The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory, Reverend John Joseph Hayab, has berated former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over his recent comments on the population strength of Southern Kaduna.
El-Rufai, in an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, claimed that Southern Kaduna accounted for less than 25 per cent of the state’s population, insisting he had no regrets over his policies and actions toward the region during his eight-year tenure.
Reacting on Monday, Hayab, who served as Kaduna CAN chairman during El-Rufai’s administration, described the former governor’s remarks as “dangerous, divisive, and evidence of deep-seated hatred” for Southern Kaduna.
He said El-Rufai’s comments were consistent with his history of promoting policies that undermined peace and unity in the state.
“Everything El-Rufai promotes is evil,” Hayab said, accusing the ex-governor of deliberately pursuing an agenda that marginalised Southern Kaduna communities.
The cleric recalled that during a past national census exercise, Southern Kaduna’s strong numbers sparked a threat of legal action by the state’s Shariah Committee against the National Population Commission.
This, he argued, showed the region’s population could not be dismissed.
Hayab noted that while many Southern Kaduna families are led by pastors who do not practise polygamy, households with 15 to 23 children are not uncommon in the area, stressing that such realities prove the region’s population is “robust and can never be written off.”
He alleged that demographic distortions in Kaduna stem from deliberate inflation of figures in other parts of the state, not from any shortage of people in Southern Kaduna.
Kaduna warns El-Rufai against inciting crisis
The CAN leader expressed disappointment that El-Rufai openly boasted of having no regrets for his policies against the region.
He said such a stance further exposed the former governor’s disdain for the people he once governed.
Hayab also dismissed El-Rufai’s claim that only those who do not know him describe him as a religious fundamentalist.
“I knew him personally and I speak from the painful experiences endured under his government,” he said.
According to him, the relative peace currently being enjoyed in Kaduna stands in contrast to the hostility that characterised El-Rufai’s rule.
“This peace explains why El-Rufai appears bitter and angry, because harmony among the people weakens the divisive agenda he thrived on,” he said.
The CAN chairman further called for the inclusion of religion and ethnicity in future census exercises to check manipulation of population figures by political leaders.
Hayab urged Nigerians to resist divisive narratives and instead embrace fairness, justice and inclusivity in political representation and demographic planning.
“Our nation’s unity can only be strengthened when all citizens are treated with dignity and truth is not sacrificed for political convenience,” he added.
