Between El-Rufai, Tinubu, NSA and Gov Uba Sani

By Yunana Shibkau

THE unfolding political scenario in Nigeria with respect to Kaduna State and the need to promptly respond threw up this apt response. On Sunday Politics (Channels Television), Nasir El-Rufai, the immediate past governor of Kaduna State, claimed that the Federal Government—via the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA)—was clandestinely paying bandits billions of naira to secure the release of kidnapped victims across northern states. He dismissed official responses as “fake, predictable hot air.” El-Rufai labelled ONSA’s handling of terrorism and banditry a politicization of security and stressed that media narratives are being whitewashed to cover the true extent of insecurity in the country. If effective governance had been allowed to thrive as we all strive to sustain it in Nigeria, we wouldn’t have bothered to raise a response or offer any criticism to the emptiness of El-Rufai’s puerile ranting, but that was not the case in the present dispensation. After he left office as the governor of Kaduna State, President Bola Tinubu submitted his name to the Nigeria’s Senate for screening as one of the ministerial nominees, as a reward for his contributions to the victory of the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the All-Progressives Congress (APC) in the last presidential election. But he was duly dropped. Since then, all hell was let loose, exhibiting a sense of entitlement to the appointment and heaping all blames on our dear President.

For instance, in early 2025, he publicly stated that President Tinubu didn’t want him in the cabinet, which was false. He appeared on Arise TV insinuating it wasn’t the Senate but rather the President who changed his mind. Reno Omokri and other commentators, however, argued that El-Rufai was actually nominated but failed security clearance and was deemed a diplomatic liability, citing both his “body bags” statement in 2019 and his alleged role in various controversies—including the Zaria Shiite massacre and demolition of opponents’ properties. No one is spared his caustic tongue, including the person and office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He painted a sobering picture of Nigeria’s progress under Tinubu and branded the administration the “worst, most corrupt, and most intolerant” since the return to democracy, claiming propaganda masks the country’s security failures, yet he presented himself as an outsider in a government he helped bring to power. This attitude of El Rufai reveals a troubling contradiction between his words and track record. He did not stop at that, he went after the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, and also descended on the office and person of the Executive Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Uba Sani. No doubt, he is bound to continue with such malicious campaigns if not promptly called to order.

Today, the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration which El-Rufai is attacking has performed well above his numerous and infantile criticisms. The administration, among other achievements, ended costly petrol subsidies to reduce fiscal pressure on the nation’s financial system, and merged multiple exchange rates to attract foreign investment and improve transparency. The administration also commissioned roads, rail, and port projects (many completed from previous administrations, Launched interest-free loans for Nigerian students in tertiary institutions. It initiated mass housing projects for low-income earners, and strengthened military offensives against bandits and insurgents, especially in the North.  The same for the Uba Sani administration; it introduced the “Kaduna Model”, a community-inclusive security framework combining state actors, vigilantes, and federal agencies to stabilize volatile areas, reopened the once-closed Kaduna–Birnin Gwari road, signaling significant security gains. The administration also built 62 new secondary schools, over 2,300 classrooms, renovated more than 700, and reduced tuition fees in state tertiary institutions. It upgraded around 250 primary health centers to Level 2, remodeled 13 general hospitals, and enhanced maternal and child health services, attracted over $89 million in investments between 2023 and early 2025 and generated around 20,976 jobs (direct and indirect); built vocational centers and market hubs to boost skills and employment.

