I was shocked when I saw the headlines. To be sure I was not a victim of sensationalised news coverage, I went and read his comments in detail.
While speaking at the Northern Youth summit organized by Northern Hibiscus Initiative in Kaduna this Saturday, July 6, 2019, Mr. El-Rufai said, inter alia, as follows:
“We still have a lot to be proud of.
We should be proud of our culture and tradition, as well as unity. You hardly can find someone from northern Nigeria convicted of 419 or being a Yahoo boy. That is something we should be proud of.
We are generally considered to be more honest and less corrupt than other Nigerians. That is something we should be proud of.”
In response to the above comments, I say to Nasir El-Rufai that before you label Southerners as Yahoo Yahoo people and fraudsters, do note that the biggest thief in world history is Sani Abacha. Yet, a stadium is proudly named after him in Kano.
This is a man who stole in excess of $5 billion. 21 years after his death, Abacha is still sending credit alert to Nigeria, though General Buhari said ‘Abacha never stole’.
Furthermore, the biggest thief in Nigeria’s civil service history is Abdulrasheed Maina, whom General Buhari secretly recalled, reinstated and double promoted.
Finally, let me conclude by saying before you label Southerners as corrupt and fraudulent people, note that both you and General Buhari campaigned for the re-election of a man shown on video stuffing bribes in his babanriga. You, Nasir El-Rufai, not Southerners, deserve the label of dishonesty that you tried to pin on us.
Thieves do not have a particular tribe or religion. 8 years ago, I said “The difference between Nigerians is not North and South. The difference between Nigerians is between the good and the bad”. It is left to Nigerians to decide in which category you, Nasir El-Rufai, a man who paid herdsmen after they killed his people, fall.
I know that you are still smarting from the RUGA rejection , but that please, do not take out your anger on the long suffering people of Nigeria.
Reno Omokri
Thinker. #1 Bestselling author of Facts V Fiction: True Story of GEJ Years. Avid traveler. Table Shaker. Buhari Tormentor. Sharer of the Gospel, not the gossip.
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