El-Rufai: Musa’s comments trigger fresh battle of words

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Mixed reactions have continued to follow comments made by the Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), concerning former Kaduna State Governor and African Democratic Congress, ADC, chieftain Nasir El-Rufai.

DAILY POST had reported that Musa, while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today, accused El-Rufai of introducing policies and taking actions that allegedly worsened divisions and insecurity in Kaduna State during his tenure between 2015 and 2023.

According to Musa, “El-Rufai did a lot of terrible things in Kaduna State. He divided the state into two. In that, if you are from the south, you cannot go to the north to live.”

The minister’s remarks have since sparked divergent reactions among Nigerians on social media.

A teacher, Nura Bako Zango, questioned the basis of Musa’s allegations and challenged him to acknowledge the historical circumstances surrounding violence in Kaduna State.

Zango noted that communal and religious conflicts existed in the state before El-Rufai assumed office, citing the 2011 post-election violence and the 1992 Zangon Kataf crisis.

He argued that those historical events raise important questions that should be considered before responsibility for the state’s divisions is attributed solely to the former governor.

Similarly, Abdulmatin Muhammed Jibril, in a Facebook post, called on Musa to produce evidence to substantiate his allegations.

“As a general of the Nigerian Army, what efforts did you make to protect your people from him? Show us just one piece of evidence of you speaking up,” he wrote.

Another commentator, Ibrahim Idris Muazzam, criticised the Defence Minister’s position, describing the remarks as unfortunate and maintaining that El-Rufai governed Kaduna State fairly without discrimination.

Sani Ahmed also rejected the allegations, arguing that the ethnic and religious divisions in Kaduna State existed long before El-Rufai became governor.

However, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Babachir Lawal, came to the defence of Musa, insisting that the experiences of people in Southern Kaduna during El-Rufai’s administration could not simply be ignored.

Lawal said El-Rufai’s supporters had every right to defend the former governor, but argued that such defence could not erase the grievances and experiences of many Southern Kaduna residents.

In a controversial comparison, Lawal said the perception of El-Rufai among Southern Kaduna residents was similar to the way Jews view Adolf Hitler.

He added that the administration of the current Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, was making efforts to address some of the longstanding grievances and heal old wounds.

Meanwhile, Victor Mathew Bobai, Senior Special Adviser on Public Affairs to Governor Uba Sani, advised Nigerians to concentrate on the substance of Musa’s allegations rather than speculating about the political reasons behind his comments.

Bobai maintained that the minister’s remarks should be understood as part of democratic debate and should not be interpreted as an official military position.

“We must distinguish between an official directive and a political opinion. General Musa did not issue a military order, announce a defence policy, or instruct the Armed Forces to support any political party. He participated in a public conversation and expressed his assessment of the political environment,” he said.

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