In defence of El Rufai
- Details
- Category: POLITICS
- Published on Saturday, 16 June 2012 23:28
- Written by Igboeli Arinze
I have watched with keen interest, the form of debates supplied as reactions to the El Rufai on Friday Column where he had with facts, figures and vivid illustrations criticized the Anambra State Governor, Mr Peter Obi for failing to continue on the progress achieved by his predecessor Senator Chris Ngige. The former Minister for the
FCT had civically lampooned our Obi by running an analysis of what he perceived to be wrong with the state citing poor policy coordiation,poverty, poor healthcare system, education and insecurity as challenges confronting the state.
Unfortunately, certain columnists have chosen to play the sad role of rendering ardent banalities and complex witticisms in their various write ups against El Rufai, which when read are as stale as an old broth, leaving a sour taste in the mouth of any impartial reader, which stems from the fact that these responses largely failed to attend to the issues raised by El Rufai, nor did they possess any intellectual flavour. These responses either called El Rufai names or committed the blunder of raising non issues.
For example one columnist pointed to the fact that poverty was prevalent in the North much more than in the East or in Anambra, thus urging El Rufai to look to his region before he castigated Obi. Again the same columnist harped on insecurity as caused by Boko Haram and wondered what El Rufai was talking about. Another fellow even sought to to portray El Rufai in bad light before rambling on how as President General of his Town Union he had participated in the governing of Anambra State before touching on the handover of schools and hospitals to their original owners. He had broached on facts as life but failed to offer none in his attacks.
I am no fan of the former Minister but i have a tendency to appreciate the truth no matter whose mouth or pen it proceeds from, the Igbos have this saying that Eziokwu bu Ndu(Truth is life) and must be appreciated by every just fellow, for no matter how many trenches of falsehood are erected to do battle with truth, it still prevails.
El Rufai's arguements formed a series of masterly disquisitions on sound and effective policy making in Anambra, by doing so he never was in denial that the same situation was not prevalent anywhere even in his home state of Kaduna. He chose Anambra (I cannot tell why, but surely not for mischeif purposes) to relay an opinion. Now what i had expected from these jarring columnists would have been to counter with their own facts on the issue.
One columnist made me laugh when he he cited that although the story of road construction began with Senator Ngige, he massive network was the brain child of Mr. Obi, how absurd for it then seems that this columnist may be alluding to the fact that Ngige built roads in his family compound at Alor as his critics are bound to allege one will then not argue further if he says that the roads in Onitsha, Awka,Mbaukwu, Ojoto,Nimo,Abagana(I can go on and on)are all situated in Ngige's compound. One is further puzzled by the term network, are they in the moon? the sun? or some Planet accessible only to supporters of Mr. Peter Obi?
On the talk of handover of schools and Health centres, i wonder if this is a yardstick to counter El Rufai's scholastic arguments. At a point when Anambra's failure on both fronts looms larger than life itself, this columnist could not evince a more water-tight opinion than simply point to handovers as his reasons for adjudging the Obi administration as a success, such naturally beats the mind.
Even the Governor and his propagandists at first chose to evade the matter by questioning whether El Rufai had visited the state(To see certain of his wonders such as a non functional library, which has been commissioned)Such an answer readily put by the Governor suggests that Mr. Obi wants to eat his cake and still have it.
For example i do not believe that the present Governor of Ondo, Segun Mimiko state has been to Anambra state either on a working visit or as a tourist, yet when he sang the praise of Mr. Obi early this year, Mr. Obi did not question its authenticity, when Anya O Anya presented the Zik award to Mr. Obi, he neither questioned the award on the residential or indigenous status of Anya. Now somebody with the knowledge required to occupy a ringside seat on our nation's problems, says he does not agree with Mr. Obi's style of governance so far, it is now against Mr. Obi's grain to respond, talk about different strokes from the same folk.
Finally i urge El Rufai to see the attacks on him and the column as diversionary. I and millions of Ndi Anambra beleive that his work will meet the notice of posterity, whether certain persons agree or not. Like Usman Dan Fodio said"Conscience is an open wound and only truth can heal. may the healing process begin!
Igboeli Arinze writes from Awka
