The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) has asked security agencies to immediately clear a ministerial nominee, and former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai.
The youths warn that their patience must not be tested further with the refusal to confirm the nomination of El-Rufai for appointment as Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
A statement by the forum’s president, Yerima Shettima, stated that the youths and indeed northern Nigeria feel humiliated by the news that out of the 48 names submitted to the Senate by President Bola Tinubu, El-Rufai is among the only three whose confirmations were differed.
“We regret to note that the targeting of Nasir El-Rufai for such irreverent treatment is part of a wider agenda being pursued by certain dubious political interests to deny the north and the younger generation of Nigerians fair representation in the coming cabinet.
“It is suspicious that El-Rufai, who is among the best, if not the best of all the names submitted by the President should be among the only three that could not be confirmed without justifiable reasons.
“We consider it deceptive for the Senate to give security checks as reason for not confirming El-Rufai because it is common knowledge that the ministerial nomination list passed through security scrutiny before getting to the Senate.
“At the risk of overstating the case, we can boldly say that El-Rufai, Hannatu Musawa, Bello Matawalle and Festus Keyamo are by far the best representation of the young generation of Nigerians included in the list.
“It will therefore amount to unwarranted provocation to Kaduna State, to the North and to the Nigerian youth for El-Rufai not to be confirmed for flimsy considerations,” Shettima said.
