A former Minister of the
Federal Capital Territory, and senior member of the All Progressives Congress,
APC, Nasir El-Rufai, on Wednesday described the President of the Christian
Association of Nigeria, CAN, Ayo Oritsejafor, as an “irresponsible”
leader who has abused his revered office by venturing into politics.
Mr. El-Rufai was reacting to
a statement by CAN Tuesday berating the former minister and the spokesperson of
the APC, Lai Mohammed, over their responses to reports that a private jet
recently impounded in South Africa over suspicion of arms smuggling, belongs to
the CAN president.
In the statement, CAN accused
the two APC stalwarts of tarnishing the image of Mr. Ortisejafor.
CAN also said Mr. El-Rufai
had once said there are three sets of Boko Haram in Nigeria: “Islamic
Boko Haram, Politicians’ Boko Haram and Christians’
Boko Haram which he said are being funded by President Goodluck Jonathan and
coordinated by CAN President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor. He went further to claim
that the CAN President has been given N50 billion by the President and a Jet”.
In his response Wednesday,
Mr. El Rufai said the CAN president is becoming “jittery”
because his private jet was identified as the vessel impounded by the South
African authorities for ferrying $9.3m cash into their country.
Mr. El-Rufai also said after
being unable to shake off his connection to the plane, Mr. Oritsejafor has
resorted to abuse and vilification.
“Were he more reflective, he would be pondering how, of
all the private jets available in Nigeria, it was his that came to be involved
in a covert arms purchase scandal.
“Would he have managed any objectivity if the plane
involved happened to belong to a prominent person of another faith or political
persuasion,” a statement signed by Mr. El Rufai’s
spokesperson, Muyiwa Adekeye, said.
Mr. El-Rufai also said the
CAN President should explain if the jet involved in the scandal is the same one
that was “donated” to him in 2012.
“Did he register it as a commercial aircraft or is the
plane illegally moonlighting as one? Has he ever reflected on the impropriety
of mixing his religious role with politics?
“Having strayed into politics, and an irresponsible
variant at that, can he expect the veneration enjoyed by his predecessors such
as Cardinals Olubunmi Okogie and John Onaiyekan?
“Why is he the first CAN leader to provoke pitiful
mirth and amusement when he is not being derided as a tragedy, a sort of
Ichabod, desperate to separate glory from a revered body?”
Mr. El-Rufai said.
He also advised Mr.
Oritsejafor to “look beyond the bling to ask himself if it was any of
the individuals he abused yesterday that asked him to make his aircraft
available for monkey business, or get himself involved in the politics of
division”.
The former Minister also
advised the Nigerian government to act responsibly in its bid to procure arms
to fight the on-going insurgency in the country.
“Our country needs to bolster its military and security
forces with the material resources they need to defeat insurgency and restore
security to every inch of its territory.
“This would require arms imports. But should Nigeria
violate the arms export regulations of other countries in this endeavour?
“Should the FG recklessly impair and jeopardise
diplomatic relations by conducting covert arms purchases in friendly countries
without the consent of their governments? Such conduct invariably leads to
suspicions that such covert arms procurement may not be for purposes of
national security,” he said.
He said arms procurement
outside official channels amidst an escalating insurgency must concern every
patriot.
Mr. El Rufai had in a
presentation at the British House of Commons last week, alluded to a link
between the government’s handling of the Boko Haram crisis, and the
escalation in the insurgency.
“The government has long tried to explain away its
incompetence in upholding security by blaming insurgency on the major
opposition party.
“But it is becoming increasingly clear to many that
this insurgency is benefitting the ruling party and the incumbent president by
providing them a pretext to postpone elections and, at the minimum,
disenfranchise large swathes of the population that have never supported the
PDP or voted for Jonathan,” he said.
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