Cheap blackmail by angry losers: A response to CAN, Kaduna Chapter

Cheap blackmail by angry losers: A response to CAN, Kaduna Chapter - Kamaluddeen Sani Shawai

Only recently and not too long ago ,the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Kaduna state chapter ,has been wagging tongues, accusing the immediate former Governor of Kaduna state Mal Nasir El Rufai on what is basically attested to his political views concerning just concluded elections in Nigeria.

For anybody who cares to know, Mal Nasir El Rufai who many people describe as a genius, whilst his cold calculating tendencies make him brilliant and smart while taken decisions.

A true Nigeria whose pedigree knows no boundaries when it comes with professionalism,  competency and hardwork irrespective of one's religion or ethnic background.

A private sector czar with his intellectual sagacity and uncommon courage as rightly said in Hausa proverbs: INDA KURA KE WASA BA GURIN WASAN KARE BANE : wheres the Hyena dances, is where the dog fears to dance.

Mal, Nasir El Rufai frequently made the headlines on daily papers for his position to true Nigerian project and for his visionary strides, ability to take courageous positions into the future even if it may appear unpopular at any moment.

Such are very rare  kind of leaders people must consistently and continuously think about for years.

So without further ado, let us consider the cheap blackmail by CAN and their a few elements whose desire was to tarnish the hard earned reputation and image of one of the finest personalities in Nigeria.

They complain about inflammatory remarks by El Rufai and MURIC who  boasted that the 2023 elections had proven that Muslims are overwhelming majority in the country.

Regrettably, these are mere cheap blackmail but let us fonder a little bit.

During the election campaign in 2023, where was CAN when churches and their posters are calling their members to ralling behind Christan no matter what and making different kind of utterances.

Where was a highly politised CAN, when pastors were making inflammatory speaches of doom for the country.

Nigeria was never seen how such  diversionary interests were openly instructed by men of  God  to vote in mass for their faith, which of course they did and at the end lost woefully, this is the beauty of democracy, a game of numbers as well as the will of the people.

How  can Nigerians so easily forget the remarks by Orji Uzo Kalu a former Governor of Abia when responding to journalist questions on how and why his political party APC embraces Muslim- Muslim tickets, He said "and of course, we want to win an election, and democracy is a game of numbers not based on religion, ethnicity or regions". 

Let  us understand that everyone will always get what they deserve, millions of Nigerians went all out to exercise their franchises without intimidation and harassment.  Malam Nasir El Rufai and MURIC never planned any evil or planned any machinations against any other religions as alleged by CAN.

Election has come and gone and it clearly showed how the results figures attributes to Atiku -Obi, over 70 of which are from Christan dominated areas ranging from Rivers,Lagos, Southern Kaduna, Gombe, plateau, Taraba, Benue, Imo, Ebonyi, among others.

However,  It's a testimony by Reno Omokri's recent comments concerning the outcome of the general election, where he said and I quote,

""The swearing-in of Bola Tinubu as president federal republic of Nigeria proves that many Nigerian pastors of the Christian faith have to go on a retreat to return themselves to God and question who spoke and speaks to them. Many of them behaved so irresponsibly and have, by their actions, undermined the faith of an untold number of Christians. They have also given impetus to the idea that perhaps religious organisations should lose their tax-exempt status the minute they dabble into partisan politics. Once that happens, you stop being a pastor or an imam and become a politician."

And lastly you exposed the entire Christian to a minority status due to playing dirty religious politics in Nigeria as clearly shown by the outcome of 2023 election.

The remarks by Nasir Elrufai is not new in the dynamic of  politics and in the same way  as what is  normal  among  those that put religion as politics in Southern Kaduna, Taraba, Plateau, Benue and among others. 

Let us go into these remarks by Nasir Elrufai one by one, whilst I have never met a man so Machiavellian like a former minister of FCT, a former Governor for 8 years,  A technocract per excellence with a remarkable difference like no other person than Nasir El Rufai a very articulate and intelligent personality.

Mr, Elrufai is addressing a group of clerics in Kaduna after APC victory. He explained the rationale behind picking Dr., Hadiza Bala Sabuwa, if you want to win an election, then you have to start looking for people that will vote for you.This is a purely polical issues and according to him they have done their calculation politically, so I asked what was wrong with this.

Secondly, is there any Christian in Kaduna who can prove that we oppressed them? Of course if certain areas voted for us the most, we add something to them unlike those that didn't vote for us,  but certainly we will treat them fairly.

What imams taught us is that leadership in Islam is all about justice and we want to share with our breatheren the beauty in relation to Muslim.

Concerning the tenure of the Executive Governor Senator Uba Sani after he finishes his tenure and gets  re-elected again after El Rufai term , that will be sixteen, then we will have another tenure which will make it 24 years . These are  normal in politics and what is wrong with that, 

Politicians use to do that even during the PDP government when they said their target and ambition  was to stay for 60 years.

For these and many others, Elrufai is the elder statesman whose leadership and actions makes his memoir required to read for anyone seeking to understand the dynamic of power politics in Kaduna and Nigeria as a whole.

Already, Malam Nasir Elrufai rose to the top ranks of Nigerian's political hierarchy , As the former minister of FCT he made a profound  zeal to FCT master plan and at last he achieved it, as a governor in Kaduna state laudable records are there for any body to see.

It was, therefore clear that while CAN and their agents were acting a well prepared script to dent and distort the real information with facts as well as to diminsh the image of Nasir Elrufai, CAN should understand that democracy is a people's choice where the majority carries the lead.

Don't judge a book by its covers, nor misinterpret someone's comments wrongly. Take a proper cross examination before uttering a word.

It's rather too late for CAN and their cohorts to misquote Malam Nasir El Rufai at this material time.

Let CAN understand that Peace can only be achieved when there is justice and adherence to tenet of demographics realities.

Kamaluddeen Sani wrote from the ancient city of Kano, Nigeria.