Highly outspoken member of Nigeria senate and senator representing Bayelsa East, Ben Murray Bruce was on a loggerheads with the Kaduna-State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over comments on the trains commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday in Kaduna.
Both two Nigerian public officials were seen to have disagree on the achievement of the present Administration and the past ones, which led to El-Rufai to have branded Ben Murray-Bruce a liar. It all started on Thursday when Buhari inaugurated new rail vehicles for the Kaduna–Abuja train service at Rigasa train station in Kaduna-State.
He later took a train ride from Rigasa to Kakuri on the outskirts of Kaduna to inaugurate Nigeria’s first Inland Dry Port in Kaduna. Reacting via Twitter, his main medium for communication on social media, Bruce asked Buhari to thank Jonathan for the train ride.
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
However, El-Rufia who is sitting next to Buhari during the ride disagree with Ben Bruce view as he took to Twitter to hit back at Bruce.
The governor said Bruce was wrong to have credited former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s achievement to Jonathan.
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
Bruce would not allow el-Rufai have the last word, as he fires back:
Your dislike of the late Yar’adua may have clouded your judgment. I made no mention of the ‘Abuja light railway’. My tweet referred to the Abuja-Kaduna railway which IS a product of the Jonathan administration. I am happy to publicly debate this with you. https://t.co/sIl2KBNFK0
— Ben Murray-Bruce (@benmurraybruce) January 5, 2018