Former President Olusegun Obasanjo disclosed on Friday that he once rejected a proposal to back former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, to succeed him at the conclusion of his tenure in 2007.
Obasanjo stated that he declined the idea because he did not believe El-Rufai had “matured” enough to assume the nation’s leadership duties.
El-Rufai was a prominent member of Obasanjo’s cabinet from 1999 to 2007, serving initially as the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises and later as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
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Speaking at the second Ajibosin Platform Annual Symposium in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Obasanjo revealed that it was former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, who recommended El-Rufai as a potential successor.
Chidoka, who was the event’s keynote speaker, had earlier recounted how El-Rufai had introduced him to Obasanjo when he was 34—a meeting that led to Chidoka’s eventual appointment as Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps.
Interrupting Chidoka’s presentation, Obasanjo reminded the audience of the key omission regarding the succession proposal. Turning to Chidoka, Obasanjo stated: “Let him tell you. He didn’t mention that. He was pushing when I was leaving government that his friend, El-Rufai, should be brought in as my successor.”
Obasanjo jokingly confronted Chidoka, asking, “No be so (Is that not true)?,” to which Chidoka “nodded in agreement.”
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Obasanjo explained that he declined the suggestion because El-Rufai needed more time for political and personal growth.
“I did not yield to the pressure. Later, he said, ‘I suggested this person, why didn’t you agree?’ I said El-Rufai needs to mature. You remember?,” Obasanjo recounted.
He added that Chidoka eventually conceded to his judgment: “When I left government and, many years later, he saw the performances of El-Rufai, he came back to me and said, ‘You’re absolutely correct. El-Rufai needed to mature.’”
Obasanjo took the opportunity to commend Chidoka, El-Rufai, and other members of his former team, describing them as individuals with “special attributes” that helped achieve his administration’s goals.
Speaking broadly on leadership, Obasanjo stressed that training, exposure, experience, and character are vital traits for public servants.
He remarked on the lack of formal development in the field: “It’s only in politics that I found out there is no training for leadership. Even among armed robbers, I was told there is an apprenticeship. But it’s only in politics that there is no training in leadership. That’s not good enough,” he observed.
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