•Say book is ‘full of half-truths, exaggeration’
Former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Nasir el- Rufai, yesterday launched his much-publicised book in Abuja. El-Rufai, a former Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), allocated some portions of the book to comments on ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo and his former deputy, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who was also chairman of the National Council on Privatisation (NCP), the council that supervises the BPE.
The ex-minister’s bombshell on his two former bosses (Obasanjo and Atiku) attracted condemnation from them. Obasanjo’s aides may have declared war on el-Rufai over his comments against the ex-president. In fact, Obasanjo and Atiku’s camps in unison, condemned the former minister, calling him a liar. Obasanjo and Atiku’s aides boycotted the launch of the book entitled: ‘The Accidental Public Servant,’ in protest. The book was reviewed by the Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof. Anselm Odinkalu, who said in the book that el-Rufai made a transition from being a politician to a political activist.
Meanwhile, a source close to the Obasanjo’s inner caucus said that the former President was not only angry, but enraged against el-Rufai over the contents of his book and that was why all aides of the former President, in spite of the fact that they served together under him, boycotted the launch.
The only exception was Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, former Education Minister, who attended the event because of her closeness to the author. Former Minister of Information, Prof. Dora Akunyili, who also graced the occasion, was never part of the inner caucus of Obasanjo’s administration.
According to the source, el-Rufai, with the contents of the book, several portions of which he described as fiction concocted to embarrass the former President should also brace up to face the truth about his activities in government during Obasanjo’s tenure. “El-Rufai is a joker, it is difficult to understand his motive except probably the book has been generating a lot of controversy since its serialization commenced in the media.
The source said that Obasanjo’s aides’ absence at the event was a direct reflection of the mood and attitude of Obasanjo about certain contents of the book considered not only offensive but designed to embarrass him. “To polish his ( el-Rufai’s) battered image over his handling of the FCT affairs.
These brazen lies will not help him and he knows. “Here is a man who is already indicted before a competent court of the land. He cannot deceive the public with his book by attempting to present himself as angel to the people.
He should be ashamed of himself,” the source said. Also reacting, Atiku’s Media Office through a statement, dismissed el-Rufai’s book as a collection of fiction, half truths, exaggeration and and reflection of selective memory.
The Media Office was particularly piqued by the claim of el-Rufai that he had almost resigned as the former BPE Director-General because of alleged persistent pressure and interference by Atiku who was the NCP chairman. It expressed disbelief that the former FCT minister forgot soon what he said at the Senate Public Hearing on BPE between August 8 and, 2011.
The Ad-hoc committee was headed by Senator Ahmed Lawan. “It recalled el-Rufai as saying that he had special relationship with former President Obasanjo, which gave him direct access and the discretion to bypass the NCP headed by Atiku in order to get the approval of the President.” The Media Office wondered how el-Rufai could reconcile his threat of resignation with the accounts he told the Senate about the latitude of freedom he enjoyed at BPE because of his closeness to Obasanjo.
On the claim by el-Rufai that Obasanjo went down on his knees before Atiku to seek his co-operation for second term bid in 2003, the office dismissed the claim as a figment of el-Rufai’s wild imagination. It said such claim “lacked any credibility because Atiku and Obasanjo were alone together behind closed doors and that they alone knew what actually transpired between them.”
The Media Office wondered whether el-Rufai was a fly on the wall to discuss the details of a private meeting between the two leaders. “Rather than el-Rufai feeding the public with such fabrications, the statement said the former minister should have provided or quoted the authority for such claim since he was not at the private meeting between Obasanjo and Atiku.”
The statement also noted that for a man like el-Rufai who had alleged reputation for disparaging religions and their icons, including lately Jesus Christ, the attack on Atiku was the least surprising. It noted that “if he could go to such irreverent extent to disparage religious icons, who is an ordinary mortal like Atiku Abubakar?” Speaking at the public presentation of the book, former Head of State, who was also presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Maj-Gen Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), gave reasons why the CPC, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) are in a merger.
Buhari also lamented the destruction of institutions by past leaders, even as he eulogised the colonial masters for the legacy they bequeathed to the nation. Buhari revealed that the essence of the merger, is to secure and manage Nigeria. “I think that the bottom-line is that we want to mobilize Nigerians toward 2015, to secure and manage Nigeria,” Buhari said.
On the merger, the former Head of State said to be fair to those committees for the parties participating, they have given them terms of reference and should be allowed to carry out their assignment. “I think we should allow them to formally tell us what they have done before we start giving it to the press. Otherwise, we are undermining the authority we have given them,” Buhari added.
Buhari praised the British for what they passed on to Nigerian leaders, saying they established great institutions for us. “The police, the judiciary, the military, the civil service. And even compared with other countries, you will have some respect for the British.
“From the end of World War (1), to World War (11), and the Civil War, every life of the Italian government about nine months, and if you look at their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, it went up like that.
