By Omeiza Ajayi, Abuja
A development analyst and public affairs commentator, Mr. Sunday Wale Adeniran, has issued a strongly worded rebuttal to former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, accusing him of promoting divisive narratives and unfairly blaming President Bola Tinubu for the socio-economic challenges facing northern Nigeria.
In a statement addressed to the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and made available to journalists in Abuja, Adeniran faulted El-Rufai for sharing a post that alleged marginalisation of northern Muslims by the current administration.
“Mallam, I wonder if you read the post you shared on what the writer called marginalisation of northern Muslims by the present administration. I hope you did not read it before sharing it, but I can only hope,” Adeniran wrote, describing the claims as misleading and historically inaccurate.
He criticised the article circulated by El-Rufai, arguing that its author selectively referenced some northern Muslims, including El-Rufai himself, as alleged victims of persecution by the Tinubu administration, while linking the President to issues such as the Kano Emirate crisis.
“President Tinubu was never a governor in Kano State,” Adeniran said, adding that the writer ignored what he described as goodwill gestures by members of the First Family to Muslim-dominated communities. “When Seyi Tinubu donated during Ramadan, it was conveniently omitted,” he noted.
In a historical overview of Nigeria’s leadership since 1957, Adeniran stated that northern leaders had governed the country for a cumulative 49 years, compared to about 19 years by leaders from the South.
He recalled that Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa served as Chief Minister and Prime Minister for nine years, followed by a succession of northern military leaders, including Generals Yakubu Gowon, Murtala Mohammed, Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Babangida, Sani Abacha and Abdulsalami Abubakar.
According to him, “only one of them was a Christian,” while the South’s cumulative leadership years include “Aguiyi Ironsi—six months; Olusegun Obasanjo—three years as military leader and eight years as civilian president; Ernest Shonekan—three months; Goodluck Jonathan—five years; and Bola Tinubu—two years and seven months, still in office.”
Against this backdrop, Adeniran questioned the rationale for blaming President Tinubu for northern poverty and insecurity.
“How do you then hold a two-year-old government responsible for decades of poverty, illiteracy, economic stagnation and insecurity in the North simply because the leader of that government is not a northern Muslim?” he asked.
He also dismissed claims that the Tinubu administration was targeting northern Muslims, insisting that its actions were driven by accountability rather than ethnic or religious considerations.
“It is not true that this administration is witch-hunting northern Muslims. The administration is after corruption, irrespective of religion or ethnicity,” he said, citing cases involving former public officials.
“Godwin Emefiele has forfeited some properties acquired through corruption and he is neither a northerner nor a Muslim. Is Yahaya Bello in custody, or is Kogi no longer a northern state and Yahaya Bello no longer a Muslim?” he queried.
Adeniran further countered claims that the Tinubu government was deliberately stifling northern trade by keeping the Niger Republic border closed, noting that the Federal Government announced the reopening of land and air borders with Niger and the lifting of sanctions on March 14, 2024.
He urged El-Rufai to refrain from amplifying what he described as politically motivated narratives capable of stoking regional tension.
“Those appointed to offices which you and the writer think should be reserved for northern Muslims are Nigerians as well,” Adeniran stated, warning political leaders against “causing unnecessary tension among the people in the name of politics and the struggle to return to public office at all costs.”
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