The Christian Association of Nigeria is miffed that Governor Nasir Ahmad el Rufai of Kaduna State is threatening to dock Dr Paul Enenche of Dunamis International Gospel Center, for comments made by Dr Enenche about the senseless killings in Kaduna State, which he (el Rufai) believes were hate speech. CAN, on the other hand, believes that it is a case of misguided priorities for the governor to be more concerned with public comments about homicide than with the protection of human lives and bringing the murderers to justice.
This is where CAN missed the story and the song. As the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, el Rufai was nicknamed “Mr Demolition.” It is a fair guess that he may still be inclined to demolition. You should forgive the Christian Association of Nigeria for such temerity because they are not witches and wizards. If they were witches and wizards they would have known that it takes a witch to know a witch. El Rufai, along with one Lie (sorry, I always make that embarrassing mistake, I mean Lai) Mohammed, is the nation’s greatest authorities on hate speeches and tribal bigotry. They have made more of hate speeches than anyone else in living memory. They should know the language of hate speech and they do.
Practice, they say, makes perfect. El Rufai has played the hate speech game long enough that he is now qualified to teach a course “How to Make Hate Speeches” in tertiary institutions from an experiential perspective.
Unfortunately, he is currently suffering from hate-speech syndrome – the inclination to see every criticism of his action or inaction as a hate speech. Much like the liar believing that everyone is a liar. The Governor has developed a persecution complex and sees himself as hated by the rest of humanity. So whenever he is referenced in a comment his emotions get into overdrive and he believes that he is hated. The result being that what he was referenced in is hate speech to him because someone must hate el Rufai in order to talk about him.
Hate speeches also fuel tribal jingoism and it looks like el Rufai has caught that bug too. When Dr Peter Obi was nominated as the running mate of the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, el Rufai described him as a tribal bigot. That does not necessary mean that to the pure all things are pure and to a tribal bigot everyone is a tribal bigot; it means that it takes a wizard to know a wizard. A hater should know a hate speech and a tribal bigot should spot a fellow complicit in tribal bigotry.
El Rufai once tweeted, “We will write this for all to read. Anyone, soldier or not that kills the Fulani takes a loan repayable one day no matter how long it takes.” Note the emphasis; anyone who kills the Fulani – not a Nigerian. Such a man as el Rufai is justly sensitive to speeches which do not romanticise his people and is bound to perceive them as hate speech. Enenche and members of the public should please note.
Dr Paul Enenche’s comments were a reaction to unabated killings in Kaduna State. Dr Enenche, acted within his rights because killing of Nigerians was not part of the campaign promises of Mohammadu Buhari or el Rufai. It was not budgeted for in the controversial budget for 2018. Except what they presented as security vote was ostensible nomenclature for insecurity vote. Barring this Enenche and others should hold them to their words.
If el Rufai had been able to stop the killings or bring the killers to book, Dr Enenche apparently would not have commented on the issue. But, like all concerned Nigerians, who do not have their right eyes blinded by politics, Enenche made his comments as a result of his disappointment that Government has failed to live up to its first call of duty which is the protection of human lives.
Jumbo my veteran soldier pal claims that trying to rope Dr Enenche into the dereliction of duty by the governor is like “having your neighbor open the door for robbers to raid your house and when you shouted, he now threatened to report you to the village council for disturbing his peace and causing the robbers to shoot into the air.”
It is interesting that el Rufai is more interested in prosecuting the man who made innocent comments about killings than he is in having those behind the killings brought to law. It could be that he still believes that anyone, who arraigns a Fulani in court for murder owes a debt repayable no matter how long it takes. That anyone should include a judge or a governor who prosecutes a Fulani.
Speaking when the Minister of Information Lai Mohammed, called on him, el Rufai had said, the recent crisis we had in Kaduna metropolis in Kasuwan Mageni was largely as a result of hate speech. The second round of crisis was because rumours started circulating that the abducted chief of Agada had been killed and within an hour 22 people were killed and it was totally false.” He blamed the Abuja-based Enenche for starting the rumor. This is just like blaming the prophet for the accuracy of his prediction.
Enenche, who until killing became a “national pastime” with executive disinterest, was apolitical had some harsh words for el Rufai over the lockdown of Kaduna. “The paramount ruler of Adara Chiefdom, Agwom Adara, His Royal Highness, Maiwada Raphael Galadima, a First Class Chief was recently kidnapped and killed. We were told that earlier this year, all the chiefdoms in Kaduna were asked to come under the emirate system, but he (Galadima) objected”
Whether Enenche had his facts right or not is inconsequential. As you know, in football analysis the fans and pundits do not always have their facts right. But for so long as a game is at hand, they would give their analysis based on what information is available to them. In the same way, for so long as el Rufai keeps the war raging, angry commentators would keep the pressure and discussion going to stop the carnage. A hate speech which is pro-life is a response to the call in the National Anthem…”Nigeria calls obey.”
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