Coalition of Christian youth groups across the country, Christian Youth Vanguard on Wednesday censured former Minister of the Federal Capital territory (FCT), Mallam Nasir El-Rufai for his comments on disparaging President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oitsejafor.
The group described El-Rufai as an evil-mouthed politician who is only defending former Military President, General Muhammadu Buhari against CAN because he has been recruited as the General’s spokesman. The group analysed El-Rufai’s utterances on Oritsejafor as an act of disrespect for the spiritual leader of Christians that also means the former minister lacks respect for the spiritual leader of Muslims.
“Our attention has been drawn to an interview granted by Mallam Nasir El- Rufai in the Sun newspaper of Saturday 14th September 2013 wherein he used uncomplimentary and insulting words against our revered CAN President and Spiritual leader of Christians in Nigeria. If indeed he made those remarks credited to his name and which are too heavy to be repeated here, then someone needs to help EL- Rufai before he goes completely mental,” National Coordinator, Yakubu Mecham and National Secretary, Pastor Emeka Okoli wrote in a statement issued on behalf of the group.
“What has the CAN President done to El-Rufai to warrant this kind of insult, which by extension is an insult to the entire Christian Community in Nigeria? Is it because the CAN president was bold enough to call for the arrest of a bigot, a serial election loser, a Muslim fanatic and a morally bankrupt man called Muhammadu Buhari?
“Is it not a well known fact that the unguarded statements and dangerous incitement by Buhari at a very critical and volatile time laid the foundation for the insurgencies we are witnessing in most northern states today? This unpatriotic Nigerian who by absolute error of judgement and circumstance became a military Head of State has now recruited a mad dog like El-Rufai, who revels in controversy at all times to be his hatchet man for the purpose of heating up the polity to achieve their devilish purpose.”
The group accused El-Rufai of using his “evil mouth” to confess then that his new pay master Buhari was absolutely unfit to rule his village, not to talk of his state, Katsina and Nigeria at large in a democratic setting. It noted that without shame and having lost relevance in the current dispensation, El- Rufai has swallowed his vomit and returned to Buhari to form an evil alliance to fight the government and highly respected personalities, including those who took him and his family out of the gutter and gave him a new lease of life.
“It is evident that El- Rufai has an unstable character which is gradually leading him to madness. Unfortunately, it is only in Nigeria where the likes of El-Rufai who is standing trial for criminal offences while in office both as head of BPE and as FCT minister will have the mouth to make public comments. This is a man who criminally shared government land to his wives and children at the expense of overriding public interest and should be in jail, away from responsible people,” the statement continued.
“For El-Rufai to make such uncomplimentary remarks against the leader of the Christian faith in Nigeria, it clearly shows that he lacks respect for the Sultan of Sokoto, who is the spiritual leader of the Muslim faith, which El- Rufai claims to profess, but is worse than a pagan.
“It is this El-Rufai who recently, in his usual fit of madness, made blasphemous and abominable tweets about our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and it was swept under the carpet for peace sake. If such a blasphemous remark was made about the Prophet Mohammed, will Muslim faithful be happy? Enough of this insults on our Christian faith and our CAN president!
“If El-Rufai does not have respect for the sanctity of life, let him start by destroying his immediate family, then we will be convinced that he means to cause mayhem to other Nigerians through his senseless and wicked utterances against our CAN President and leader of the Christian faith in Nigeria.
“Come to think of it, between our CAN president and the Sultan of Sokoto, who is guiltier of those inglorious remarks by El-Rufai? Does El- Rufai not know that the Sultan’s second office outside Sokoto is at Aso Villa, where he gets a lot of patronage? Does he not know that there is hardly any state governor who does not host the Sultan at close intervals? Or where he cannot go, they go to him? It is common knowledge that the Sultan who doubles both as religious and traditional leader of Muslims in Nigeria is involved in all kinds of political consultations and other activities not worthy of his exalted position, why are El-Rufai and his cohorts not attacking the Sultan with such disparaging comments?
Christian Youth Vanguard urged El-Rufai and his supporters to come to terms with the fact that Christians in Nigeria are not timid or afraid of trouble but are simply God-fearing and peace-loving.
“The fact that our current CAN President is bold to speak out correctly when things go wrong in the society is unsettling to the likes of El- Rufai who still belong to the old era of impunity and suppression of Christians in Nigeria
“The Christian Youth Vanguard hereby notifies El–Rufai and his group of unpatriotic Nigerians that we will not sit back and tolerate insults aimed at our Christian leader any longer. We wish to stress very emphatically that henceforth any further careless statements, comments or insults on our Faith or on the person of our CAN President will be reciprocated in equal measure. A word, they say, is enough for the wise.”