What made it possible was strong institutions. “In Nigeria here, those who thought they were strong, they destroyed the institutions. Now, we have our problems. Paradoxically, to get strong people to come back, to revive those institutions; otherwise, we are really going to be in trouble,” Buhari noted. Reviewing the book, Odinkalu said: “El-Rufai cares about Nigeria and says it the way it is.”
The occasion also had in attendance Governors Babatunde Raji Fashola (Lagos), Umaru Tanko al-Makura ( Nasarawa), Kayode Fayemi ( Ekiti), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Ibrahim Dankwambo ( Gombe) and ACN’s spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who represented former Lagos State Governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, amongst others.
Tinubu described the author as good accident in the public service. “Many talk about their accidents in life, be it in public or in private, but only a few dare document it and share it in such a bold, blunt and daring manner like Nasir has done in the pages of his book. “In the pages of his book we learn wisdom, we glean brilliance and we are exposed to the follies, fooleries and vainness of power. We see exposed as mere mortals even those invested with enormous powers to lead Nigeria and direct our lives,” he said.
That a leopard decided to shed off its spotty fur does not mean it no longer prey on other animals. No matter what el rufai does or says he is still among the crop of corrupt politicians who plundered the wealth of this nation for their own selfish use. He had the opportunity to make a difference but prefer to go the way of his contemporaries.
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Anything and everything is better than el rufai call OBJ or Atiku they are better than this man called el rufai.
Mind you I hate OBJ as well but el rufai I hate the more
If Obasanjo disputes the revelation as per El Rufai and his newly launched book, will he then be available for probes.
Obasanjo was released from prison in 1999, with less than N20,000.00 in his bank account, how did he get rich overnight to become the richest man in the world today. Therefore, those critics of El Rufai’s book should think twice.
SOme people make comments adding to the lies of el Rufai. When a Jimmie Johnson claimed Obasanjo had less than 20,000 naira in his account, what about his assets. IS his bank account the only assest? When he was nominated as president by PDP and he donated some money, did people not raise highbrow. The question is Mr Jimmie Johnson do you know what a retired army general earn and what a retired president is paid? The other thing you don’t know is the good will Obasanjo has acquired all over the world. His friends among the black congressional caucus in US, the Chinese, Koreans, Japanese. Mr George Bush and Tony Blare are his personal friends. People like Andrew Young, Jesse Jackson and the current UN Secretary. These people can and did raised enough money for him. His farm was refurbished by the Chinese. WHy don’t you ask yourself why he still works for UN and he is being interviewed by all these international media houses. You think it is just for free lunch? Nigerian media deceive you people. Like this reporters who concocted stories about Obasanjo’s repsonse to El Rufai. When a reporter claimed that a faceless person dupplied information know that that faceless individual is no other than the reporter just coming from dream wonderland.
@Julius Joel, You’ll make a good image maker of the ilks of Okupe, Abati or Fani Kayode. This attitude of yours is what differentiate these people from Segun Adeniyi.
you are a rogue like obasanjo.
it is true, obasanjo did not only kneel down to beg atiku but also was crying while begging him. ha ha ha ha ….naija.
Were you also there?
Let the criminals be exposed, we are tired of all this bandits that parade themselves as Nigeria Leaders. What we are now waiting for is revolution! All past leaders must certainly account for their corrupt deeds against the citizens.
It is not only a shame, but an abuse on the sensiblities of Nigerians for El-Rufa’i to think that Nigerians will take those statements he made about OBJ, ATIKU and Yar’adua serious.
It is also a shame for El-Rufa’i's generation to have one of them fabricating such lies and even publishing them. Are we not living when El-Rufa’i was holding all kind of briefs for OBJ? Was El-Rufa’i that close to Yar’aduathat he claimed to have written his inaugural speech? How did he get to know what was going on in the Yar’adua’s inner circle?
EL-Rufa’i is a liar and a liar indeed.
I like El Rufai because, despite his failings, he did a great job in keeping Abuja on the straight and narrow. Unfortunately, his book leaves quite a bit to be desired. For someone of his intellectual capacity, I would have expected more rigour in the claims he made. He seems to have merely repeated ruomours and conjectures and passed them off as fact without an attempt to link them to outright quotes or provide evidence. People have been writing political exposes all over the world but this one needs help with quality.
I RECALL EL-Rufai AS A THIEF WHO DEMOLISHED HOUSES AND KEPT THE LAND FOR HIMSELF, A MAN BANNED FROM NIGERIA NOW WANT TO BE IMPORTANT. SORRY I WILL TELL THE GENERATIONS UNBORN NOT TO READ YOUR BIO, YOU ARE NOTHING BUT THIEF
But the truth has to be told, El Rufia is not the first person who has made statement that OBJ Knelt before Atiku who was in control of the PDP Governors then, El Rufia has only put it in black and white for posterirty. So while we condemned him for his own atrocities which he commited while in office, we should also take a seriuos ook to what he reveals in his books, they may not be lies after all because he was an insider then. Those Nigerian leaders past and present are FULL OF SHIT, WHITE WASHED TOMBS,
But Atiku denied that.
