TheNewsGuru

Tag: el-rufai

  • Your anti-open grazing laws not implementable, El-Rufai blasts Southern Governors

    Your anti-open grazing laws not implementable, El-Rufai blasts Southern Governors

    Kaduna Governor Malam Nasir El-Rufai has criticised the approach adopted by his southern colleagues in handling the open grazing crisis.

    He insisted that the anti-open grazing law being passed by some Southern States is not implementable.

    He also condemned the politicisation of the matter, saying that enactment of populist legislation by the States “is not a solution”.

    El-Rufai, who spoke on Tuesday with newsmen after a visit to the National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja, said that ranching and not open grazing is the solution to the ongoing farmer/herder clashes.

    According to him: “Northern States Governors Forum has already taken a position that open grazing is not a sustainable way of livestock production. And we must move towards ranching.

    “But moving towards ranching cannot be done overnight. We have to plan, we have to have resources and we have to implement it sensibly. It is not a matter of populist legislation or saying tomorrow this or that. It is not a solution.

    “What is unhelpful is the politicizing of the situation and pass legislation that you know that you cannot implement.”

    Explaining steps taken by his administration to address the issue, El-Rufai said he has embarked on construction of a ranch that will take care of over 1,500 Fulani families at the cost of N10 billion.

    “My State, for instance, we are developing a huge ranch to centralise the herders. And that is the solution. But can it be done overnight? No,” he said.

    “I hope that they will see that there are alternative ways of producing livestock instead of running up and down with cattle going to people’s farms to cause all kinds of problems. We want to solve the problem.”

    Shedding more light, the Governor said: “We need billions of Naira. This is just one ranch that is causing N10 billion. I have 14 grazing reserves in Kaduna State and I will like to convert them into ranching. Do I have 14 times 10 billion naira? I don’t have.

    “If the Federal Government will give me N140bn, I will convert the other thirteen into ranches and make sure that nobody comes out with a cow or sheep in Kaduna State because I will have enough ranches to take care of everybody. That is the solution. You can legislate but let us wait and see. And I wish them the best of luck.”

  • Why electronic voting is possible in Nigeria – El-Rufai

    Why electronic voting is possible in Nigeria – El-Rufai

    Governor Nasir El Rufai of Kaduna State, says electronic voting is possible in Nigeria, with the right determination.
    According to him, the success recorded in the last Local Government election conducted via eletronic voting in the state, was a demonstration that it was possible across the country.
    The governor made the statement in a statewide broadcast on Wednesday to thank the people of the state state for giving the All Progressive Congress (APC), victory at the polls.
    He welcomed the election as a unifying moment, describing the results from Kaduna South Senatorial District in particular, as significant in advancing political consensus in the state and overcoming divisions.
    According to him, his administration had placed the credibility and integrity of the electoral process above the discredited practice of previous governments of winner takes all.
    He commended the electorates for showing, for the second time, that there was no obstacle to the successful adoption of electronic voting technology in Nigeria.
    El-Rufai recalled that voters in the state, first made history on May 12, 2018 when they cast their ballots on electronic voting machines to elect chairmen and councillors for the 23 local government councils in the state.
    He also explained that the election had placed Kaduna State as the first in Nigeria to use electronic voting and first subnational in Africa to do so.
    According to him, it also positioned Nigeria as the second country in Africa after Namibia to use the technology.
    “The local government elections of 4th September 2021 further validated the Kaduna State Government’s decision to invest in Electronic Voting Machines to promote electoral integrity and transparency.
    “Kaduna state is proudly upholding a new chapter in elections in Nigeria, using electronic voting technology, championed by a government that is determined to respect the outcome, win or lose,’’ he posited.
    “As governor of Kaduna state, I have always taken the view that we all win when democracy triumphs.’’
    He congratulated all the winners in the local government elections and challenged them to use their period in office to serve the people, uphold democratic tenets and promote peace in the state.
    The governor expressed gratitude to the people for the support they gave APC candidates during the elections.
    “Our people again demonstrated with their votes that they recognised our efforts to empower them, to educate their children properly, to secure better healthcare for them and to return their priorities to the heart of government,’’ he pointed out.
    El-Rufai further said he was particularly pleased that his administration’s determined efforts to promote democracy are helping to further unite the state.
    “We welcome the results in the Kaduna South Senatorial District, as a significant step in advancing political consensus in our state and overcoming division.
    “We are most grateful to the people of the Kaduna South Senatorial District whose votes have helped expand the APC’s footprint in the area.
    “The voters have given the APC victory in four of the seven local government where elections were conducted in Southern Kaduna,’’ he noted.
    According to him, the APC had won in Jema’a and Kauru local government councils, in addition to retaining Sanga and Kagarko which it won in 2018.
    “The unprecedented victory in Jema’a augurs well for advancing unity and commitment to common endeavours in the interest of unity, peace and progress in our state.
    “It is an embrace that we do not take for granted. We accept it as a moment for opening new vistas, extending bridges and saying farewell to needless divisions,’’ he said.
    According to him, ‘’this emphatic statement at the ballot box has shattered the unhelpful myth that any part of our state is an impregnable stronghold of any party.
    “It has removed the baseless stereotyping of certain parties as ethnic bastions and religious vehicles.
    “I call on all leaders and citizens in our state to cherish this moment and make it the beginning of an enduring rapprochement.’’
  • Kaduna LG polls: El-Rufai loses polling unit to PDP

