By Damola Emmanuel
As Minster of Federal Capital Territory, the fear of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, current governor of Kaduna State, was the beginning of wisdom for most Abuja residents. When he sneezed, even the high and mighty, bloody civilians and Generals, even his party chieftains, caught influenza, especially if their buildings violated the Abuja master plan.
Midway into his first term, the no-nonsense governor told whoever cared to listen that whichever structure that failed to conform to the Kaduna State Urban Planning Development Agency’s regulations and standards would be brought down.
Just like he did in Abuja. And some were, indeed, crushed by his bulldozers.
Consequently, when the Kaduna State Urban Planning Development Agency, last week, served the 110-year-old St George Anglican Church, Sabon Gari, Zaria, a seven-day quit notice, prior to demolition, the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, last Thursday, raised an alarm.
The agency had claimed that it was only carrying out a directive from Governor Nasir el-Rufai.
But a day after the CAN alarm, the Kaduna State Government made a U-turn and announced that the 110-year-old church, already marked for demolition would continue to stand because of its “historical value”.
Christians, as well as their umbrella association in the state, CAN, jubilated, praising the governor on end for his intervention.
Their joy was multiplied when Ismail Dikko, the agency’s Director-General, confirmed the governor’s change of heart.
Dikko said the church would no longer be demolished and that the nearby market which had been marked for expansion would now have to be relocated elsewhere.
“The church will remain based on its historical value,” Dikko said. “Also, we noticed the church does not have certification, that is, the C of O.
“However, market is a public facility, but looking at it, the church’s history supersedes the market. In the light of the above, the church will remain while the market will source for expansion elsewhere.”
Dikko, however, maintained that the church had yet to obtain its Certificate of Occupancy and advised the leaders to obtain it from the Kaduna State Geographical Information Service.
Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Chapter of CAN has hailed el-Rufai for the reversal of the demolition order, describing him as a listening governor.
Its chairman, Rev Joseph Hayab, last Friday, said the association and its members, state-wide, were happy and grateful to God, and the governor, for sparing the church.
Reiterating that democracy can only thrive only when the government listened to the people, the CAN chairman said: “We commend the government for this act. What we are saying is that government should remain a listening government.
“What we are doing is simply to remind government that we are not at war with them. We were just raising an alarm. If they do good, we will clap for them. But if they don’t, we will tell them that something is wrong, and that people are crying.”
