When El-Rufai was queried on TV about the appalling state of insecurity in the state, he deflected the answer to advocate for restructuring, instead of taking responsibility.
The interest in Kaduna state's security is high because it is vital to the country's security stability. There is a sigh of relief as the abducted boys from Kankara were released, and state Governors must take further security measures are taken to mitigate any potential threat. As the chief security officers of their states, albeit, without aberration, Governors are expected to take the responsibility of all residents within their states.
When El-Rufai was queried on TV about the appalling state of insecurity in the state, he deflected the answer to advocate for restructuring, instead of taking responsibility. He stated that governors have no full control over security personnel and coercive instruments in their states. He also hinted that some Governors are not in support of this structure, but the Governor of Zamfara state will disagree with him and so will others Northern Governors.
The federal government also has its responsibilities and has been found wanting on many occasions. Still, El-Rufai cannot refuse to take responsibility for his state, given the resources available to him. Democracy exists to ensure no one person has absolute authority over the country’s resources, especially coercive resources.
Of course, El-Rufai failed to convince the public that the lack of security in Kaduna is not his fault. He was reminded that he recently ordered the police to conduct a house-to-house search to return the palliatives that were looted by the EndSARS protesters from the government's warehouse. It was not clear if the security personnel needed clearance from their superiors in Abuja, but the operation was successful.
In 2016, when the journey was smooth, El-Rufai proudly told the story of how he sent security personnel around West Africa to settle with Fulani herdsmen. In 2019, El-Rufai was recorded on video chasing bandits into the forest along Abuja-Kaduna expressway together with his security personnel. We were not told how the security personnel cleared from their superiors in Abuja, but whichever method they used must be an effective one.
Looking back, El-Rufai complained little since he took over in 2015, until recently. He tagged himself as a leader. In 2018, one of his aides compared his leadership with Governor Ortom's on Twitter. He tweeted: "when Ortom faced a security challenge, he blamed Buhari and the FG day and night forgetting that he collects security votes. When El-Rufai was faced with same, he tackled it head-on, no excuses. One is a leader, the other, a governor."
For the sake of knowledge, El-Rufai's disclosure of security vote remains opaque, but Ramalan Yero's government disclosed they received N4.8 billion in 2014, according to Transparency International. The legality and accountability of these funds are being debated.
The debate provoked the then Speaker of the National Assembly, Rt. Hon. Dogara, to challenge El-Rufai to account for the received security votes. In response, the Governor presented four ways he spent the 2017 annual security vote.
First, El-Rufai reported that the state allocated N2.6 billion to support the network of federal security agencies in Kaduna with communications, logistics and material. If there were any truth to the federal security support funds, one would also wonder why the chief of army staff questioned the significance of the funds given the cash constraints the army is facing.
Secondly, the state government claimed it had procured and installed CCTV cameras for monitoring and surveillance to reduce criminal activities within the Metropolis for N1.5 billion. Thirdly, the state claimed it had procured geo-position interceptor and location of GSM UMTS System for checking the trends, intercepting and locating kidnappers' GSM calls for N193 million. Lastly, the state had procured drones/unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to identify locations of armed bandits in the forest across the state. The procurement also included the setting-up a forensic laboratory to assist in determining substantial evidence in cases that otherwise proved difficult in the past for a combined fee of N265 million. On paper, these are durable and sustainable investments that should last for several years and are paid for by the annual security votes. However, there is no evidence that any of these equipment exists, and there is no report on the impact they have on the lives of the residents.
In August 2020, El-Rufai stated that the state government had spent about N16 billion on security in the last five years at the state council of emirs and chiefs, without further elaboration on the spending. The commissioner of the new ministry of internal security and home affairs seem to have no clue about it. Unsurprisingly, none of the attendees challenged him about the impact of the expenditure despite the glaring security situation of the state. Of course, El-Rufai would have found it disrespectful if anyone had asked such a critical question.
Last month, a state lawmaker decided to unilaterally seek for help from the federal government when the President's chief of staff visited the state. He pleaded for the federal government to improve security in the region. He spoke as a kidnap victim and as one who recently paid the ransom for a constituent. The lawmaker was bold to seek help elsewhere, knowing the Governor has a strong preference for high praises in the media, instead of fact-checking challenges.
Finally, the Kaduna state lawmakers should follow the footsteps of the National Assembly to call El-Rufai and the commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, to account for the state's security spending. Specifically, the public will be interested in the whereabouts of the procured CCTVs, the drones, and the established forensic laboratories. They should also inquire about the procured GSM interceptors, how they are being used, and why they are not being used to track and intercept kidnappers and bandits.
If this happens, it will add to the accountability of national security, and the elected leaders will start to take responsibility. After all, taking responsibility is a mark of good leadership.
Dr Nasir Aminu is a Senior Lecturer at Cardiff Metropolitan University.
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