    Kaduna LG polls: El-Rufai loses polling unit to PDP

    Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has lost his polling unit in the local council election held on Saturday.

    The results announced by the State Independent Electoral Commission for Unit 01 Ungwar Sarki, Kaduna North Local Government, showed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) getting 86 out of the 159 votes for chairman.

    El-Rufai’s All Progressive Congress (APC) secured 62 votes, while APP had 1, ZLP 5, PRP 4, and 3 abstentions.

    The PDP also got 100 votes for councillorship seat out of 162 cast while APC scored 53, ZLP 2, PRP 2, NNPP 1, and BP 4.

    El-Rufai sacks 99 political appointees
    The results were announced by the Presiding Officer, Muhammad Sani.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the governor had earlier said in an interview with journalists that the adoption of electronic voting for the local election was to ensure that people’s votes count.

    “As I said several times, we are not going to behave like other parties or other state governments, we will allow the people of Kaduna State to elect who they want.

    “The APC did not have to win everywhere, We don’t believe in cheating or rigging elections but also we don’t want other parties to cheat us and that was why we encouraged the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission to come up with fool-proof voting process,“ he said.

  • El-Rufai’s ‘friend’ and Ex-Kaduna Deputy Governor Bala Bantex buried

    El-Rufai’s ‘friend’ and Ex-Kaduna Deputy Governor Bala Bantex buried

    The late former Deputy Gov. of Kaduna state, Mr Barnabas Bala, (popularly known as Bantex), was on Saturday buried in his hometown, Manchok, Kaura Local Government Area.

    The burial organised by the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Manchok, was attended by relatives, friends, associates and top government officials including, Gov. Nasir El-Rufai.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that Bala, 64, died in an Abuja hospital on July 11 following a protracted illness.

    El-Rufai in a tribute at the funeral described the deceased as one of the most honest and decent persons he had ever come across in life.

    “Bantex was a brilliant man. But beyond that, he was one of the most honest and decent humans I have ever come across. I will miss my friend.

    “We never argued in the four years he was my deputy except once when he told me he was going to resign.

    “And there was no decision we took without getting his opinion as the final opinion,” El-Rufai said.

    According to him, Bantex will be remembered for his laudable contributions to the growth and development of the state.

    The deceased’s wife, Ladi Bala, said her late husband was a peaceful and loving man who died with a smile on his face.

    “He was a peace maker and his last words to me were thank you and thank you. My husband was all smiles as he passed away.

    “Even the doctors said they had never seen anything like that. Our only consolation now is that he has gone to be with the Lord,” she said

    Also speaking, the ECWA President, Rev. Stephen Panya, noted the critical role Bantex played in the life and history of the Church in Nigeria.

    “He designed and built the present ECWA headquarters in Jos, Plateau State, and the church will always be proud of him,” Panya said.

    On his part, the Plateau Deputy Gov. Prof. Sonny Tyoden, described the deceased as an uncommon politician who stayed true to his convictions.

