Why NBA was right to remove El-Rufai from conference

Executive Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, to say the very least, has been a very famous man recently. The former FCT minister has found himself making the headlines too frequently in recent memory, but for all the wrong reasons. Only recently, the governor had been invited by the Nigerian Bar Association as a speaker in its upcoming annual conference which is scheduled to hold virtually next week.

El-Rufai’s nomination, however, would meet with fierce opposition from human rights activists and legal practitioners who quickly drew out their quills to pen down petitions against the governor, demanding for the bar association to immediately quash the invitation to the governor, citing damning historical antecedents as substantial logic behind El-Rufai’s disqualification from the conference.

In the wake of NBA’s ultimate resolve to oust Mr El-Rufai from the conference, the governor has cried foul and described his removal as unreasonable and unfair. As this narrative continues to generate mixed reactions from the parties involved, Daily Times takes a look at why the removal of Mallam El-Rufai from the NBA conference is justified.

READ ALSO: SERAP, activists, hail El-Rufai’s removal from NBA conference

(1) El-Rufai’s poor human rights record: Human rights protection, to a significant degree is at the heart of the legal profession; and, it would go without a saying that the Kaduna State Governor’s report card in this area isn’t exactly anything to write home about, as historical antecedents reveal his many violations and disregard for human rights.

In the petition to stop the governor from attending the conference, which was started by a lawyer, Usani Odum, amassed over 3,400 signatures on Change.Org as of 6 pm on Thursday, the lawyers recalled that el-Rufai had during the run-up to the 2019 general elections threatened that any foreigner who interfered in the election would leave Nigeria in “body bags”.

Again, it would be useful to recall that former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Chidi Odinkalu had in 2018 filed a suit demanding N950 million damages from the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai and four others over an alleged case of human rights violation by the governor.

It therefore stands to reason that the inclusion of the Kaduna state governor would have amounted to a travesty, having established a healthy streak against the core mandate of the profession he was nominated speak for.

(2) The Kaduna state governor is a misrepresentation of the theme of the conference: The theme of the 2020 NBA conference is: ‘Am I a Nigerian- A Debate on National Identity, the Indigeneship-Citizenship Conundrum’. In not so many words, what the NBA has done in its choice of theme is to promote the value of ‘being a Nigerian’ ahead of the tribal sentiments which tie us to our native roots. It is an enthronement of nationalism and patriotism ahead of religious inclinations or nepotistic tendencies. Again, the Kaduna state governor stands to be faulted in this regard.

About two years ago, the governor had come into serious criticism as a result of his choice of running mate. During an interview on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily, the governor said, “What if I tell you that no matter who I choose as my running mate, even if I choose the Pope, 67 per cent of the Christians in southern Kaduna”

The response came as a shock to many Nigerians who didn’t view the governor’s actions as being tolerant to other Nigerians who hold a contrary belief system. Therefore, it may not come as a surprise that the legal practitioners kicked against his inclusion in the conference, since Mr El-Rufai may not be in the best place to promote the theme of the conference.

(3) The high incidence of wanton killings in Southern Kaduna: While Mallam El-Rufai may not entirely be to blame for the high incidence of banditry in Southern Kaduna, which has witnessed a flagrant destruction of lives and properties, the fact still remains that as the captain of the ship and the chief security officer of the state, his name has resonated badly in the media in the light of the insecurity challenge which continues to plague the State.

Therefore, it doesn’t again come as a surprise that the petitioners would have felt the strong impulse to keep the bar association’s reputation away from a public figure who is currently discountenanced by very grisly and gory challenges under his watch.