Mallam Alhassan Kaura mata is a former Lecturer with Ahmadu Bello University Zaria; former Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to Arc. Muhammad Namadi Sambo, former Executive Governor of Kaduna and former Vice President Federal Republic of Nigeria. He is currently a lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, Kaduna Polytechnic. In this interview he talks about the political development in Kaduna, attitude of governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai to governance and other sundry issues.
How has things been in Kaduna State since Nasir el-Rufai assumed office as governor?
In Kaduna State the reality that is down on people since Nasir el-Rufai assumed office as governor of the state is that the change they sort is not here again. People glamour for a change from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which they thought is a non performing government, to the All Progressive Congress (APC) which they thought is going to be vibrant, up and doing, and a government that will hit the ground running. Unfortunately what the government appears to be concern with is not what the people are actually yarning for. The aspirations of the people especially the common man who ran up and down to make sure that the PDP government in Kaduna was defeated and the APC administration under el-Rufai is restored is beginning to get disappointed. This is the political situation in Kaduna state.
But people see el-Rufai as an achiever considering what he did when he was Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Are you saying his performance in the FCT has been over rated?
Yes, el-Rufai achievement has been over rated by people. If you consider what happened in the FCT when he was a Minister you will discover that his major thrust was his penchant for destructions or demolitions. And we live in a society where the rich have cornered the resources of the nation to themselves. So the common man in Nigeria is not happy with the rich. They are always happy whenever some calamities befall the so called “big men”. That was when el-Rufai was able to make a name for him. When he started with demolitions of the houses belonging to the high and mighty the common man jumped up and down and happy that the rich had found somebody who is their match.
Unfortunately when he turned to the shanties where the common men reside their cries were blocked by the apparitions that he was restoring the Abuja master plan. I don’t seem to find any tangible achievement that el-Rufai put in place when he was a Minister. He claimed to have expanded roads, but the question is there roads in Abuja? You can hardly point to specific achievement of el-Rufai when he was a Minster. The only achievement he can claim is restoration of Abuja mater plan which unfortunately boiled down to demolition of houses. As far as I am concern he was over rated. There was an euphoria over what he was able to do in Abuja and people thought that he was going to be a performing person as governor of Kaduna state. And it appears that he thought that since he did what earned him good name in Abuja if it is implemented in Kaduna; things are going to work out. Unfortunately like I always tell people a person’s philosophy determines what kind of person he is and the administration he will run. Nasiru el-Rufai’s philosophy’s as far as progress and development in Kaduna State is concern is at variance with the yarning and aspirations of people of the state.
The governor made several campaign promises, which are not being fulfilled. Part of his campaign promises in his attempt to discredit the PDP government in Kaduna state was the claim that all our primary and secondary schools were in bad shape. He said the soon as he took over before student resume from the long vacation he was going to rehabilitate all primary schools in the state and at least the junior section of the secondary schools. He had also promised to provide free education and free feeding in all primary schools and free uniform for secondary schools. Five months after he assumed office he has not been able to fulfil theses promises.
Are you saying that the town hall meeting where el-Rufai addresses people in the state is not part of carrying people along in matters of governance?
The town hall meeting is a charade. They organized town hall meeting and select some people who will come to the meeting and cannot ask the governor questions. A government that is in line with yarning and aspirations of the people will bring experts who will who will challenge you on your policy focus. But what they did was to gather political appointees who will ask simple question which they react and the people will clap and they disperse. But the reality is that they are not addressing issues; and they do bring people that will challenge him and engage and dialogue about the reality and aspirations of people of Kaduna state.
The governor is accused of being arrogant in his response to criticism from the people. What is the true situation?
In operational democracy leader can refuse to listen to suggestions and criticism. But for a person that say he will not listen to anyone. He is not a good leader. This is a problem we are faced with. And everybody is complaining. He will say in the media that he is opened to suggestion, but everyone is saying he is not.
In his last interview in the media he tried to show that he is not as arrogant as people said but what can out from the discussion showed that he is. He said that no members his party made any contributions to the development of the party throughout the electioneering campaign accept him. But the reactions from people showed that it is not true. One of the contestant during the APC governorship primaries revealed in the media that he contributed 23 vehicles to 23 local government areas of the state during the campaign.
El-Rufai is used to making statement that is not the reality. He recently revealed some figures he claimed was spend during Independent Day Anniversaries under President Goodluck Jonathan administration. Someone came out to say that he is laying and he did not say anything till today. So also a newspaper came out with some of what el-Rufai is worth in billion. He said the paper is lying, but till today he has not come out tell us what he is worth.
At every opportunity el-Rufai likes to create the picture that he is President Buhari’s disciple. He is following the footsteps of Buhari. But Buhari has come out to tell Nigerians what he is worth; Nasir el-Rufai has not come out to tell us what he is worth.
How do you think the actions of this single man (el-Rufai) will affect the APC in the state?
The APC stakeholders in the state come together some months ago and wrote petition to the national secretariat of the party that the way things are happening in Kaduna State things will not augur well for the party in the state. There are several vacant positions in the party. The party chairman is the deputy governor, the secretary is a commissioner and many party executives have taken up positions in the government. Today these positions are vacant and no effort has been made to fill them, thereby rendering the party to perform its role of check and balance in government. The party is supreme; it has the responsibility of calling government to order. Now that the party chairman is the deputy governor and the state secretary is a commissioner no body is there to take the responsibility.
The governor came to accused people that said they positions should be filled as people that have not contributed anything to the party.
If things continue to go this way, on the one hand at the upper echelon the stakeholders are not happy. They are being sidelined and insulted by the governor when they talk. One the other hand the common man who rally round the APC is being disappointed. If this continue up to 2019 it is clear that the APC cannot sustain the tempo.