God Comes Before Politics’ – Fani-Kayode Accuses El-Rufai Of Targeting Kaduna Christians

Former Minister of Aviation and Nigeria’s Ambassador to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, has accused former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai of allegedly persecuting and marginalising Christians during his eight-year administration.

Fani-Kayode made the allegations while addressing northern Christian leaders, claiming that Christian communities in Kaduna suffered discrimination, insecurity and neglect under the former governor’s leadership.

According to IREPORTERONLINE, the former minister alleged that Christians were killed, denied development projects and deprived of certain allocations during the period. He also claimed that some Christian leaders faced insults and intimidation but continued to oppose the alleged policies through peaceful means and prayer.

Fani-Kayode, however, praised the incumbent Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, describing him as a fair-minded leader who does not discriminate against people based on their religious background.

He noted that Sani had previously served as a special adviser to El-Rufai before becoming governor, adding that he had maintained a close relationship with the incumbent governor.

According to Fani-Kayode, Sani had previously expressed concerns to him about what he described as the treatment of Christians and Muslims during the former administration.

The former minister further alleged that Sani had been aware of plans that were allegedly directed against both Christian and Muslim communities in the state.

Fani-Kayode also claimed that Barnabas Bala Bantex, who served as El-Rufai’s deputy governor, was allegedly subjected to insults over his Christian faith during cabinet meetings.

“There are so many things that he told me, but I’ll just leave it at that,” Fani-Kayode said.

He described Sani’s emergence as governor as an opportunity to address what he called injustices associated with the previous administration and promote greater fairness in the state.

Fani-Kayode further claimed that El-Rufai had faced opposition from some Muslim communities over statements and policies attributed to his administration. He noted that he had previously criticised the former governor despite belonging to the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the time.

Emphasising the importance of putting faith and moral principles ahead of political considerations, Fani-Kayode said, “There’s something that comes before politics, comes before anything, and that is God, because it is God that gives you everything else.”