Sieving through el-Rufai’s condescending, pathological lies against Ribadu
By Barr. Danladi Danasabe
The recent rabid outbursts credited to former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, against Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, are as unfortunate as they are revealing. At most, they betray a glaring desperation to deflect attention and subvert minds from seeing the reality behind the el-Rufai mask whose leadership recorded the worst spike of insecurity in Kaduna’s historical annals.
All the infantile allegations, lies, and malicious comments directed by el-Rufai towards Ribadu are indicative that uptil now, el-Rufai did not smart from the pain of his rejection as a minister under the Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration. And it is curious that he found a convienient redact in lumping his misfortunes on Ribadu.
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It must be stated unequivocally that Mallam Nuhu Ribadu has no hand in the rejection of el-Rufai’s ministerial nomination.
The screening and clearance of ministerial nominees in Nigeria is a multi-layered institutional process involving security agencies, intelligence assessments, and legislative scrutiny. No single individual, not even the president can unilaterally manufacture a damning report against a ministerial nominee.
El-Rufai’s indictment, to the extent that it emerged from institutional processes, is the product of diligent scrutiny, sharp intelligence gathering, and interagency cooperation. After due diligence, findings simply indicate that based on red flags against him, el-Rufai is unsuitable for ministerial portfolio. Surprisingly, el-Rufai uptil now has failed to internalize one glaring truism; that reports which indicted him are not whimsical inventions of a single man against him to settle personal scores.
To suggest that Ribadu orchestrated such an outcome is fundamentally a huge disservice. Such a mindset deliberately misrepresent how the Nigerian state’s security architecture functions.
Indeed, if anything, Ribadu’s public life has been defined by institutional reform and due process. From his days as a police officer, to his stewardship at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to his current role as NSA, Ribadu has consistently worked within formal frameworks. Those who know him will attest to his clean records, discipline and superb work ethics. They will attest that Ribadu will never trade the path of personal vendetta.
The truth is that el-Rufai’s indictment should not come as a surprise to anyone who closely observed how security and finances were managed in Kaduna State under his stewardship. In Southern Kaduna, thousands were reportedly killed, maimed, kidnapped, or displaced during years of violent unrest. Entire communities were wiped out while families were fractured. During his time crime and criminals became bold with abductions taking place even in the heart of Kaduna metropolis.
While insecurity is a national challenge and cannot be simplistically pinned on one individual, responsible leadership makes a lot of difference during critical times. But in el-Rufai’s Kaduna, such important leadership quality took flight.
Governance demands empathy, swift intervention, tact, responsibility and accountability, all these traits were missing during el-Rufai’s destructive reign.
Critics have long argued that the former governor’s approach to the crisis often appeared dismissive or combative rather than conciliatory. These perceptions have lingered in the public consciousness making the situation even dicier following growing public distrust.
Equally important in this discourse, is the ongoing scrutiny initiated by the Kaduna State House of Assembly into the financial dealings of the previous administration which el-Rufai claimed that it was contrived by enemies. The probe reportedly uncovered alarming discrepancies, with hundreds of billions of naira allegedly unaccounted for. That investigation is a legislative matter within the purview of the state assembly. Ribadu has no constitutional role in directing or influencing its proceedings but surprisingly el-Rufai wants Nigerians to believe that the investigation was the handwork of Ribadu.
What is most puzzling is the personal nature of el-Rufai’s attacks. Ribadu and el-Rufai share a long history of friendship and collaboration. As a remarkable show of goodwill and enduring camaraderie, Ribadu paid el-Rufai a special visit during the Ramadan fasting of 2025, a gesture of reconciliation and brotherhood. He even named one of his sons after el-Rufai, a profound cultural and personal honor in Northern Nigeria.
Despite enduring past verbal assaults in dignified silence el-Rufai continued his reckless and puerile attacks.
Singling out Ribadu now for such malicious and ferocious attacks, despite years of cordial relations, raises troubling questions. It suggests el-Rufai’s refusal to accept that destiny unfolds through divine will and institutional processes, not personal manipulation. For a devout Muslim, faith in destiny is central. No human being can obstruct what Allah has ordained. To imply otherwise is to diminish that belief.
Spreading lies and mischief only worsens el-Rufai’s situation. More troubling still are the sensitive security insinuations embedded in his recent statements. Such utterances are reckless in a nation grappling with complex security threats. They risk undermining public confidence in institutions tasked with safeguarding national stability.
One cannot help but wonder whether this strategy is a calculated mind game, designed to provoke chains of reactions against the government. By launching direct assaults on a sitting National Security Adviser and making incendiary security claims, el-Rufai may be seeking to cast himself as a political victim should any legal consequences arise. Arrest, if it were ever to occur, could then be framed as persecution.
But Nigerians are discerning. They understand diversionary tactics when they see them.
The real issues dogging el-Rufai are his past misdeeds and they will continue to haunt him till he gives proper account. Allegations of financial impropriety, governance controversies, and the human cost of insecurity in Kaduna are at the center of his recent trials. It is high time for el-Rufai to come to terms with the fact that these weighty and serious issues require forward answers, not theatrical deflection.
Despite provocations and intimidations Ribadu, has continued to focus on the arduous task of coordinating Nigeria’s fight against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and organized crime. The NSA refused to be distracted by noise from lilly livered political minions who refused to accept the realities that responsibility comes with accountability.
History has shown that those who shout the loudest often do so to drown out inconvenient truths. Statesmanship, however, demands a different approach, one of restraint, responsibility, and respect for institutions.
If el-Rufai believes he has been wronged, the proper recourse lies in transparent approach and presenting facts not lies from the pit of hell. Resorting to fabrications, rabid screeds and personal vilification will only compound his woes. Nigeria’s democracy can only be strengthened when grievances are redressed through lawful channels, not through media theatrics.
Nigeria deserves less noise and more responsibility at this critical juncture of nation building. And in this contest between infantile invective and sober service, Nigerians know who are their real enemies.
Danasabe chairman of Adamawa State think tank writes from Yola.
