Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed that he once turned down a proposal to support former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, as his successor at the end of his administration in 2007.
Obasanjo made the disclosure on Friday during the second edition of the Ajibosin Platform Annual Symposium held in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
According to the former president, he declined the suggestion because he believed El-Rufai was “not yet mature enough” to lead Nigeria at that time.
El-Rufai, who served in Obasanjo’s government between 1999 and 2007, first as Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and later as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), was one of the key figures in Obasanjo’s reform-driven administration.
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The revelation came after former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, who delivered the keynote address at the event, narrated how El-Rufai introduced him to Obasanjo at age 34 — a meeting that led to his appointment as Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
Interrupting Chidoka’s presentation, Obasanjo said humorously:
“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.”
Turning to Chidoka, the former president asked, “No be so (Is that not true)?” to which Chidoka nodded in agreement.
Obasanjo continued, explaining his decision at the time:
“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? 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.’”
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Despite his earlier reservations, Obasanjo praised both El-Rufai and Chidoka, along with other members of his cabinet, describing them as men and women of “special attributes” who strengthened his administration.
Speaking more broadly on leadership, the elder statesman decried the absence of formal training for political leaders in Nigeria.
“It’s only in politics that I found out there is no training for leadership,” Obasanjo said.
“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.”
The symposium, themed around leadership and governance, drew prominent figures from across the country and provided a platform for reflection on Nigeria’s political evolution and the qualities needed to guide the nation’s future.