The attention of the Arewa Youth Vanguard has been drawn to the recent remarks by a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State, Jonathan Vatsa, who aptly described the former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, as a political figure who has lost relevance.
While we commend Mr. Vatsa for his courage in speaking truth to power, we must, however, correct a significant mischaracterization in his analogy.
To call El-Rufai a “wounded lion” is to grant him a dignity and majesty he never earned and does not deserve. A lion, even in its decline, commands a residue of respect for its past strength. The legacy of Nasir El-Rufai in Kaduna State and indeed, Nigeria, is not one of noble strength but of wanton destruction. A more fitting description is that of a wounded jackal—a scavenger whose reign was marked by predation on the very people he was sworn to protect, leaving behind a trail of misery, division, and bloodshed.
For eight years, the people of Kaduna State endured an administration that treated governance as a weapon of vendetta and citizen welfare as an acceptable casualty. El-Rufai’s legacy is not etched in developmental strides but in the rubble of demolished homes and markets, rendering thousands of poor and hardworking citizens destitute without compensation or alternative. His economic policies crippled small businesses and plunged the state into a debt abyss, the full burden of which will be borne by generations yet unborn. This is not the mark of a lion; it is the legacy of a predator that feasts on the vulnerable.
However, the most grievous sin of the El-Rufai administration, for which he must never be allowed to re-enter the political arena, is his alleged role in the escalation of violence and the systematic alienation of the indigenous communities of Southern Kaduna. Under his watch, tragedies were cynically manipulated into a raging inferno of ethno-religious conflict. His rhetoric, often divisive and inflammatory, served not to douse the flames but to pour petrol on them.
The world watched as minorities were decimated, women and children were slaughtered, and lands were occupied. The El-Rufai administration’s response was often perceived as tardy, biased, and shockingly dismissive of the genocide against minority groups. His now-infamous admission on national television, justifying violence, stands as a chilling testament to an ideology that supports ethnic cleansing. He presided over a period where the value of human life, particularly that of minorities, was tragically diminished.
Therefore, the Arewa Youth Vanguard declares that Nasir El-Rufai should not be discussed in terms of political relevance, but in terms of legal and moral accountability. He is not merely a “wounded” political figure; he is a persona non grata in decent political society. A man with such a heavy moral burden has no place seeking to influence the future of a country/State he has done so much to tear apart, especially now that Governor Uba Sani has brought calm and assurance to the citizens of Kaduna State through laudable people oriented projects..
The AREWA YOUTH VANGUARD demand unequivocal:
- National Ostracization: The Nigerian political class, irrespective of party affiliation, must unite in declaring Nasir El-Rufai politically toxic. Any association with him should be seen as an endorsement of his divisive and destructive policies.
- International Investigation: We call on the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague to open a preliminary examination into the violence in Southern Kaduna during Nasir El-Rufai’s tenure as governor. The allegations of incitement to violence, failure to protect civilians, and possible crimes against humanity are too grave to be ignored. El-Rufai, and his cohorts, must be investigated and, if found culpable, should stand trial before the ICC.
Jonathan Vatsa was right; the lion is wounded and has lost political relevance. But we must be precise: El Rufai was never a lion, a jackal. And now that it is wounded, we must ensure he is not just sidelined, but that he is held to account for the carnage he left in his wake. The quest for a united, peaceful, and just Nigeria demands nothing less.
Signed,
Aliyu Suleman Jatau ESQ
National Secretary
Arewa Youth Vanguard
Kaduna North, Kaduna State.
