The problem with El-Rufai is not
that he is a bad Governor. The problem, rather, is that he tries so hard to be
seen as a good governor, so hard that he ends up undermining his own good
works, causing unnecessary controversy, and exposing his bigotry and lack of
executive governing temperament. He is a much better technocrat than he is a
wielder of executive authority.
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| *President Buhari and Gov El-Rufai |
He threatened to demolish an entire community, Gonin
Gora, in the middle of an ethno-religious crisis. It is a terrible idea to
threaten or to actually demolish an entire community whatever crimes some
members of that community may have committed. For one, it amounts to collective
punishment, a primitive punitive action incompatible with modern, enlightened
notions of justice, correction, and recompense. Second, it is a rather lazy,
knee-jerk, thoughtless, and ultimately counterproductive response.
