Mallam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai, the fast past governor of Kaduna point out provoked a slew of harsh criticism from Christian and Igbo leaders nationwide for a farewell speech he gave to a team of his core constituents, Muslim Clerics in Kaduna state. “The only thing vital for the triumph of evil is for great adult men to do practically nothing.” – Edmund Burcke. It is this statement of basic principle that drives me into taking the unpopular stance in producing this discourse on the controversy. The sights expressed right here are completely and solely mine. I am a retired Laparoendoscopic Gynecologic Surgeon with specialization in fibroids management. I experienced, practiced and have been resident in United states of america for the previous forty six a long time. Inspite of the wonderful distance involving United states of america and Nigeria, and 46-12 months sojourn in the United States, I have taken care of and nourished my Nigerian and tribal roots, and have visited and put in no considerably less than an ordinary of 3 months each year in Nigeria since 1977 when I graduated from university (BSc). The Controversy Mallam el-Rufai, the rapid previous governor of Kaduna state, provoked the most recent of his several controversies by his speech when he addressed in human being a team of Muslim Clerics in Kaduna condition, where he was governor for the earlier 8 decades. The speech was shipped in Hausa. The commentators on the English translation of selected snippets of the video taken out of context contain senior officials of Christian church buildings and organizations, large-rating Christian clergies, former significant-position Christian officers of governing administration, Christian and Igbo politicians, and more. Their characterizations of the contents of the sanitized video snippets ranged from a couple of constructive critiques and condemnation of the verbiage of the speech, to predominantly character assassinations that labelled him with terrible names that include terrorist, and an avowed jihadist hell bent on total Islamization of Nigeria. It was all advertisement hominem! The Mallam el-Rufai as portrayed was not the person I admired for his dispassionate technocratic objectivity and honest participate in, and as a superior job design for his sincerity of intent for an egalitarian meritocracy for Nigeria. In disbelief, I referred to as and made an appointment to see him! I bought to know of Mallam el-Rufai when I noticed him on Tv in 2003, soon immediately after he grew to become Minister of FCT. On Could eleven, 2005, a crew of health care consultants from New York and I, made a PowerPoint presentation of a Organization Plan to the then FCT Minister, and his cabinet of directors and senior FCTA officials, on a proposal for shorter, medium, and long-time period interventions for contributions to constructing sustainable ability in the health care sector of Nigeria. The strategy was to establish a specialised University of Drugs and Sciences, with a multi-specialty University Instructing Hospital of international conventional. He granted all of our prayers, which include a sizable portion of land in an effortlessly obtainable area in Abuja – all decisions built right in that seating! Briefly, this is the Mallam el-Rufai that I know – an objective and fair-minded, dispassionate, economical and qualified public policymaker, and an adherent of classic principles of the summum bonum in his administration. I informed him about what I’d browse and inquired if the accusations have been his real inclinations for Christians, Igbos, and Nigeria. The very first thing he did was to ask if I read through the full textual content of his speech, due to the fact additional than ninety for every cent of people who experienced accosted him about it had not browse it. I admitted that I noticed the complete movie but he was talking in Hausa, and even nevertheless I was born in Jos, I was relocated at a young age, and so did not understand to converse the language. He suggested me to go through the translation of the complete text of the speech, so I can be improved informed. Withal, he answered the concern emphatically NO, and argued to the result that: • He has a ideal to flexibility of speech. • Politics is a match of figures, and the figures favour Muslims as the bulk in Nigeria. • Very first time he ran for election 8 years in the past, he calculated he could win on a Muslim-Muslim ticket, and he received. • He won once more with that formula when he ran for re-election. • Non-Muslims do not vote for his occasion so why should he reward them with place of Deputy Governor that they did not generate? • He led a point out authorities the place the Governor, Deputy Governor, and most important Senior Government positions ended up all occupied by Muslims, but governance was reasonable to non-Muslims because of to Islam teachings of fairness and justice to non-Muslims. • Muslim Clerics are aspect of his core constituency and they teach fairness in governance. • Tinubu’s presidential elections victory shows that Muslim- Muslim Tickets can earn nationally, and will be fair to non-Muslims. • He is not the very first politician to enchantment to his religious base, Peter Obi did it with Christians in his presidential strategies. • At the finish, he challenged non-Muslims in Kaduna point out to confirm that they ended up cheated out of their reasonable share of government