Niger Delta Glue Holding Nigeria Together, Says El-Rufai

Niger Delta Glue Holding Nigeria Together, Says El-Rufai

FORMER Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El_Rufia has raised the alarm that Nigeria was at the moment facing existential threat and that the Niger Delta like the role it played has been the glue holding the country together.

El- Rufai who spoke during a condolence visit to the residence of the late Chief Edwin Clark in Abuja, noted that the nation’s democracy was also in great danger and all people of goodwill must come together to ensure that the it does not implode.

He said that Clark’s leadership role in rallying the people of the Niger Delta together had contributed to the sustainability, growth and development of the country. According to him, if the Midwest region had joined Biafra during the civil war, Nigeria would have gone. According to him, the Mid West could not have played that role but for patriotic individuals like the late General Samuel Ogbemudia, Major David Ejoor, Chief Edwin Clark and others.

He said, “Our nation, our democracy is in great danger, it is facing existential threat and Niger Delta has been the glue that has been holding the country together. All people of goodwill must come together to ensure that we have good leadership,”

El- Rufai who urged the people of the Niger Delta to continue with the good work of Pa Clark, affirming that he really played a fatherly role through out his lifetime, said, ” think everyone, no one, can dispute that we, as a country, our democracy, our nation are in great danger. And all people of good will need to come together to ensure that we have a leadership that will make this country better for everyone, not just for the people. I think the legacy of E.K. Clark and the work that he has done should remind us all of the importance of being courageous, standing up for justice and risking everything for nigeria.

“I’ve been working on a project to write about the legacies of our six living former Presidents of Nigeria. Nigeria is very lucky. We are the only country in the world with six former presidents, still alive, still active.

And I thought we are not making the best use of their experiences as well as their mistakes.

“So, from January last year, I started research and I reached all the former Presidents and we are working on publishing this book, by the grace of God, by the middle of next year. Because it requires doing several years of research, but then also interviewing the former Presidents and asking them some difficult questions. One of the questions I was going to ask President Babangida was June 12th, he has answered it yesterday but there are more I want to ask him when the time comes.

“Iam happy to say that all the former Presidents have agreed on the project they think is important because we tend to forget what good things our leaders have done, but only remember one or two of their mistakes.

And taking Babangida as an example, people don’t realize that the three largest banks in Nigeria today did not exist before Babangida. It was Babangida that licenced Guarantee Trust Bank, licenced Access, and Zenith Bank. These are the three largest banks in Nigeria. They didn’t exist before Babangida came, but nobody gives them credit.

“So these books that we want to write are to tease out some of this. Nobody gives Vice President Atiku Abubakar the credit for leading the economic policy making under the Obasanjo administration. Many of the things that we heard under the economic team under his leadership; maybe because we don’t write a lot, and people don’t read history, we tend to forget, we only remember negative things.

“Let me begin with condolences to the family. I’ve already called the family to condole them because I was not in the country when this happened. And I was very happy when this opportunity presented itself for us to be here.

Chief E.K. Clark was not just an Ijaw leader or Niger Delta leader; he was a father to all of us. I first met him when I returned from exile. By then President Jonathan was Acting President.

“And all persons of goodwill were looking for solutions to stabilize the country and Chief ….called me, and I came to the house and we had discussions, and by the grace of God, the country was stabilized.

“But today, we can only celebrate the contributions of Chief E.K. Clark. Those of us old enough knew when he was the Federal Commissioner then. Its minister this days but was minister of education, based on what he did at the state level as a commissioner. He was a distinguished Nigerian, who fought for justice for everyone. He spoke for justice, and was very vocal and courageous in his convictions.

“He never keeps quiet whenever he sees injustice anywhere and injustice to one is injustice to all, as far as Chief E.K. Clark was concerned. so I have been a regular visitor here and we have worked together on many issues, under the leadership of Chief and as our oga has said, I think the country has lost an icon. May his soul rest in perfect peace, amen!

“May the Almighty God bless all that he has left behind. May his legacies continue, and may all the seeds that he has planted, grow and blossom through the greatness of Nigeria. Despite touching, we hear that the last words that he said, was, I love Nigeria, our Nigeria. I think that is a message that everyone in Nigeria should hear.

For those that want to see Nigeria break up, or engage in violence, or ethnic or religious violence.

“I worked with Ebi on a committee, trying to improve the electricity supply situation, under the leadership of his Excellency, Vice-President Yemi Osibanjo. I was very impressed with his intellect, with his knowledge. He was representing the CBN government. But he was the brain of everything that you’ve seen the CBN did, as far as power sector intervention was concerned.

“And the CBN did a lot. You know, it’s easy to discredit the CBN particularly when Emefiele did because he did other things that we didn’t like. But I took them to court, because of the currency redesign. So we were not the best of friends at the time. But we should also recognize when someone has done something good. And some of the interventions of the CBN government were good. I must admit, you saved the electricity sector in this country and Ebi, very much at the peak of it. So, even if the only contribution, to end this address is to give us for this critical period, I think Nigeria should be grateful for this.”