    “He was an uncommon politician who was never fillip ant but stayed true to whatever he believed in.

    “Let’s all strive to live by the principles that guided his life here on earth because he was a true patriot,” Tyoden said.

    Also in a sermon, Rev. Yunusa Nmadu, admonished the people to take a cue from the many good legacies the deceased left behind.

    Bala was Gov. El-Rufai’s deputy between 2015 and 2019, when he resigned to contest for senate on the platform of the APC but lost to PDP’s Danjuma La’ah.

  • Kaduna loses first class monarch, El-Rufai reacts

    Kaduna loses first class monarch, El-Rufai reacts

    The Traditional Ruler of Chikun Chiefdom in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Danjuma Barde is dead.

    The first-class traditional ruler died in the early hours of Wednesday at the Nigerian Army Reference hospital in the Kaduna State capital after suffering from an undisclosed illness.

    The late monarch was promoted to a first-class chief in 2018 by Governor Nasir El-Rufai, who changed the name of his title from “Sa Gbagyi” to “Esu Chikun”.

    In his condolence message, Governor Nasir El-Rufai described the late Esu Chikun, as a traditional leader who promoted peace and embraced the diversity that development and modernity had brought to his chiefdom.

    El-Rufai, in a statement issued by his spokesman, Mr Muyiwa Adekeye, said the traditional Ruler was “a peacemaker who did not flinch from the challenges of modernity but who fully embraced the possibilities of diversity.”

    “This accommodating and constructive attitude has brought immense socio-economic dividends to the people of Chikun Chiefdom which is host to many of the most significant investment projects the government has attracted to Kaduna State since 2015,” the governor was quoted as saying.

    While eulogising the deceased, the governor said the state is “grateful for the positive attitude of the late Dr. Barde.”

    He also prayed to God to grant him peaceful repose, to comfort his family and the entire Chikun Chiefdom.

  • Insecurity: I feel you pains, losses, fears; El-Rufai tells Kaduna residents

    Insecurity: I feel you pains, losses, fears; El-Rufai tells Kaduna residents

    Gov. Nasir El-rufai of Kaduna state said on Tuesday that he was deeply worried by the hardship of the people occasioned by the security challenges in the state.

    In his remarks during the presentation of the Kaduna State Security Incidents Report for the Second Quarter of 2021, the governor said the security report presented had sobering statistics on the state of security in the state.

    “The data on security incidents in the state during the second quarter of 2021 reflects the real agony of our citizens and communities, their pains and losses, and the fears and anxiety that have created considerable distress” he said .

    He noted that the report also outlined what the Kaduna State Government and the security agencies were doing to contain the situation.

    El-Rufai however lamented that the considerable investments in security were yet to manifest in the defeat, or at least the considerable degradation of the criminals.

    He reiterated his administration’s commitment to continue supporting security agencies, just as he appealed for the support of Federal Government in making up the manpower deficit in the security sector.

    He appealed to citizens and residents of Kaduna State, to remain law-abiding, and to uphold peace in their communities.

    He specifically urged community and traditional leaders in Zangon Kataf and Jema’a Local Government Areas, not to relent in their drive for peace.

    He sympathised with the people and security agents for all the pains and sorrow caused by the situation.

    ” I assure you that we are working hard to solve this problem and it is our solemn duty to do so,” he pledged

  • Declare state of emergency in Kaduna before bandits kidnap all residents under El-Rufai’s watch – MBF begs Buhari

    Declare state of emergency in Kaduna before bandits kidnap all residents under El-Rufai’s watch – MBF begs Buhari

    The Middle Belt Forum (MBF) on Sunday took a swipe at Governor Nasir El-Rufai for allegedly allowing the insecurity in the state to fester while he does nothing to savage the situation.

    It, therefore, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to, as a matter of urgency, declare a state of emergency in Kaduna State.

    MBF accused the governor of making utterances that encourage bandits to intensify abductions in the state.

    “More than any time, Governor el-Rufai has continued to provoke bandits through unguarded utterances that have further enraged them to unleash more terror attacks on various communities,” the forum said in a statement by its National President, Dr. Pogu Bitrus.

    The group stated that despite El-Rufai’s refusal to negotiate with kidnappers: “he has also not done anything to secure these weak communities against further attacks by bandits.”

