Letter to Peter Obi by Meshack Katuka, Kaduna Ex Corper who served in Anambra

An Opened Letter to Mr. Peter Obi Angwal Village, Jaba LGA, Kaduna State. Wednesday, 14th November 2018. HE, Peter Gregory Obi PDP Vice Presidential candidate.

My dear Mr. Obi,

Compliments of the citizen with warm regards. How are you and the season of politicking? Hope both you, Atiku and your families are doing great.

I wrote in response to your reply to one “Gov. Nasir Ahmed Elrufai” of Kaduna state who in his usual fashion of half-truths alleged that you were a tribal bigot sometimes ago when u were a governor as a result of a story he probably cooked up regards being restricted to move around and foment trouble in Anambra state a certain time he came for election.

I was pained at first when I saw on a newspaper that you dignified Mal. Nasir with a reply but became happy reading the first paragraph of your reply that carried the clause “my attention has been drawn to” suggesting that you didn’t even notice he said something until you were notified. Sir, Mal. Elrufai for donkey years had been known to have launched media propaganda against many but eventually chickens out when facts are brought to the public for scrutiny.

He gains a lot of political capital in churning half-truths and lies, hatred, daylight deception and no wonder, Former President Olusegun Obasanjo described him as “A pathological liar” in his book; “My watch”; a clear description of how Nasiru’s Modus operandi had always been. Sir, You’ll remember that; – On, April 7th, 2017, Mal. Nasir Ahmed Elrufai launched a media war on the very distinguished speaker of the house of representatives; RT. Hon. Dogara Yakubu after he personally invited him to Kaduna for a state function. This media war led to the display of pay slips to the public where the government claimed that he earns less than 500,000 naira a month.

When Dogara challenged him about the over 4.5 billion naira he collects monthly as security votes, he chickened out and claimed he used the security votes to buy CCTV cameras scattered across Kaduna State; development residents of Kaduna are yet to see to this moment. Dogara brought facts to the public and since then, we never heard from Elrufai regards the matter. – On 8th September 2017, Mal. Rufai attacked the former minister of women affairs, Haj. Jummai Alhassan. He claimed that she never supported Muhammadu Bihari’s candidacy and that they warned Buhari not to appoint her as a minister but Buhari went ahead and did.

From the stories we read, we learnt that Jummai Alhassan replied Elrufai with a threat to expose him regards his role in the bokoharam kidnap of School girls to discredit Jonathan’s government. Whatever that meant, we were surprised not to have received another reply from Rufai as he went numb with tails between the legs after the alleged threat. – On 1st October 2015, Elrufai launched another media propaganda claiming that in the former government of Jonathan, N13billion was spent in 2011, N15billion in 2012 and N14billion in 2013 and N22billion allegedly spent in 2014 for Independence day celebration while only 70million naira was spent in 2015 by the Buhari led Administration. He was replied by Abubakar Sulaiman, the immediate past Minister of National Planning during the Goodluck Jonathan presidency.

Abubakar told Nigerians that Elrufai had lied as a breakdown of the spending for this event between 2012 and 2104 goes thus; 2012-107.6million; 2013-45million and 2014 had 180million. Mallam Elrufai knowing that his claims were false, kept mute and never replied again. – Most recently, Mr. Elrufai told everyone that it was President Muhammadu Buhari that asked him to punish Shehu Sani for being disobedient to their party. In less than 24 hours, the presidency came out in clear terms to clear the air, affirming that their is no truth in what Elrufai had said. If one is to dwell in many of the inconsistent statements of Elrufai, a whole book with twelve chapters will be written but to safe time, let’s embrace the description to which our Former President Olusegun Obasanjo described him with; The pathological liar.

Dear Mr. Obi, we thought Elrufai was going to compare his achievements with yours as:

1. Education; Your educational reforms in Anambra state is unequaled as I am a witness to how you heavily invested in infrastructural development in public schools. You were concerned about developing ICT skills among young students, no wonder no public secondary school in Anambra state has less than a hundred computers in their computer labs with First-grade hummer buses for all the secondary school in Anambra state for easy transportation.

As a corp member back then in Anambra, I learnt of how you always had periodic meetings with class monitors of secondary schools in Anambra for the sake of monitoring and evaluation and how you expressly gave them permission to call you directly report any problem in their various schools. Your educational reforms yielded positive results as Anambra state emerged best in WAEC back to back during your period as governor. Elrufai, on the other hand, spent 10bn naira for a wasteful school feeding in 8months on ‘moi-moi’, fried yam, Jolly Jus drinks and the likes which all ended in the suckaway with results of Kaduna state coming 12th position in WAEC in 2017 against the 10th position they were in 2014.

2. Roads: Sir, your Administration paid a lot of attention to the construction of roads across Anambra state and because of you, Anambra today has the highest kilometers of state-owned roads in Nigeria. The Awgbu bridge which is the longest bridge built by a state government in Nigeria links my friend’s community; Obi Trice Emeka. Elrufai cannot boast of any 10km of standard road, anywhere around Kaduna State.

3. Security: While you invested heavily on local security, empowering Vigilante service to reduce any forms of killing, Your friend in Kaduna state mobilised funds to go as far as Chad and Mali to appease foreign mercenaries without any permission from the Minister of foreign affairs, DSS, Defence ministry etc an act of insubordination, treasonable felony, Novel arrogance that yielded no results as the kidnap along Kaduna-Abuja highway, Kachia-Kaduna road and the killings in southern Kaduna had heightened.

4. Debt Profile: While you left Anambra state with 75billion naira for the next government, Elrufai tirelessly seemed to collect a loan of $350 million that will take Kaduna State about 50 years to repay; something he had always criticized when he was in the opposition.

5. Modest Lifestyle: Your life as a governor in Anambra was characterized by modesty. In Kaduna today, we know more about Elrufai’s children and their flagrant Lifestyles; snapping in parties abroad with white women and posting on social media while insulting and denigrating poor Nigerians. It will interest you to know that we don’t know the names of Ahmed Makarfi children, Namadi Sambo’s Patrick Yakowa ‘s or even Ramalan Yero’s who were all governors in Kaduna but even kids on the street today know the likes of Bello Elrufai, Bashir Elrufai and the likes for the flamboyant and wasteful Lifestyles they live. Sir, if Elrufai says he was stopped from moving around in Anambra state during the election, it is not new to us as he claimed he was also stopped from moving around in Ekiti elections if 2014.

This affirms the possibility of Security operatives seeing him as a troublemaker, crisis entrepreneur that has the capability of erupting a crisis where he lands. Elrufai seeks to compare himself with your personality; something President Buhari himself will never attempt to. In view of this, I will kindly advise that you pay no attention again to any tantrums Elrufai will throw in the near future as it is only a trick to draw attention to himself. Your integrity and statesmanship is bigger than 50 Elrufais combined in this life and the one thereafter. Until we meet, accept assurances of my highest esteem.

Kind regards. Meshack Katuka [email protected]

Twitter: @McMeshman