Opinions

Security challenges: The crucifixion of Nasir El-Rufai

Nasir El- Rufai, governor Kaduna State, is guilty by association. First is his close association with Muhammadu Buhari, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who is not particularly popular in a section of the country. Another is El-Rufai’s membership of the hated All Progressives Congress (APC). The most painful “crime” for his traducers was El-Rufai’s prominent role in the unprecedented defeat of an incumbent president, which was not shy mobilising Christian and southern bastions of support for its continuity. Worse for them was El-Rufai’s effrontery to tongue-lash Jonathan over his very poor handling of the Boko Haram security challenges.

For the traducers of El-Rufai, it doesn’t really matter that citizen Nasir El-Rufai’s pointed critique of Jonathan’s handling of security was validly made. And that the critique cannot be turned against governor El-Rufai who is not the president and does not have the powers of that office and the leverage he expected Jonathan to deploy. Only a biased mind would fail to acknowledge that as governor, El-Rufai has done everything that a state governor without a military and police can do. The reality is that El-Rufai is just the glorified “chief security officer” of Kaduna State. Nor do his traducers realise that trying to judge El-Rufai as if he were the president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces is like comparing orange and apple.

Nigerians are living witnesses to the public humiliation of Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos State by a police officer. What Sanwo-Olu went through is the lot of the governors, the so called chief security officers. Rotimi Ameachi, as Rivers State governor, had a police commissioner that was uncontrollable and openly disrespectful.

Between Monday when the Abuja-Kaduna train was unfortunately attacked, to date, the video of El- Rufai criticising Jonathan, has been trending. And it is being used against him in a manner that suggests retaliation. But are those posting the video denying the fact that Jonathan woefully failed in his responsibilities as the president? No! Because privately some of them have owned up that it’s payback time for El- Rufai’s strident criticism of Jonathan and his association with Buhari.

But whether El-Rufai’s traducers like it or not, there is no governor that has given the security challenges the attention that El- Rufai has, nor put forward concrete proposals of how the terrorists can be defeated. The only snag, being that El-Rufai is not the president, who the constitution has solely bestowed the coercive power of the state in, so he can only continue to lobby Abuja to do the needful.

El-Rufai, remains the only governor that established a special purpose ministry of internal security in 2019 at the beginning of his second term to coordinate the various agencies in reaction to the increasing security challenges. No other impacted state has reacted to the problem like El- Rufai did.

The reason the terrorists are winning, and will continue to win, is because of the limited number of boots on the ground coupled with the fact that they are not well equipped and lacking in the technology that can make their limited numbers count, and not because El-Rufai criticised Jonathan. This is the real issue that his traducers should have spent their precious time addressing, rather than being fixated on his attack on Jonathan, which beyond demonising changes absolutely nothing.

He has equally been canvassing for the establishment of state police which the National Assembly just threw out for no justifiable reason other than perceived fear of misuse which safety controls would have taken care of. The other proposal by El-Rufai is for the military to carpet-bomb the forests which are providing refuge for the terrorists. Yes, the forests will be destroyed but they can be replanted like Nigeria reconstructed the destroyed infrastructure during the civil war. Again from experience, he has been canvassing for the setting up of a theater command for better coordination of operations in the North-West zone and Niger State.

To crush the terrorists, El- Rufai has also been canvassing for better funding of the armed forces and the security agencies. He should know, because he buys, fuels and maintains the operational vehicles of the police and the civil defence corps. Without his intervention, they would have long been grounded. El-Rufai’’s critics need to understand that his suggestions on winning the war against terrorism is a holistic package and that every item in the package is well thought out. We must stop deluding ourselves that half-measures will restore normalcy. Nigeria is technically at war. And only a strategically coordinated all-out offensive against the terrorists will give us the results we desire.

El-Rufai’s situation reminds one of the fate of Cinna in Julius Caesar by Williams Shakespeare. The poet Cinna, had unfortunately run into the mob seeking out the conspirators. Being a poet, he attempted engaging them wittily, which only further angered the already enraged mob. Even though Cinna wasn’t their intended target, he was nevertheless killed for “his bad verse”, despite his protests that he wasn’t Cornelius Cinna the conspirator they were looking for.

Majority of those hounding Nasir El-Rufai over the security challenges confronting Kaduna State, and other states of the North-West and Niger State in the North-Central zone, are unfortunately not interested in a solution. Playing politics with the security situation with the deeply traumatic events shows how divided we are. Like a prophet he has shouted himself hoarse to a nation that is not willing to listen to constructive proposals on the way forward. He has creditably discharged his responsibilities to his country by putting forward a package of proposals for Nigeria to implement; the choice is ours. His traducers can continue to hound him, while massively misjudging the security challenges.