    “Arising from the glaring failures by Governor el-Rufai to protect lives and property, we are calling on President Buhari to declare a state of emergency on Kaduna State as the governor has shown gross incapacity to maintain peace,” the MBF added.

    Besides, it called on security forces to collaborate with vigilante groups in the attacked communities to track down the bandits that have “declared war on the people.”

    The forum said the most disturbing was the recent abduction of over 120 students of Bethel Baptist High School in Damishi and the attitude of el-Rufai towards ending the security challenges facing the state.

    The the statement added: ”Most disturbing is the recent abduction of students of Bethel Baptist High School in Damishi which is located on the outskirts of Kaduna. These minors are still being held captive in the forest with no food, shelter or medication.

    “This new wave of attacking schools by the bandits appears to be in the agenda of Boko Haram and is aimed at frustrating the education of future generations upon whose shoulders lie the future greatness of our nation.

    “The most worrisome is the attitude of Governor El-Rufai towards tackling the security challenges confronting the state. Communities across various local government areas in the state have come under unending severe attacks resulting in gruesome massacres, raping of women, destruction of property, incessant kidnappings made worse by huge payments of ransom to secure release of abducted persons and displacement of thousands of people out of their homelands.

    “More worrisome is the fact that attacks by these killer herdsmen and kidnappers on defenceless communities have led to massive displacement of people from their ancestral lands, thereby creating a catastrophic humanitarian crisis situation and rendering farmers unable to access their farmlands for agricultural activities.

    “Current attacks on schools have also led to the withdrawal of pupils and students from schools or outright closure of such schools. The negative consequences of these on education and food security can only be imagined.

    “On the other hand, kidnappers have taken over all the routes linking Kaduna State to other parts of the country where they have continued to unleash terror on road users.”

  • CAN, HURIWA call for El-Rufai’s resignation over kidnap of 26 students

    CAN, HURIWA call for El-Rufai’s resignation over kidnap of 26 students

    Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Human Rights Writers Association Of Nigeria (HURIWA) call have asked Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, to resign his position as governor due to escalation of insecurity in the state.

    Their calls were apparently because the governor has failed in his responsibility as the chief security officer of the state and his refusal to negotiate with kidnappers.

    Yesterday, 26 students were kidnapped by armed bandits at Bethel Baptist School, Maraban Rido, Chikun Local Council of Kaduna State.

    Confirming the incident yesterday, Kaduna police command said that security operatives were on the trail of the bandits.
    Chairman of CAN, Kaduna chapter, Rev. Joseph Hayab, who is a Baptist senior pastor, explained that students in the hostel’s register before the kidnap were 180, adding: “They counted the students this (Monday) morning and they said 174 could not be accounted for.”

    He urged the governor to resign, if he could not handle the security of the state. But El-Rufai has described the incident as unfortunate and evil to humanity.

    The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home, Samuel Aruwan, said: “The governor is following the development and receiving hourly situation reports.”

    BLAMING El-Rufai and President Muhammadu Buhari for the kidnap of students in Kaduna and other northern states, HURIWA lamented the lack of effective and transparent military action to end the menace.

    In a statement yesterday, the National Coordinator of HURIWA, Emmanuel Onwubiko, alleged that the kidnappers were being pampered by the Federal Government, while slamming El-Rufai for playing to the gallery by enrolling his son to a public school but secretly withdrawing him later.

    “If El-Rufai has any shame left in him, he should resign (as governor) forthwith for secretly withdrawing these children and trying to speak from both sides of his mouth by claiming that kidnappers were gunning for them. Then 24 hours later, these terrorists abducted several children of the poor,” HURIWA stated.

    HOWEVER, an attempt, yesterday, to kidnap students of Living Faith Academy, also in Kaduna, was foiled by security forces, who responded to a distress call by the school management. Consequently, the school called on parents to remove their children from the school premises.

    The armed bandits had broken the perimeter fence of the academy, only to discover that students were not in session.
    Security report got to the school management last Friday that parents should pick all the children from the hostel, latest Saturday.

    Military personnel were on hand to confront the bandits after the news of the kidnapping of students of Bethel Baptist.

