Femi Adi/Kaduna
Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai is leaving no stone unturned in his bid to cut the cost of governance in the state, but in doing so, he appears to be stepping on toes
When Malam Nasir El’Rufai was Federal Capital Territory Minister, he was widely criticised for demolishing houses and embarking on radical development of the nation’s capital, not minding the personalities and individuals involved .
It was against this background that when he signified interest to contest as governor of the historical centre and political headquarters of northern Nigeria, some individuals within the then ruling party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, kicked against it and sponsored some aspirants in the All Progressives Congress, APC, to thwart his ambition as well as smear his name out of fears that if he wins, he would certainly do same in Kaduna
But El-Rufai surmounted all the obstacles placed on his way and picked the APC ticket. Rather than succeed with the attempt to smear his name and truncate his ambition, El’Rufai got the sympathy of voters who gave him the nickname Sai Mai Rusau, meaning ‘We want the demolisher’ as governor. Sai Mai Rusau later became his campaign slogan among APC supporters during the campaigns.
Though El’Rufai initially frowned at the nickname, ‘Mai Rusau,’ describing it as a campaign of calumny, he kept stressing that to make ‘Kaduna great again,’ the right thing must be done, even if many toes would be stepped on. During his campaigns, he never hid his intention to remove the rot in the government of the state.
So, it was not unexpected that after thirty days of being in charge of Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House, he has not only proved to be tough, he also dared some persons referred to as ‘powers that be’ with some of his decisions. Despite complaints by a handful critics of his administration, El’ Rufai has remained resolute. For the governor, leadership means service to the people.
One of the tough and popular decisions El Rufai took on assumption of office was the banning of fertiliser allocation to politicians, traditional rulers and government officials. The governor took the decision when he paid an unscheduled visit to the fertiliser store on 6 June.
This singular action, which has pitched the governor against the traditional rulers and politicians, has led to his critics accusing him of persecuting his enemies who are mainly supporters of the past PDP administration in the state. Balarabe Rigachikun, a PDP member, alleged that El’Rufai took the decision to punish traditional rulers and those close to former governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero.
Despite criticism of this move, El’Rufai remained undettered, he moved a step further by turning the ban into a permanent one. “It is an action and a step that must be taken to encourage farmers and boost food production in the state,” he declared.
Though tongues are still wagging on the controversial ban, the governor has refused to succumb to pressures. He insisted that his administration will not condone injustice and any act injurious to the ordinary citizens. “Fertilizer should be sold directly to interested local farmers from designated sales points that are publicly announced and are accessible,” he added.
In continuation of his mission to reposition the state, El Rufai also reduced the number of commissioners from 24 to 13 and limited the number of aides that can be recruited by the commissioners in the discharge of their duties.
The no-nonsense governor stated categorically that henceforth appointment of commissioners, advisers and assistants will no longer be based on political interest but on merit, capacity and experience. He didn’t stop at that, he also restructured the ministries and reduced them from 19 to 13.
Addressing residents of Kaduna North Central at his first town hall meeting organized by the Office of Special Adviser (Political), El’Rufai said his government is focused on development and so will need only 13 commissioners, 10 special advisers and 12 special assistants to achieve results.
He maintained that the idea of appointing 24 commissioners, 41 special advisers and about 400 special assistants was unacceptable, pointing out that good governance is not about recruiting vast numbers of political appointees, but about a sizable figure that can provide the quality of service that is required. More so, this is to basically reduce cost of governance, spur efficiency and improve service delivery.
The ministries retained by El Rufai are:
•Ministry of Justice,
• Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
• Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism
• Ministry of Local Government
• Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture
• Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources
• Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development
• Ministry of Water Resources
• Ministry of Health and Human Services
• Ministry of Education, Science and Technology
• Ministry of Budget and Planning
• Ministry of Finance
and Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport.
That El Rufai’s actions have not gone down with many in the state is not in doubt, even members of the ruling APC are complaining over what they described as the fear of the unknown. Already some of these aggrieved politicians, who claimed they supported APC and El’Rufai to win the election have vowed to stop his re-election in 2019.
