A section of the Twitter community has launched a social media war against the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, over the ongoing demolition of private properties in the state.
The affected buildings are said to be built on lands belonging to public schools and other public institutions.
Amid the online revolt, the governor has insisted that “encroachers into public buildings without titles will not be spared as in the case of Alhudahuda College.”
El-Rufai, who faced a more organised protest for a similar reason when he was a minister of the Federal Capital Territory, reiterated his position in a tweet posted on his official page on Monday.
The governor recently commenced the demolition of residential homes following a promise he made during his campaign. The administration said it took the bold step to rescue public schools in the state and restore the Kaduna master plan.
Media report said 93 houses were pulled down at Alhudahuda College. Notices were served on the occupants in June but little did they know that the government would go ahead with the plan.
Following the governor’s insistence that the programme would continue, residents of the states have taken toTwitter to register their reservations. They are calling on the governor to exercise restraints, considering the pains the demolition will inflict on the victims.
Tweeting via @Sdq84Ibrahim on Monday, one Mallam Abu Ibrahim urged el-Rufai to be magnanimous in the urban renewal programme even though a section of the state supports the move.
“Despite our support towards the land recovery as well as the governor’s right as stipulated in the Land Use Act, the governor still has to be magnanimous,” he tweeted.
Another tweeter simply identified as Paiko, who posted on@dougzoneluv, condemned the demolition on the grounds that it “does not favour any section of the state.”
Also posting on the governor’s Facebook wall, Florence Odum urged the state government to consider the impact the demolition would have on the poor before it continues the exercise.
She said, “The recovery may serve a good purpose. But we should consider that the occupants got approvals from the previous administration before they commenced construction. They could not have gone ahead to construct if the government did not give them permission.
“If a new administration comes in and begins to reverse every decision taken by the previous administration, what is the essence of government? Why should anybody take the government seriously if it cannot respect a simple agreement?
“There should be a resettlement arrangement for those who will be displaced as a result of the demolition. Otherwise, it will increase the number of internally displaced persons in the north. The government should have considered this.”
In his manifestoes, the governor promised to restore the master plan of Kaduna as part of his comprehensive urban renewal programme to reinvent the ancient city. But since he started implementing the agenda, critics have taken their protests to digital media.
El Rufai is not a stranger to criticisms over bold decisions. As a minister of the Federal capital Territory during the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, he was intensely criticised for a similar reason. But he ignored the protests and continued with the demolition which he said was necessary to restore the Abuja master plan.
Meanwhile, different anti-corruption hashtags went viral on Monday as some Nigerians marched to the Aso Rock, Abuja, to register their support for President Muhammadu Buhari’s war against graft.
Posted by Jamal
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