  • [JUST IN] Mass abductions: El-Rufai orders immediate closure of Deeper Life, Winners, ECWA, 10 other schools

    [JUST IN] Mass abductions: El-Rufai orders immediate closure of Deeper Life, Winners, ECWA, 10 other schools

    The Kaduna State Government has ordered the immediate closure of 13 schools located in areas that have been identified as vulnerable to attacks by bandits.

    This followed Monday’s bandits’ attack on Bethel Baptist school in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, where an unspecified number of students were kidnapped.

    The directive which was issued by the Director-General of Quality Assurance Authority in the state Ministry of Education, Umma Ahmed to proprietors of private schools, said the closure is with immediate effect.

    “You are hereby advised to adhere to the contents of this letter as appropriate sanctions shall be meted out to schools that are found wanting for non-compliance, please,” she said.

    Ahmed listed the names of the affected schools to include Faith Academy, along Kachia Road adjacent to Jakaranda, Deeper Life Academy, Maraban Rido, ECWA Secondary school, Ungwar Maje and Bethel Baptist High School, Damishi.

    Others are, St. Peters Minor Seminary, Katari, Prelude Secondary School, Kujama, Ibiso Secondary School, Tashar Iche, Tulip International (Boys) School and Tulip international (Girls) School.

    Also on the list are, Goodnews Secondary School, St. Augustine, Kujama, Comprehensive Development Institution (CDI), Tudun Mare and Adventist College, Kujama.

    Kaduna has been experiencing series of attacks by bandits, with educational institutions considered as soft targets.

  • El-Rufai withdraws his kids after bandits threaten to attack Kaduna public school

    El-Rufai withdraws his kids after bandits threaten to attack Kaduna public school

    Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai has withdrawn his children from a public school in Kaduna after getting wind of a plot to kidnap his son.

    The governor had in September 2019, enrolled his six-year-old son, Abubakar-Sadiq into Kaduna Capital School, a public school located in the Kaduna state capital, in order to show leadership to revamp public education in the state and make it more competitive.

    But in an interview with the BBC on Friday, El-Rufai noted that available security reports revealed that three bandits groups were planning to abduct his son from the school, a situation which he also notes will expose other children to grave danger.

    The Governor also disclosed that he had enrolled Sadiq’s younger sister, Nasrine in the same school after turning six years, before the security development, thereby forcing the family to withdraw the two children from the public school temporarily.

    “My son is registered in the school because his sister also became six years of age and we registered her in the school but we’ve had to temporarily withdraw them for the security of the school because we got intercept from at least two groups that are planning to attack the school to kidnap my son,” he said.

    “I don’t think they will succeed because there will be enough security there to prevent it but other children may be placed in danger. We have no idea what weapons they will come with.”

    He however said that his two children are currently homeschooling, and are only going to Capital School to write exams, with the hope of returning to Kaduna Capital School when security improves.

    The Governor further explained that his family took the decision to withdraw his son and daughter based on the advice of security agents, and in order not to put the school at risk of being attacked by bandits.

    As Kaduna State and other parts of the north-western region continue to experience the scourge of banditry, El-Rufai has been one of those few governors that have repeatedly kicked against the payment of ransom to kidnappers.

    He also reiterated his administration’s stance, explaining that three groups intercepted had vowed to abduct his children to see if he would make a U-turn on the payment of ransom.

    The Kaduna Governor has insisted that the state government has no money to pay bandits amid the renewed attacks by armed groups in the state.

    He stated that the recent bandits’ attacks on communities in the state were a result of the government’s decision that it would not negotiate with them.

    “We have a feeling that the renewed attacks in Kaduna are not unconnected to the position that we have taken as a government that we will not negotiate with criminals,” said the governor who was a guest on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.

    He added, “We will not give them any money and they will not make any profit from Kaduna; anyone that comes to Kaduna will not get a penny from the state government, except he will get a bullet instead.”

    According to Governor El-Rufai, the security challenges being witnessed in the northwest region of the country have been existing for some years and gradually evolving and getting worse with time.

    He was confident that while the state government does not have any reason to change his position, the military would wipe out the bandits from the region.

    The governor stressed that the government would continue to protect the people of the state and their properties, no matter the antics of the armed men.