At a gathering, when Maryam Alhanisalam called El-Rufai "The Iron Man," he laughed not out of humility, but because he had just heard the most suitable title for himself. A man who prided himself on ruling with an iron hand, rigid, stubborn, unmoved, unshaken and unquestioning of his own decisions, dismissing critics like they were beneath him and carrying himself like the only one with sense. The only one who knows everything. For eight years, his opinion was the only one that mattered disagreeing with him meant you were an enemy or too ignorant to be taken seriously. I remember in one of our meetings with one of his commissioners, one of the directors attempted to remind me of the way I talk thinking that everyone fears him like God. Remembering our encounters I was so surprised to watch a man who never believed in reconciliation (because, in his mind, he was always right) talking about reconciliatory move on television. Kaduna, a state already battling religious and ethnic tensions, needed a leader who could bring people together. Instead, he deepened the cracks, fueling division rather than diffusing it. Governance, for him, was about enforcing his will, even if it left people more divided than he met them.
He ran Kaduna like a company, treating residents as numbers, not people. His mass demolitions displaced thousands, his security policies failed to protect the vulnerable, and his governance showed little care for everyday struggles. I always remember how I lost many of my relatives due to his inability to contain insecurity problems particularly in villages near Kaduna Airport where many of my relatives' domicile. He is supposed to be a leader who build bridges, not walls, but El-Rufai thrived on creating enemies. Making unnecessary noises that makes one doubt the intelligence he always brags about. His ego was unmatched, he carried himself like a man with all the answers, dismissing concerns with arrogance. Whether online or in interviews, he spoke down on people, cursing Shehu Sani Sule Hunkuyi and Danjuma Laah making it clear he was above being questioned of his noises. Leadership isn't about sounding intelligent; it’s about delivering results that benefit people, something he never understood. Despite receiving failing marks at the National Assembly, he still has the guts to challenge that most of the appointees are far below him in terms of experience. I beg to know what experience means to him.
His administration prioritized vendettas over governance. From sacking teachers massively, without a workable replacement plan to removing traditional rulers who didn’t bow to him, refusal to listen to lecturers and ran the state like a personal battlefield. Comrades, journalists, activists, and citizens who spoke against him were harassed, arrested, or have their properties demolished. His philosophy was simple: agree with me or stay silent. Unfortunately, not everyone can be intimidated by that. I still remember when I was personally informed to be careful on how I made comments about him then.
Off course, he built roads. Yes, he modernized some parts of Kaduna. But at what cost? His projects often came with pain. Homes lost, businesses demolished, communities displaced. True development doesn’t treat people as collateral damage. Worse still, he borrowed recklessly, leaving the state drowning in debt. With all the loans he took, what did Kaduna truly gain? A few fancy roads? Some unfinished projects? Now, the burden of repayment is left for the people.
His neglect of education, healthcare, and agriculture only worsened Kaduna’s condition. Sacking teachers without a solid replacement plan threw schools into chaos. Hospitals remained underfunded and underequipped, while agriculture, a sector with massive potential, received little to no support. While other states were securing food production, El-Rufai was more interested in urban beauty that did little for rural communities.
If there’s anything El-Rufai will be remembered for, it’s how he made Kaduna more divided, more indebted, and more insecure than he met it. The memory of the Covid Era remains indelible in our minds. For many months Muslims were denied access to Friday Prayers, Market people were denied access to major markets to at least take their goods and prevent them from spoiling. He came, ruled, and left people to clean up the mess. Now, he suddenly positions himself as an authority on policy execution, criticizing the sequencing of Tinubu’s policies as if he understands structured implementation. This is the same man who doesn’t even grasp the difference between serialism and sequencing mathematically, yet he parades himself as an intellectual. Sequencing follows a logical order where each step builds on the previous one, while serialism simply places things one after another without considering dependencies. His tenure was a masterclass in misplaced priorities. Policies executed haphazardly, debts accumulated, and projects launched without sustainability in mind. Yet, he now claims to be an expert in governance and the new messiah in town.
Mohammed Abubakar Usman @reactor19
Email: reactiveelement@gmail.com
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