El-Rufai Replies Murray Bruce, Jonathan Deserves No Credit For Abuja-Kaduna Rail Project

Nasir El-Rufai, Kaduna State governor, has attacked Senator representing Bayelsa East, Ben Murray-Bruce, over comments the later made on the Abuja-Kaduna rail project.

Murray-Bruce had on Thursday cautioned President Muhammadu Buhari against denying ex-President Goodluck Jonathan credit for the “train ride he enjoyed in Kaduna” on Thursday.

Recall that President Buhari had on Thursday commissioned 10 new coaches and two locomotives for the Abuja-Kaduna route.

The “Common Sense” senator asked the President to put pride aside and say “thank you” to Jonathan, saying the Abuja-Kaduna rail project was entirely the former president’s achievement.

“I hope President Muhammadu Buhari remembers to say thank you to former President Goodluck Jonathan for the train ride he enjoyed in Kaduna,” the Senator wrote on Twitter.

 

I hope President @MBuhari remembers to say thank you to former President @GEJonathan for the train ride he enjoyed in Kaduna. Some of us haven’t forgotten that that achievement was ENTIRELY the handiwork of the Jonathan government. Nigeria should give honour to whom honour is due

— Ben Murray-Bruce (@benmurraybruce) January 4, 2018

Reacting on Friday, Governor El-Rufai, who welcomed the President to his state yesterday, accused the senator of feeding the public with wrong information about the standard gauge rail system.

In a statement via his official Twitter handle, the governor said Former President Jonathan deserves no credit for the project, as he was not part of it.

While accusing the Jonathan government of stalling the project, the governor said credit should be given to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, who according to him designed, financed and started the Abuja- Kaduna Light Rail.

El-Rufai said, “Wrong Distinuguisnhed Senator! The Obasanjo administration which Jonathan was not part of, designed, raised the financing and started the EPC of the Lagos-Kano dual track-standard gauge rail system, and the Abuja Light Rail. Yar’Adua-Jonathan stalled both projects for two years!

 

Wrong Distinuguisnhed Senator! The Obasanjo administration which Jonathan was not part of, designed, raised the financing and started the EPC of the Lagos-Kano dual track-standard gauge rail system, and the Abuja Light Rail. Yar’Adua-Jonathan stalled both projects for two years! https://t.co/wVc45vKjyX

— Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai (@elrufai) January 5, 2018