The former Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria, Kaduna State Chapter, Reverend John Joseph Hayab has stated that the present Kaduna Governor, Uba Sani is a deviation from what the people of Kaduna were used to in the past eight years.
In an interview with ARISE NEWS on Wednesday, Hayab commended Sani, citing his love for the people of Kaduna state and his great style of leadership contrary to that of El-Rufai, which he said was the “kind of leadership that triggers disunity.”
“I must say without any fear of somebody misquoting me. Uba Sani is a deviation from what Kaduna was in the last eight years. Uba Sani is a man that loves the people. El-Rufai was boozing over people, intimidating people and that is why we are where we are.
“When the 121 students of the Bethel Baptist high school were kidnapped, from the day they were kidnapped to the day the last 121st child came home, El-Rufai never called any of the parents, he never visited the school, El-Rufai never even talked to the church. In fact, he was even looking for an excuse to blame us for what was his fault. That is the kind of leadership that triggers disunity.”
Following the constitution of a 13-member committee by the Kaduna State house of Assembly to probe financial dealings, loans, grants and project implementation from 2015-2023 under the former governor, Nasir El-Rufai, Hayab also commended the members of the House of Assembly for the courage to speak up, highlighting the lack of courage among members of the House of Assembly to speak truth to power and hold former Governor Nasir El-Rufai accountable for his actions as one of the challenges of the last administration.
“I think what happened in the last administration is that there were many cowards around who were not courageous enough to speak to power and tell El-Rufai some of the things that he was not doing right. But most of the conversations surrounding them were about the killings and attacks. But in reality, we also spoke about the loans, the projects, so, what is happening today is a great concern to all of us.
“The whole issue is as if it was an attack and I don’t think it is. I simply understand that there is a need for leaders to be accountable and because you are called to account does not mean you are being accused of doing something wrong. It is simply to tell us what happened so that we would be in the know and it would help in our future planning because the town hall meeting is to guide and help the governor in whatever he is going to do, carrying everyone and every stakeholder along, because in the past, though we have town hall meetings, it was a selected town hall meeting for friends and praise singers. El-Rufai and his people should just come in and explain to the Kaduna people
“Let me commend the Kaduna State House of Assembly for coming out of the cold. In the past, they were so timid. The day this motion was raised in the house of assembly, the previous speaker said something. I have not had people digesting but it showed that something was wrong at that time. He said they were not in agreement and there were certain things they disagreed with but there was nothing that could be done because there was no good relationship between the house and the then governor. A governor cannot just collect such a huge amount and claim to have used it for the State without the house approving it. So, this investigative panel is not just going to investigate El-Rufai but also house members and the leadership at that time. I think these are the kinds of matters we want to discuss and not the attacks and the fights.”
Hayab also stressed that the Southern part of Kaduna has experienced a recent reduction in tensions, with notable progress and ongoing efforts toward development.
“Southern Kaduna is a little bit calmer now and there is progress and efforts are being made. Within the last few months, Uba Sani has visited southern Kaduna many times and has commissioned projects and the people are feeling remembered. When a leader comes and remembers you, naturally you will give him a chance to see if he is genuine”
He also noted that even though Governor Sani and El-Rufai share similar political views, a key distinction lies in their leadership styles, noting Sani as a people’s person and El-Rufai as a know-it-all.
“I don’t think there is a political difference between Uba Sani and El-Rufai. The little difference is that Uba Sani is a people’s person, while El-Rufai was not because he knew everything and so he does not need you.”
Recall that last month, during the townhall meeting with stakeholders, Governor Sani made a shocking revelation on the financial position of the state. He said he inherited a huge debt of 587 million dollars and 85 billion naira besides 115 contractual liabilities from the previous administration, making it difficult to pay workers salaries.
Chioma Kalu
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