Former Labour Party vice presidential candidate Datti Baba-Ahmed has delivered a scathing critique of Nigeria’s governmental framework following controversial remarks by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai regarding federal government payments to bandits.
Speaking during a recent interview on Channels Television from 17:00, Baba-Ahmed responded to El-Rufai’s assertions about the federal government’s alleged policy of paying ransoms to bandits, raising fundamental questions about Nigeria’s sovereignty and governance.
“That statement is at the core of Nigeria being—Nigeria having a government. Do we really have a government?” Baba-Ahmed questioned, challenging the very foundations of Nigerian statehood.
The former vice presidential hopeful directed pointed criticism at officials making such claims, stating: “If somebody who sold Nigeria’s assets for four years at BPE, served as FCT minister for four years, and served as governor would say that there is a national policy of paying bandits, do we have a government?”
Baba-Ahmed’s concerns extended beyond policy disagreements to existential questions about Nigerian citizenship and national identity. “Am I a citizen? Are you a citizen? Does Nigeria exist? Or do a pack of people live in a certain territory with another group of people claiming to misrule them?” he asked during the televised discussion.
The Labour Party figure emphasized the severity of the situation, asking: “Do we have a government? Do we have a nation? What are we doing? Are people understanding the gravity of this statement? Do we even have an office of a national security adviser?”
Elaborating on his understanding of governmental policy formation, Baba-Ahmed explained: “A national policy is an official position of government. An official declaration that this is what we shall be constitutionally doing, what we shall be legally pursuing. That’s what we call a national policy. It is made public. It is celebrated. It is broadcast to the whole world.”
He questioned the legitimacy of El-Rufai’s claims, asking: “Was such a thing held? Why did Nasir say it?”
The former vice presidential candidate concluded with sharp criticism of the National Security Adviser’s office, stating: “If the so-called office of national security adviser—will take this statement with levity, then Nuhu Ribadu was never a policeman. He is not a qualified lawyer. He should not be in that office.”
Baba-Ahmed’s comments reflect growing concerns about security policies and governance transparency in Nigeria, as the nation continues to grapple with widespread banditry and kidnapping incidents across multiple states.
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