Shehu Sani: What the ‘Nostradamus’ of Kaduna State saw

By Atekojo Samson Usman

Taking into cognizance the political conundrum rocking the erstwhile Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai in barely two years he left office, one could recall that Senator Shehu Sani who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the 8th Senate has been vindicated.

Shehu Sani envisioned the ‘fall and fall of El-Rufai’ due to his highhandedness, dictatorial tendencies and intolerance on political matters. The former governor built a political fiefdom borne out of narrow mindedness, thereby jettisoning the high and mighty in Kaduna politics, while he continue to leverage on power of office to torment, oppress and stampede political caterpillars out of relevance.

Of the bizzare things, El-Rufai got involved while in office, Shehu Sani, one of Nigeria’s foremost Civil Rights Activists, was not quiet. He kept yelling his disapproval at every fora he had opportunity to speak. Being naturally intelligent man, courageous and cerebrally mobile, he rose in utter condemnation, not minding the toll on his political career. Amid intimidation, threat to his life and family, he was consistent in his disapproval of El-Rufai’s ‘Macho’ style of politics.

Like Nostradamus, a French astrologer and apothecary and a reputed Seer in the 15th century, Shehu Sani predicted the fall of El-Rufai in a short while to come. Not just that, he predicted that one day, the former governor would got to account for his many sins, insecurity and financial malfeasance rocking his administration.

When Senator Shehu Sani was the Chairman of Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts in the 8th Senate from 2015 to 2019, he turned down the $350 million World Bank Loan request by the El-Rufai administration, allaying fears that the fund would not be judiciously utilized which the generation of the people of Kaduna would continue to pay back for approximately 40 years to come.

The Committee adduced reasons that their checks at the Debt Management Office, DMO revealed that Kaduna State was battling with payment of debt threshold and shouldn’t benefit from another loan as it may put the State into a serious debt overhang.

The rejection of the loan for Kaduna State, though some State Governors got the nod of the Shehu Sani-led Committee was in the interest of the people of Kaduna State, but government’s media propaganda in Kaduna State arm twisted the rationale to mean power struggle between Shehu Sani and Malam El-Rufai.

Even as the loan was later approved in the 9th Senate led by Dr. Ahmad Lawan as Shehu Sani could not return for the second tenure, the fund was part of the fraud allegation trailing El-Rufai having been indicted by the State House of Assembly panel of inquiry.

The probe of El-Rufai eight years in office was initiated by the State House of Assembly with the submission of its report on 6th June, 2024.

The report submitted to the House of Assembly by the Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Henry Danjuma was evidenced in authority stealing, corruption involving the ex-governor and some Commissioners in his administration.

The total amount suspected to have been stolen with various recommendations in the report amounts to a whooping sum of N423

billion including the local and foreign loans accrued to the State between 29th May, 2025 and 29th May, 2023.

Part of the recommendations of the report sighted by CAPITAL POST indicates:
“It recommended that all loans domestic and foreign obtained by the Kaduna State Government between 29thMAY, 2015 to 29th May, 2023 and found by the Committee to have been obtained without due process are not binding on the State and the State Government should henceforth discontinue honour all limit and obligation arising from them.”

Having crashed out of the ruling All Progressives Congress, El-Rufai is today championing coalition against his former political party ahead of 2027 amid his credibility crisis. In a functional judicial system, he should be shuttling between Courts and political fields given the humongous amount of money allegedly embezzled by his administration.

Samson Atekojo Usman, a journalist and a public affairs analyst writes from Abuja.