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PRESS RELEASE

SOKAN Responds to El-Rufai’s Misrepresentation of Southern Kaduna

Kaduna, September 1, 2025

The Southern Kaduna Advocacy Network (SOKAN) has taken note of the recent remarks made by former Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai during his interview on Channels Television on Sunday, August 31, 2025. In that interview, the former governor made sweeping and misleading claims about Southern Kaduna, its population, civil service presence, and leadership. These statements are not only inaccurate but are also an attempt to distort history and undermine the place of our people in Kaduna State.

1. Southern Kaduna Is Not Kaduna South Senatorial District* 
The attempt to equate Southern Kaduna with Kaduna South Senatorial District is false and mischievous. Southern Kaduna is historically known as Southern Zaria and it comprises 12 Local Government Areas: Chikun, Jaba, Jema’a, Kachia, Kagarko, Kajuru, Kaura, Kauru, Lere, Sanga, Zangon-Kataf and Kaduna South. This makes Southern Kaduna more than half of Kaduna State’s LGAs, not a small enclave as El-Rufai suggested.

2. Population Figures Are Being Manipulated* 
El-Rufai’s claim that Southern Kaduna makes up “less than 25%” of Kaduna’s population is baseless. Nigeria has not held a census since 2006, and no credible population statistics support his position. On the contrary, independent demographic assessments of the 2006 census indicate that Southern Kaduna’s 12 LGAs together account for over 51% of Kaduna State’s population. Any attempt to shrink us to 25% is political propaganda designed to weaken our democratic relevance.

3. The Civil Service Employment Distortion* 
The allegation that Southern Kaduna controls 60% of Kaduna State’s civil service is unsubstantiated. While many of our people serve as teachers, health workers, and junior staff due to our higher literacy levels, the commanding heights of the service and political appointments during El-Rufai’s tenure were overwhelmingly dominated by his section of the state. His narrative deliberately ignores this imbalance.

4. The “Entitlement” Label and Handouts Narrative* 
We reject El-Rufai’s attempt to stigmatize Southern Kaduna leaders as “entitled” or dependent on state patronage. Patronage systems existed across the state, and singling out Southern Kaduna for vilification reveals deep-seated prejudice. What he calls “handouts” is a cover to mask his discriminatory policies and rhetoric.

5. Security and Governance Failure* 
Instead of addressing the unchecked violence, displacement, and destruction that ravaged our communities under his watch, El-Rufai now boasts of “dealing with” Southern Kaduna leaders. The record shows otherwise: he failed to protect lives, criminalised victims who cried out against killings, and shielded or compensated those responsible for terrorising our communities. No amount of television rebranding can rewrite this bloody chapter of his legacy.

6. Southern Kaduna’s Place in Kaduna State* 
Southern Kaduna, formerly Southern Zaria, is the cultural, agricultural, and educational backbone of Kaduna State. Our people have made immense contributions to the growth of the state and Nigeria as a whole. Any attempt to diminish our identity or erase our demographic significance is unjust, divisive, and will not stand.

The Southern Kaduna Advocacy Network (SOKAN) categorically rejects Nasir El-Rufai’s false claims. Southern Kaduna is not less than 25%, it is not reducible to a senatorial district, and it is not an “entitled” region. We are 12 LGAs, historically Southern Zaria, and we remain central to the history, demography, and future of Kaduna State. We call on all well-meaning Nigerians to see through these falsehoods and stand with truth and justice.

Signed
 Samuel Ateh Stephen
Coordinator, Southern Kaduna Advocacy Network (SOKAN)