There are several Nasir El-Rufai attributes that disqualify him from any ground to accuse the President Bola Ahmed-led administration. His leadership in Kaduna State was allegedly marked by nepotism, favoritism, insensitivity, recklessness, insecurity, and underdevelopment. As governor of Kaduna State from 2015 to 2023, El-Rufai’s tenure was marked by accusations of ethnic cleansing, religious persecution and a chronic inability to stem violence in one of Nigeria’s most diverse and volatile states. Kaduna, under his leadership, became a flashpoint of ethno-religious bloodshed, and a killing field, particularly in Southern Kaduna where minority Christian communities bore the brunt of incessant attacks. In 2019, a massacre in Kajuru Local Government in Kaduna State resulted in the death of 141 people. The Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU) reported over 4,000 deaths between 2011 and 2015 from 54 documented attacks in what many described as a campaign of ethnic and religious terror. El-Rufai, rather than showing understanding or taking decisive action to protect the victims, was more concerned with managing people’s perception of him. In 2016, in one of the most controversial admissions of his tenure, El-Rufai admitted to having traced and compensated foreign Fulani herdsmen—allegedly to prevent retaliatory attacks, a claim he later denied. However, the shocking revelation sparked outrage and reinforced suspicions of bias, with the likes of SOKAPU and other Nigerians accusing him of encouraging the very militias responsible for the killings.

The accusation and allegations of failure to stop the southern Kaduna massacres is not a political smear; it is a serious moral question that hangs heavily over El-Rufai’s legacy and leadership. Moreover, allegations of abuse of power continue to trail El-Rufai’s political career.

From his days as minister of the Federal Capital Territory, where land allocations and demolition exercises were flawed by claims of selective justice, to his tenure as Kaduna State governor, El-Rufai’s record does not inspire the kind of trust  he now appears to demand of others and will certainly not. It is therefore hypocritical for him to suddenly present himself as a champion of good governance, particularly when he was reportedly dropped from President Tinubu’s ministerial list due to failing security clearance—a move many interpreted as a silent indictment. Under his watch as a Governor, bloggers and journalists were incarcerated, protesters were tear-gassed, and opposition figures were characteristically harassed. It is not for nothing that human rights groups frequently listed his administration among the worst violators of civil liberties during that period. The case of Abubakar Idris, known as Dadiyata, the activist abducted in 2019 and still missing to this day, remains a haunting stain on El-Rufai’s time in office. He consistently disobeys court orders and has no respect for the rule of law. For instance, in October 2022, traders and shop owners at Kasuwan Barci, Tudun Wada area of Kaduna metropolis trooped to the street, asking the state governor, Nasir El-Rufai to obey court order by paying them compensation over their demolished shops and markets. This protest became necessary after the Kaduna State High Court in September 2022, ordered the El-Rufai led- government to sufficiently compensate the shop owners. To this end, the affected shop owners called on the government to respect the constituted authority by obeying the court order. In furtherance of his chronic abuse of human rights and dignity, on April 28 2016, the El-Rufai-led government ordered the arrest of Jacob Onjewu, a Kaduna-based journalist. The journalist was alleged to have written an inciting story that the governor, Nasir El-Rufai, was attacked with stone in Agwan Gado, a suburb of Malali axis in Kaduna North LGA. The Kaduna-based journalist was invited by the Kaduna Police Command and was remanded in custody without option of bail. He was however granted bail after spending seven days in detention. Thus, a man with such record of service lack all ground to unjustifiably attack President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Governor Uba Sani, despite their great achievements in office, which obviously towers above his own over-inflated achievements.

Since becoming NSA in June 2023, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, spearheaded national rescue operations, resulting in the release of more than 4,600 hostages, and the neutralization of over 9,000 terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers, with more than 7,000 arrests, and a substantial recovery of arms and ammunition. Malam Nuhu Ribadu prioritized intelligence-driven action and internal security reform. He initiated collaborations with the UNDP and German Embassy to roll out a comprehensive police reform program, and his office and leadership also enhanced cross-border intelligence and coordination, along with hosting security summits and dialogues with international partners. He convened forums like the UK–Nigeria Security & Defence Dialogue and an UN-sponsored counter-terrorism summit, and mobilized cooperation with Northern governors and security chiefs to strategize on securing affected regions. Since his appointment as Chief of Defence Staff in June 2023, General Christopher Gwabin Musa has spearheaded a transformation of Nigeria’s military—combining strategic innovation with a people-centric approach to restore confidence and effectiveness to the nation’s defense forces. He oversaw the evolution of Operation Hadin Kai, pivoting the military from defensive to proactive offensive actions. Under his leadership, “Super Camps”-strategically located bases-were operationalized to enable rapid and precise counterinsurgency strikes. One of his most celebrated achievements is the successful rescue of scores of Chibok schoolgirls from Boko Haram’s Sambisa Forest—a testament to his planning and operational coordination. Simultaneously, his administration accelerated amnesty programs, prompting the surrender of tens of thousands of insurgents and their families. General Musa has driven the integration of drones, cyberdefence systems, and encrypted communications into Nigeria’s military doctrine, significantly enhancing intelligence gathering and response capabilities. Recognizing the importance of local support, Musa prioritized civil/military relations. Initiatives like peace sports tournaments and community reorientation campaigns helped build trust, improve intelligence gathering, and fostered community reintegration and return of displaced persons.

