuja while he was Minister of the Federal Capital Territory became a major focus of campaign against him. Then, the nickname, ‘Mai Rusau’ (The Demolisher) from political opponents became an anxiety-provoking label in his camp.
Suddenly, ‘Sai Mai Risau’ (We want the Demolisher) became a rallying battle-cry among the populace whose votes eventually got Nasir el-Rufai into Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House. On June 6, 2015 when the new governor visited the state’s fertiliser depot, he announced the banning of fertiliser allocation to politicians, traditional rulers and government officials. This was an arrangement that had existed since the military era and it earned Governor el-Rufai instant enemies, including critics who allege that he wants to make life difficult for supporters of the past PDP administration in the state. Indeed, a PDP stalwart, Alhaji Balarabe Rigachikun, alleged that el-Rufai was out to punish traditional rulers and those close to former governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero.
“It is an action and a step that must be taken to encourage farmers and boost food production in the state…Fertilizers should be sold directly to interested local farmers from designated sales points that are publicly announced and are accessible,” the governor asserted in response to critics.
To curb the cost of governance which he had been campaigning for over the years, el-Rufai, at his first Town Hall meeting with constituents, announced that the era of appointing 24 commissioners, 41 special advisers and about 400 special assistants was gone in the state. Instead, he reduced the number of state ministries from 19 to 13 and the number of commissioners from 24 to 13 in addition to limiting the number of commissioners’ aides on the grounds that he needed to cost of governance, spur efficiency and improve service delivery.
When he granted audience to a group of religious leaders from both the Jamatul Nasril Islam (JNI) and Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) at the Government House, el-Rufai justified a decision to end a long-existing free-feeding arrangement which had become part of the annual Ramadan programme in Kaduna state. Emphasizing that the so-called feeding of the poor during Ramadan is a window created to loot the public treasury with impunity while using religion as a cover, he alleged that the beneficiaries were the elite in the society.
“A situation where foodstuffs bought with public resources are distributed to prominent government officials and other personalities, while the poor in whose name those foods are procured queue in droves for crumbs and are constantly subjected to several forms of hardships and degrading circumstances after such sham gestures is unfair,” he stated.
The governor also told the clerics that he stopped issuing contracts to so-called ‘super politicians’ to supply foods, beverages and other essentials as Ramadan gifts across the state because the process only ensured the enrichment of few individuals. The governor also radically put a stop to Hajj sponsorship and distribution of rice to traditional rulers, religious leaders and politicians in the state.
el-Rufai has also commenced the identification and staff auditing of civil servants, using the latest technology to seek out ghost workers and their sponsors. With his rather unusual steps which have drawn the ire of vested interests, Governor el-Rufai has drawn applause in some quarters, even while others within and outside his political party have begun an equally resolute agenda to ensure that he loses election in 2019.
A group, Initiative for Entrepreneurship and Talent Advancement (IEATA), described Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai as a “consummate administrator whose words and actions in the last few weeks” have rekindled hope in the people. In a statement, the group’s Vice President and Northern Coordinator, Aminu Garuba Mohammed, stated that the governor has raised the bar in public administration.
“Most of us in Kaduna State are aware of the divine connection to El-Rufai’s victory in the April 11 governorship election. We are indeed grateful to the Almighty for choosing the right leader for us at this critical moment in our nation’s history. Today, our people are beginning to re-invent themselves because of this change in leadership. This is in addition to the fact that conditions are also changing for the better. We are therefore proud of our governor because we are already seeing signs of a greater Kaduna State that will in a short time, take its rightful place.
“I therefore wish to use this medium to commend our amiable governor for his populist programmes and also for returning Kaduna on course. Today, he is offering free education, blocking leakages and seriously addressing the burdensome issue of the cost of governance. We are also happy that he is running his government with 13 commissioners as against 24 by the previous administration. el-Rufai has also commenced the identification and staff auditing of civil servants, using latest technology to seek out ghost workers and their sponsors. As a group, we are very pleased with his empowerment programmes which will go a long way in engaging youths and anybody willing to work.”
That notwithstanding, it is becoming clear that the list of Governor el-Rufai’s political foes may be increasing as many feel alienated from the patronage they expected after their political party’s election victory. Aggrieved politicians who expected much more than what el-Rufai is offering their ilk are not just sulking over the technocratic, cost-cutting disposition of the governor; they are eagerly awaiting the chance to pay him back in due course.
Among the criticisms levelled against El-Rufai was the appointment of non-indigenes, including Mr. Muyiwa Adekeye and Jimi Lawal, whom he had been working with before becoming governor, as favoured appointees. Also, they note that the unprecedented appointment of a woman, Hadiza Bala Usman, as the governor’s Chief of Staff puts men in such a patriarchal society in a difficult position in terms of seeking favour and pleading for various forms of patronage. Religious clerics, traditional rulers and politicians have made futile efforts, trying to change the governor’s mind about free hajj seats, Ramadan feeding programme and some of the measures aimed at cutting the cost of governance but Governor el-Rufai is sticking to his guns.
Born on 16 February, 1960 in Daudawa, Faskari Local Government Area in Katsina State, Governor Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai, a former Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, was Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja from 16 July 2003 to 29 May 2007. He was reportedly in self-exile during the tenure of President Umaru Yar’Adua and an intimidating Senate investigation into land allocations during his tenure as minister took place shortly after he returned.
With a tenacity partly inspired by the loss of his father when he was eight years old, el-Rufai passed through the prestigious Barewa College with award of excellence in 1976. At Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, he made First Class honours for his degree in Quantity Survey and later proceeded to Harvard Business School and Georgetown University. After years in public service, he went to the University of London for an LL.B degree, grduating in August 2008 with Upper Second Class Honors and then did a Master’s Degree in Public Administration at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University in June 2009. He also received the Kennedy School Certificate in Public Policy and Management having spent 11 months as an Edward A. Mason Fellow in Public Policy and Management from July 2008 to June 2009.
The highs and lows of el-Rufai’s public career are engaging and well presented in Wikipedia. He mounted a very daring and unprecedented crusade against corruption by successfully exposing two senators who had demanded for bribes from him to ease his ministerial confirmation. As Minister of the FCT, he brought sanity and boom into the real estate sector with the establishment of the Abuja Geographic Information System within 12 months of being appointed as minister, thereby making the FCT Nigeria’s first municipality to have a computerised land register and information system.
Along with the President and members of the Economic Management Team, he led the reform of the Nigerian public service which had become dysfunctional during years of military dictatorship. At various times during his tenure as minister, he oversaw the Federal Ministries of Commerce (twice) and Interior. ]He also chaired several high-profile cabinet committees that led to the establishment of a mortgage system in Nigeria, National ID card system for Nigeria, Electric Power Supply Improvement and the sale of Federal Government real estate in Abuja.
Nasir el-Rufai is married to three wives, Hadiza, who is an architect, Asia and Ummi.
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