Mallam Nasir El-Rufai’s Covid-19 Status: The Issues, Concern and the Way Forward for Kaduna State -By Dokpesi Timothy Adidi

On hearing of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai’s Covid-19 status in the news and the video that went viral about his status, it raised serious concern.

Trust Nigerians! I began to get unprecedented calls seeking my opinion about the reliability and falsifiability about the Governor’s Covid-19
status. My only response then was I am not a laboratory scientist, nor a medical doctor to testify and ascertain the Covid-19 status of anyone and not even Mallam Nasir El-Rufai. Just as every Nigerian got the news so I did as well.

Nonetheless, it seems the Governor of Kaduna State was the first to become the official positive Covid-19 case in Kaduna State. This of course reflects the fact that as the First and No.1 Executive of the State he became the burden career of the people of Kaduna. Unfortunately, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai’s Covid-19 status came to the public sphere as a surprise and at the same time with great doubt from people.

There are two schools of thoughts that emerged as regards Mallam Nasir El-Rufai’s status of Covid-19. The first school of thought has it that Mallam Nasir El-Rufai; the Governor of Kaduna State orchestrated his own Covid-19 status. The reason he must have done that was to attract funding into the state and share what comes from either World Health
Organization or World Bank. This immediately reminds me of the temptation to fall into the trap of Joseph Fletcher’s situation ethics. Joseph Fletcher’s Situation ethics, also called situational ethics, in ethics and theology, the position that moral decision
making is contextual or dependent on a set of circumstances.

Situation ethics holds that moral judgments must be made within the context of the entirety of a situation and that all normative features of a situation must be viewed as a whole. The guiding framework for moral decision making is stated variously as that of acting in the most loving way, to maximize harmony and reduce discord, or to enrich human existence. Should the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai risk his health status in the public domain for the good of Kaduna State? Could this not be tempting to say that if his “lies” was meant to make the lives of the people of Kaduna State better; who then has gained from his supposed “lies”? I am not in the better position to answer the questions but again despite Joseph Fletcher philosophical import; there are controversies that characterize situational ethics. As such if my telling of “lies” is for the common
good of the state would it be a good or bad idea considering the circumstances and situation? Yet, since we are not privy to the information from the laboratory scientist and medical personnel who
carried out the test and the interpretation of the results, then I guess this could just be palpable conjecture.

The second school of thought holds it that Mallam Nasir El-Rufai tested positive considering the possible direct or indirect contact with the Late Chief of Staff (Abba Kyari) to the President of Nigeria. A possible direct contact because like any Governor who pays homage to Abba Kyari and a possible situation where there could exchange of pleasantries or gestures, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai must have got it
through that process. It is also possible again from this same school thought that maybe the contact between Abba Kyari and friends to Mallam Nasir El-Rufai who must have also come in contact with the
Governor of Kaduna State extended the Covid-19 to him.

Be that as it may, this school of thought never doubted the Governor contracting the Covid-19. Does this school of thought also believe the reliability of the Covid-19 status of the Governor of Kaduna State
attracted funds to the State? This indeed might not be their concern, considering the fact that the cases as announced in the first stage of those who contracted the Covid-19 were the top political class as declared officially. This does not negate the fact that other people do not have the Covid-19 even if they are not of the political class.

Despite the hullaballoo of the status as declared by the Governor of Kaduna State himself, one would expect that both the doubting class of people and the class of people that are certain have their point and
it is very simple; either Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has the Covid-19 or not; the former positive and the latter negative. The point remains, it has been officially declared and confirmed that the Covid-19 status of the Governor is positive.

Like any scientific theory, we shall hold this as true pending when it can falsified and of course open to falsification. This is exactly why Karl Popper differs from positivists in that he denies that it is ever possible to produce laws that will necessarily be found to be true for all time. He argues that, logically, however many times a theory is apparently proved correct because predictions made on the basis of that theory comes true, there is always the possibility that at some future date the theory will be proved wrong, or ‘falsified’.

Karl Popper suggests that scientists have a duty to be objective, and to test their theories as rigorously as possible. Therefore, once they have formulated hypotheses, and made predictions, it is necessary to try constantly to find evidence that disproves or falsifies their theories. In the natural sciences, one method that has developed in order to falsify theories is the laboratory experiment. It is in this laboratory experiment and test that Mallam Nasir El-Rufai took his sample and has been tested positive to Covid-19.

Therefore, this does not call for excitement in Kaduna State but a call to sober reflection for the people of Kaduna State and the Governor Himself who is currently on Isolation. I also think that with
the death of Abba Kyari, the Governor will reflect more deeply in his period of isolation to rethink his perception and attitude to the good people of Kaduna State. The Covid-19 pandemic is a call to justice, common good and good governance. Although, the Governor of Kaduna State before the Covid-19 pandemic is doing is very best to ensure that Kaduna State responds to the cosmopolitanization and urbanization roadmap he designed as a point of reaching out to every resident in Kaduna State. I have no doubt in is personal moment of isolation he will think more deeply and critically concerning the need to advance a better Kaduna State.

It is my earnest and honest prayer that the Governor of Kaduna State will survive the Covid-19 pandemic. It is my greatest hope for the Governor and we wait joyfully when he will come back to office and do the needful as he implements the fruits of his isolation and reflection.

On this note, I urge the Governor to look critically into our health system when he bounces back to office.

Although, I am aware of his achievement so far in the health sector, but more is still to be done considering the realities we have found ourselves. The pandemic is indeed a clarion call for Governors to wake up and declare a state of emergency in the health sector. Our
scientists in Kaduna State should get working with the Governor. This reminds me of Late Professor Nok who Mallam Nasir El-Rufai appointed as the Commissioner for Health. Anyone who knows late Professor Nok will tell of his competence in matters of scientific research both locally and Internationally. We have indeed lost great minds and may his soul rest in peace. Amen

This is the time to work and make the world a better place.

ADIDI, Dokpesi Timothy
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