to preach without authorization, will be liable to pay a fine and may even be imprisoned,” El-Rufai said in a radio interview after imposing the new regulation. According to one human rights watchdog group, "El-Rufai is pitching this as a measure to reduce religiously fueled violence, [but] he himself has a troubling history of fueling religious tension." The watchdog group then cites how El-Rufai claimed, in a tweet posted on September 8, 2014, that Christians were behind Boko Haram, funding and controlling it to tarnish the name of Islam. Boko Haram is not funded by Christians but is an Islamist terror group with strong ties to Islamic State. In 2012, El-Rufai threatened anyone who might challenge the Fulani, an ethnic group, even in the line of military duty. “We will write this for all to read. Anyone, soldier or not that kills the Fulani takes a loan payable one day no matter how long it takes,” he tweeted. In 2019, El-Rufai said, in reference to a conspiracy theory that election observers were meddling in the Nigerian election, that "the person who will come and intervene...will go back in body bags because nobody will come to Nigeria and tell us how to run our country" Award In October 2022, a Nigerian national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) was conferred on him by President Muhammadu Buhari. See also List of Governors of Kaduna State References External links This Day (Lagos) on el-Rufai, 20 August 2005 BBC on Nasir el-Rufai, 7 September 2004, Nigeria Top Politics, /Facts on our politicians 1960 births Living people Alumni of the University of London Ministers of the Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria) Harvard Kennedy School staff Ahmadu Bello University alumni Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria) politicians Federal ministers of Nigeria Harvard Kennedy School alumni All Progressives Congress politicians Barewa College alumni Governors of Kaduna State Georgetown University alumni Politicians from Kaduna State Candidates in the 2015 Nigerian general election Quantity surveyors Mason Fellows