The Southern Kaduna people have stated that the region was completely marginalized from the federal to the state governments from 2015 to 2023 during the reigns of former President Muhammadu Buhari and former Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
Speaking to newsmen in Kaduna on Wednesday by the committee set up by the Southern Kaduna Leadership Council (SKLC) to assess the sustainability and timing of their annual cultural event, its chairman, Real Admiral Ferguson Bobai (Rtd) said, “During the reign of former governor Nasir El-Rufai, he did not hide his hatred for the our people.
“We never had anything. We mounted prayers begging God to intervene on the issues of the area. God in His infinite mercy answered our prayers and by January 2026, we are going to give a thanksgiving prayer to the Almighty.”
He explained that today, the area witnessed stability and the people, who are agrarian, have all gone to farm, adding that those displaced following the violence that took place in the area have also returned to their ancestral homes.
He added, “The people of Southern Kaduna have every reason to thank the present governments, from the federal to the state where we have witnessed a government of inclusiveness with the provision of the Federal University of Applied Science, a federal medical center and other social amenities that have been provided in the area.”
Real Admiral Bobai stated that the area, which the previous administrations denied them a Minister has been given a Minister by the President Bola Tinubu-led administration, stressing that the people have no reason whatsoever not to thank the present administrations.
According to him, “From 2015 to 2023, we kept on praying asking for God’s intervention especially in the security challenges in the area and the marginalization of the area. today we are thanking the Almighty for the answered prayers.
“I want to sincerely thank President Bola Tinubu for looking to the people of Southern Kaduna by appointing their son as Chief of Defence Staff and later approving his appointment as Minister of Defense.
“We pray that the Almighty will lead him in the current assignment given to him to be able to bring the security challenges of the country to the nearest minimum.”
He stated that the Southern Kaduna Festival (SKFEST) would no longer hold in December following the recommendations of a review committee set up by the Southern Kaduna Leadership Council (SKLC) to assess the sustainability and timing of the annual cultural event.