General Musa strengthened coordination among the military, police, intelligence services, and other security agencies to streamline operations and eliminate redundancy. He has been a leading advocate for troop welfare—improving logistics, housing, medical care, insurance, and hazard allowances, while exploring the establishment of the Armed Forces Trust Fund. General Musa has consistently upheld international humanitarian standards. He responded transparently to incidents like the Tudun Biri drone strike by offering public apologies and support to victims’ families—a move that reinforced military accountability. His commitment to lawful conduct has helped rebuild public trust and improved the military’s global standing.

Today, Governor Uba Sani’s achievements within the shortest period of time are huge and people see that Uba Sani’s leadership is far better than his and becoming more popular by working to unite the people in the state. He seems to be angry that he did not get ministerial appointment under the present administration.  In early February 2019, during a live interview on Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), El-Rufai issued a stark warning to foreign entities: “Those that are calling for anyone to come and intervene in Nigeria … we are waiting for the person that would come and intervene, they would go back in body bags.” , this was a hate speech and an incitement to violence. On the night of April 19, 2019, armed assailants attacked Kajuru Castle—a resort in Kaduna State—leaving two dead, including a British aid worker, and abducting three others. The deceased were identified as Faye Mooney, a staff member of Mercy Corps, and Matthew Oguche, a Nigerian working for an NGO. The attack sent shockwaves through Nigeria and the UK. The Minister of Information described it as a setback to tourism, pledging that the perpetrators would be brought to justice. Yet, El-Rufai seemed unperturbed and insensitive. The loss of power and relevance of Nasir El-Rufai and the intention to get back to the corridor of power promoting his new alignment and exploring ways to stir unrest and discord by his utterances and unholy mobilization in the northern Nigeria against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, his criticism and past evidence of resorting to the engagement of thugs to foment violence gave him away as a man with nuisance value. His revolutionary mobilization of coalition and opposition in a country that is fragile and battling with terrorism and insecurity, should be a source of worry and concern to all patriotic Nigerians. Under El-Rufai leadership, he either failed to address the crisis that inundated the state, adequately or did so with perceived bias—especially, given his prior admission that he had once paid Fulanis to cease attacks, raising questions about legitimacy and favor. His rhetoric is sentimental, reckless and potentially can incite unrest or violence.

The statement credited to him are malicious and strewn with vitriolic vituperation to cause disaffection and undermine national security. The international community is keenly watching Nasir El-Rufai’s mischievous antics and thus urge them to seize his international passport or restrict his movements. The facts remains that Nasir El-Rufai’s allegations against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Malam Nuhu Ribadu are baseless, divisive, inflammatory and inconsistent with the administration’s dual strategy of kinetic operations and community engagement. No agency had ever paid bandits, and will ever do so. El-Rufai must refrain from framing security as a political tool, for to do so is to insult our sacrificial security personnel. Nigerians must recognize the political opportunism which he is masking as activism in him. He did not find his voice in past administration’s undoing and failures for selfish reasons, and when it mattered the most to be on the side of the people.

We must all continue to work to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Malam Nuhu Ribadu and Senator Uba Sani, for the success of the present administration and the betterment of all Nigerians.

•Shibkau, an engineer, is President, Association of Arewa Professionals in the United Kingdom.

READ ALSO: How Atiku, El-Rufai, Amaechi can learn from Tinubu’s school of politics