El-Rufai gave non-indigenes key posts; a wanted man is ‘de facto Governor’ – Coalition

A Coalition of Southern Kaduna Groups has lamented what it called ‘Policy Somersault’ by the present government of Mallam Nasir El-Rufa’I in the state.

The chairman of the coalition Barr. James Kanyip, told newsmen on Tuesday that the “inconsistency in policy formulation and implementation in the state is becoming laughable”.

He cited school feeding and land reclamation amongst other policies of the present administration as being against the people’s wishes.

The group recalled that Governor El-Rufai had repeatedly stressed that “Kaduna State does not have any indigene” and had stated clearly that the “indigene” clause will be expunged from Kaduna State documents to make it possible for anyone who resides in Kaduna to gain equal access to everything that a native of Kaduna state may be entitled to.

“He has not only made this pronouncement, but has backed it up with the appointment of non-indigenes into prominent and key political positions,” the group said.

“For instance, we have today an alleged wanted man being brought into his government as a Special Adviser and is even regarded as the de facto Governor; Hadiza Bala Usman as Chief of Staff; Muyiwa Adekeye as Special Adviser on Media and Publicity; Peter Ayim as Special Assistant on Entrepreneur; Hafiz Bayero as Special Assistant on Job Creation; Hajiya Rabi Abdulsalam as Commissioner for Women Affairs; Hajiya Hadiza Yahuza as Interim Chairman of Chikun Local Government Council, among others.

“This is a very strange and curious behaviour since Sections 25, 26 and 27 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria has clearly stated the citizenship status of every bona fide Nigeria; and it states that a Nigerian citizen must be an indigene of a community in Nigeria.

“Those who are not of Kaduna State origin, though resident in the State, are citizens but not indigenes of Kaduna State because they cannot claim dual indigeneship. This is without prejudice to their fundamental and other rights as humans and citizens of Nigeria,” the group stated.

“El-Rufai made security a big issue in his campaign and swore that no indigene or resident of Kaduna State would be killed and the murderers not found and prosecuted. However, we can now see that he was only talking about his kinsmen in Birnin Gwari and surrounding areas, not Southern Kaduna.”

The group, however, stated that the “Southern Kaduna people are law abiding indigenes of Kaduna State who are very desirous of development, peace, unity and pledged to support the Governor in every way it can if he shows evidence that he means well for every section of the State.”