31/12/2025
'MAN OF THE YEAR' AWARD
2025: LAST WORDS
By Hajara Usman
"Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it", so says that great leader and statesman from South Africa, Nelson Mandela. 2023 to 2025 has been a great period of trials and travails to Nigerians who simply could not reconcile the previous words and promises of an elected president, self-styled democrat and pro-people activist, to the actions unleashed on them on his assumption of office.
As many prominent elites, politicians and clergy men lost their voices as one disastrous policy after another were unleashed on hapless citizens, one man who was fortunate enough to be spared the embarrassment of belonging to a government that came out guns ablazing to destroy the economic fortunes of Nigerians aptly captured Nelson Mandela's truism that "courage can trump fear". That man is Nasir El-Rufai.
As Nigerians cowered in fear from the marauding force from Lagos, afraid for their lives, scared of losing patronage from their benefactors, petrified of falling out of favour with the ruling government, he came out to take a categorical stance on some of the missteps of this administration and how Nigerians are being worsted by its asphyxiating economic policies.
Of course, when the first salvo of opposition was fired by El-Rufai, the megaphones of this government, detractors and antagonists, leeches and parasites on the Nigerian state went ballistic. The usual puerile blackmail, sentiments, intimidation, schisms, bellicose animosity, character assassination, unintelligible logic and profanities were brought to the fore to cudgel him into silence. No devious arsenal was spared to damage the reputation of a man who, though has his frailties as a mere mortal, has been nothing other than forthright in his response to concerning national issues.
From being labeled disgruntled because he wasn't given appointment by this government, to compensating bandits during his tenure as governor of Kaduna state to a diabolic design to hang the toga of religious extremism and genocide of the Southern Kaduna people around his neck, each attempt fell flat on their lies because according to Buddha, three things can not long be hidden; the sun, the moon and the truth. It is the truth and facts that El-Rufai keeps professing which his hypocritic detractors cannot fault or challenge that makes him the real gadfly. Instead of confronting the questions and facts he puts across to the ruling government, like the cowards they are, they rather resort to cheap attacks on his person and loved ones to deceive the gullible sheeple. Those who could not separate patriotism from their own sychophancy for survival threw everything at the man, including the kitchen sink but today, he is still standing, unfazed, uncowed and relentless.
"Fortune favors the brave" says Virgil. El-Rufai's bravery and courage has ushered in the prospect of an opposition under which as usual, the good, the bad and the ugly must necessarily congregate. No matter how imperfect (no political party can claim perfection), his efforts to bring erstwhile political foes to congregate under the umbrella of ADC is commendable.
The nation was moving towards a one-party state with the deliberate emasculation of the PDP and other lesser parties and it was looking like there was not going to be any alternative given to Nigerians to ventilate their choices in the next round of elections. Now, at least, people can do what they want to do with their votes without slipping into apathy like it was being contrived to happen by a ruling party intent on state capture.
That great British politician and tactician, Wiston Churchill opined that "Success is not final; failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts". El-Rufai did not take the cowardly way out by losing his voice out of fear of tyranny and victimization from the state, and for that, he has once again, won my award for "Man of the Year", 2025.
Sponsored by Hon. Mal Ahmed Abubakar Goringo.
Nasarawa Daily News