An aggrieved politician and former council boss under the platform of the APC, who spoke on condition of anonymity explained that the governor had alienated all those who contributed to his success in becoming governor.
“Politics is all about power sharing and governance. If El’Rufai feels he’s a better politician and doesn’t need us again, we will teach him the lesson of his life.
“El’Rufai has forgotten that he was elected and not appointed, but his behaviour and action after he was sworn in have shown that he is more of a technocrat than a good politician,” he stated.
But despite the complaints, El’Rufai seemed unperturbed as he continued to take drastic decisions unpopular with the big wigs in Kaduna. For example, the annual free Ramadan feeding was abolished and this drew the ire of some Islamic clerics who have been benefitting from the practice. It has equally generated a serious debate among political leaders who described move as insensitive and unIslamic .
At Danfodio Mosque in Ungwar Sanusi, one of the outlets designated for free feeding during last year’s Ramadan, Alhaji Baba Haliru, who spoke with this magazine expressed dismay over the governor’s decision to abolish the feeding programme. “It was introduced by a Christian governor, the late Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa , but abolished by a Muslim governor, it is wrong.”
But explaining his reasons for stopping the popular Ramadan programme, El Rufai told a group of religious leaders under the aegies of Jamatul Nasril Islam (JNI) and Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) at the Government House Chamber Kaduna recently that he stopped the programme to check the looting of the state treasury under the guise of Ramadan free feeding by public officials.
According to El’Rufai, the so-called feeding of the poor during Ramadan is a window created to loot the public treasury with impunity using religion as a cover.
“A situation where foodstuffs bought with public resources are distributed to prominent government officials and other personalities, while the poor in whose name those foods are procured queue in droves for crumbs and are constantly subjected to several forms of hardships and degrading circumstances after such sham gestures is unfair,.” he stated.
He explained to the clerics that there is the need to remove waste in order to serve the people better, so as to justify the massive support he received from them.
The governor also told the clerics that he stopped issuing contracts to so-called ‘super politicians’ to supply foods, beverages and other essentials as Ramadan gifts across the state because the process is fraught with abuse and enrichment of a few individuals.
As if these measures to cut cost of governance were not enough, El’Rufai abolished Hajj sponsorship and distribution of rice to traditional rulers, religious leaders and politicians in the state. These actions, seen as directed against the elite has further strained the relationship between El’Rufai and some top politicians who hitherto use the Hajj tickets and rice for political patronage.
Though the JNI and CAN leaders tried to persuade him to relax some of these measures, El’Rufai refused, saying he took the measures because the state was broke. He explained that the state cannot afford to waste money on ventures that don’t have direct bearing on the lives of the ordinary citizen.
He made it clear to the clerics that government will no longer tolerate the stealing of government resources in the guise of presenting gifts to prominent politicians, public servants and famous figures, adding that the state will no longer be involved in sponsoring people to Saudi Arabia for Hajj or Isreal for pilgrimage .
While most politicians and religious leaders are still not satisfied with the governor’s explanations, information gathered by TheNEWS, revealed that El’Rufai’s actions are geared towards cutting cost of governance in order to provide quality service to the people.
In his inaugural speech shortly after he was sworn in, El Rufai announced a 50 percent pay cut for himself and Deputy Governor Bala Banarba Bantex. He also told all his appointees to prepare to do same accordingly.
Dr. Shehu Usman Adamu is an APC member and former Minority Leader, Kaduna State House of Assembly, in an interview with this magazine, he wondered why politicians should feel bad about El’Rufai decisions to cut down cost of governance.
Adamu said if the governor could cut his salary and allowances, then everyone should expect that a lot of sacrifice will be required to restore the state to good health.
The politicians, traditional rulers and others affected might be unhappy with the governor over steps taken to redirect the state’s funds for development, but for El’Rufai, inasmuch as the decisions taken will better the lots of the masses and lead to development of the state, so be it.
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