features and products and services. I still left Mallam el-Rufai, and searched for an English translation of the speech, bearing in thoughts that some nuances and flavours might be dropped or enhanced in translations. Following I read 3 concordant variations of the speech as transcribed by three various translators of distinctive backgrounds and religions, as distasteful as they may perhaps sound, Independence of Speech entitles him to these sights, but centered on the information, I improved my perspective! It was a thank you, and farewell speech to his core constituents to whom he expressed his gratitude and appreciation of their help, votes, and their teachings of Justice and fairness in Islamic governance that presumably guided him in his execution of governance as Kaduna State governor. There was not a solitary reference or inference to Jihad, or war against Christians, nor any indicator he was instigating or manipulating his viewers towards Christians, and by extrapolation Igbos, who constitute the vast majority of Christians in Kaduna point out. He evidently and surely pandered to his base, and appealed to their foundation instincts of “we compared to them”, and the implied supremacy of Muslim faith in its teachings of justice and fairness in governance. He can be quite accused of adroit weaponization of faith to attain political office and power. For that, he deserved to be identified as out, and I individually condemn the pandering, due to the fact he could however have created an efficient farewell speech of gratitude and appreciation without having a language that lends to divisiveness, polarization and disunity. The unintended corollary of his rely on in fairness of Muslim greater part senior Govt officials only, is that non-Muslim minorities should depend on the benevolence of a Muslim the vast majority for fairness and justice, with no constitutional ensures of their rights to fairness and fairness. He is sensible, educated and well informed more than enough to know the political science theorem of the tyranny of the greater part and equilibrium of electric power, that indicates that nations can only protected their survival and societal egalitarian progress by preventing any 1 group, tribe, or religion from attaining sufficient power to dominate all other folks. But does Mallam el-Rufai have earned all the vilification, excoriation, definite and deliberate mischaracterization, slander, and character assassination for this tactless political paltering? By God Almighty – NO!! The contextual frame of the speech is primarily based on apparent specifics, but the tone and presentation can be judged inflammatory and divisive. On the other hand, the speech absolutely does not rise to the stage of a hate speech as numerous of his critics have embellished it to be. My characterization of his speech is that at very best, he was a politician pandering and feeding crimson meat to his political foundation, and at worst, he was a demagogue espousing the infamous political doctrine of divide, conquer and rule. He has his faults like any other particular person. Humility and genuine compunction could have aided in this situation, if only he directed just one of his spokespersons to even set a spin on his speech. God and men have specified Mallam el-Rufai an exalted position, and fantastic option to do excellent by humanity, so much is envisioned of him! “Anyone who can make you imagine absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” – Voltaire.Throughout our history as a country, our leaders have NOT generally led us correct. In their shameless pursuit of self interest capped with unbridled political ambitions, unmitigated quest for reputation, electricity, and wealth, even when definitely harmful, they have shown proclivity to elevating these previously mentioned national pursuits, unity and development. They have led us to think in absurdities that engendered atrocities, disunity, disaster, pogroms, separatism, insurgency, civil war, and all styles of societal maladies that retard nationwide progress and unity. That we the citizens endure the instant, shorter and long time period consequences of their unbridled egocentric ambition would make it duty-sure on us to halt them whenever they tend to guide us down a wrong and perilous route. So, the plea to my fellow Christians and Igbo in distinct, and fellow Nigerians in common, is to be on our guard, and not permit a couple ambitious politicians, religious and ethnic rabble-rousers, who by their mischievous narratives, and egocentric ambitions as exemplified by Mallam el-Rufai’s speech, and his mischievous critics who are even guiltier of the malfeasance they accuse him of, direct us into polarization of our nation. El-Rufai and his vicious disingenuous critics are worthy of to be termed out. If we do not look at and hold our politicians accountable for what they say or do, they will, in their egocentric thirst and quest for unmitigated power and prosperity, sacrifice our national unity and collective development on the altar of their unbridled ambition. Nigeria’s unity is a fragile function-in-development, and it is duty-sure on us the educated elite to rise previously mentioned ethnic and religious sentiments, and condemn any politician or spiritual or ethnic team, group, and leaders who for political gains, or quest for attractiveness, makes an attempt to switch our range from staying our power into a harmful division that weakens us.