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I scoured the hallowed halls of our national libraries, drank deep from the political well of mysteries, and summoned the spirits of our heroes past, all in a restless quest to make sense of a most puzzling paradox: why leaders otherwise upright and honourable so often break solemn vows the moment the matter involves Mallam El-Rufai.
At last, I stumbled upon the answer – not from whispers in dark corridors, nor from gossips in the marketplace, but from the lips of a man who had held absolute sway over Mallam for no less than eight years: from SA to DG to Minister. A man who had tasted the wine of his competence and the bitter leaf of his character. That man was President Olusegun Obasanjo.
I dialed the Ebora of Owu himself, but he was unavailable. I was almost going to catch the next available flight, to journey to his majestic Presidential Library in Oke-Mosan Abeokuta – Then it struck me – why bother the old warrior when his verdict already sat in black and white?
‘My Watch, Volume 2, page 110’ – and this was all OBJ had to say about his former lieutenant:
“Nasir’s penchant for reputation savaging is almost pathological. Why does he do it? He is brilliant and smart. I grant him that also. I appreciated his talent and brilliance. At the same time, I recognized his weaknesses; the worst being his inability to be loyal to anybody or any issue consistently for too long, but only to Nasir el-Rufai. Character wise, Nasir has not much going for him. But he is a talented young man who can always deliver under close supervision. So, when Osita Chijoka approached, among others, propping Nasir as my possible successor; believing that whoever I supported would make it, I did not hesitate to point to Nasir’s naivety and immaturity, talk less of his inability to give honour to whom honour is due.”
In the professional world, a man’s reference from his last employer can make or unmake him. And here, in the plain prose of a seasoned statesman, OBJ certified his brilliance yet stamped his file with the seal of unreliable character, chronic disloyalty, and an appetite for dishonour.
But OBJ wasn’t done. He pressed on:
“My vivid recollection of him is penchant for lying, for unfair embellishment of stories and his inability to sustain loyalty for long. Two years after I had left office, Osita came to me to confirm how right I was on my assessment and judgement of Nasir.”
Thus, contrary to the posture Mallam himself often strikes – that he had no hunger for public service and that he was an ‘Accidental Public Servant’ – OBJ laid bare the truth: it was his own counsel and efforts, for the love of country, and the determination to prevent further ‘Accidents in public office’ that kept Mallam out of certain offices.
And yet, OBJ, pragmatic as ever, added:
“I knew what I could make him to achieve, and he achieved it for my administration and for the country. I believe that he can still be used in public service but under guidance and sufficient oversight, making allowance for the psychology of ‘his petit size and his elephantine brain.’”
Now, I will not repeat that last line, I shall never attempt insult upon the revered El-Rufai. Mallam is 65, old enough to father me. I am Omoluabi – well trained, well groomed, and well raised. I do not trade in insults against people’s parents or anyone for that matter. I do not threaten violence. I do not descend into erratic behaviour that hints at desecrating the dignity of another’s family like many of their sons do. Respect, especially to elders, is the currency of my Yoruba heritage. But these words – sharp as they are – are the verdict of a man who knew Mallam’s competence and character from close quarters.
So I ask you, dear friends – if Mallam Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, his friend since the 70’s, his kinsman in faith and region, could keep him at pole’s length…
If OBJ, his boss for eight years, could speak of him in such stark, unvarnished terms – warning future leaders to be wary of a “pathological purveyor of untruths and half-truths with scant regard for integrity…”
Why then should we blame Asiwaju, a man who barely knew him? Asiwaju’s acquaintance with him was fleeting. His judgment, distant. His intent, at best, was to reward a man’s campaign efforts.
But there is a gulf as wide as the Niger between being a candidate and wearing the crown. A President sees what no aspirant can imagine – intelligence briefings, security dossiers, and the ghosts that haunt the corridors of power.
Being a candidate is walking through the lobby. Being a president is holding the keys to every locked door in the building. Inside, there are files you wish you’d never read, whispers you wish you’d never heard.
Two presidents welcomed him in principle – and both, after settling in, closed their doors.
History has not made them liars.
Even the 10th Senate stamped him a security risk. Argue if you wish. But those who lived through the firestorms of Southern Kaduna under Mallam’s watch – and now see the calm waters under Governor Uba Sani – know why men of conscience will wound their personal pride for the greater good.
The taste of the pudding, my friends, is not in the recipe – it is in the eating.
Wa qul jaa’a al-haqqu wa zahaqa al-baatilu, innal-baatila kaana zahooqaa.
“The truth has come, and falsehood has vanished. Indeed, falsehood is ever bound to vanish.”
Shall I … No… E don do!
Credit : Legendary JOE
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