Is El-Rufa’i in a better position to say what transpired between the two of them?
But the truth has to be told, El Rufia is not the first person who has made statement that OBJ Knelt before Atiku who was in control of the PDP Governors then, it was in the public galre long ago. El Rufia has only put it in black and white for posterirty. So while we condemned him for his own atrocities which he commited while in office, we should also take a seriuos ook to what he reveals in his books, they may not be lies after all because he was an insider then. Those Nigerian leaders past and present are FULL OF SHIT, WHITE WASHED TOMBS,
El Rufai is a minor hooligan not just a liar.
Mallam El, I see your book as an attempt to launder your image. But the items you are using as fuller’s earth are actually mudslides. Your political ambition is in jeopardy especially with your fraternity with CPC or is it now APC?
El-Rufai may be a vilain.But then we have to commend his bravery and brashness in telling the hard and harsh truth straight to the face of Obj while he is alive and not when he is dead or behind him.This gives Obj the opportunity to defend himself and by himself and not by his army of proxies and booth lickers who are waiting in the fringe to cash in on t the fall out.I believe that this is the confirmation of what we already have always been told and which was really the reason Obj went for the head Atiku after been subjected to humiliating experience of Kneeling before Atiku to gain his support.A desperate man could do any thing desperate to wriggle out of danger and that is what Obj did and now his Ego has been deflected.His army of plate washers are smoking for intellectual warfare.We are really enjoying this battle.Bible which Obj reads says that every hidden thing will be exposed.This is beginning of more to come.We are ready waiting to crack our ribbs.
Commend him for fabricating those lies or for insulting the senses of Nigerians?
YOU CAN SAY ANYTHING YOU LIKE ABOUT MALLAM EL-RUFAI, BUT THE FACT REMAINS THAT HE MADE ABUJA WHAT IT IS TODAY. THE MAN IS A WORKAHOLIC, AND A PROVEN REFORMER.
HE IS BETTER THAN ATIKU AND OBASNJO PUT TOGETHER.
IS LIKE APC WANT TO POSITION EL RUFIA AS TO RUN IN THEIR GOVERNEMNT
As far as most Nigerians are concerned, Mallam El-Rufai is highly confused and corrupt, religiously fanatical(though he pretends not to be) and tribalistic.Tell me:was he not the one who unjustly demolished buildings and businesses of our country men(mainly Igbos) in Abuja as the minister of FCT, under the veil of illegal structures? And thereafter allotted some of the same areas(plots of land) to his friends and relations while he kept back some as his personal own. Was El-Rufai not the same person who recently attacked the Christian religion by insinuating that Jesus Christ must have slept with Mary Magdalene when he said that if Jesus were to come now to indict some Nigerians of corruption that those Nigerians would accuse him back of having carnal affair with Magdalene,simply because the bible recorded that Mary,just like Lazarus, was a friend of Jesus.The issue is:Is that what El- Rufai himself thinks about Jesus and decided to voice it out using a veiled method? Can such a man be credible? No!
My countrymen let’s go to the point ,This Man i is saying the truth.
No, He’s lying!
elrufai blasphemed against our lord and saviour Jesus Christ. he deserves no attention.
We should all thank and commend el-Rufair and his likes for their courage. All these are are precursors to revolution which is not far away .
When the book was serialised, I concluded that it was written in bitterness and pure anger.
If you intelligently go through what was serialised it consists of made up stories like the Bible it happened but nobody was there, only angels but who witnessed the event? How does El Rufai know what is OBJ’s head.
Did you see OBJ kneel before Atiku to beg?
You took us Nigerians for fools with your book.
Anything to discredit him not that I support him but fairplay please.
Just goes to tell Nigerians the calibre of people that ruled and are aspiring torule Nigeria. They would do anything to get to the post and thereafter, the Nigerians who voted/rigged/selected them are on their own. For once please JEG, no matter your prsonal ambition, allow us a free, fair and open elctions, thats all we ask for not a debate with Ms O.
El-Rufai is confused. We all witnessed what he did in BPE & FCT. We sure heard the RUMOR on how Obj knelt b4 Atiku pleading but without proof. If truly both men were the only two in the said room how then did any 3rd party(El-Rufai or any other person for that matter) know what happened therein. This midget thinks he is better than every other person out there. His ego is too large for his dwarfish nature. It is expedients this uncouth Mallam sees a shrink b4 its too late.
The danger is violating people’s privacy and divulging what is meant to be confidential is the problem of the book. Did elRufai knelt for Obasanjo to save his neck when the senate wanted him removed as minister? With all the runaround he had with the Senate Obasanjo stood by him, now he wants favour from Buhari and wants some political position in the new APC, if any body wants a political position the best thing to do in Nigeria to tell them you are the only one clean in Mr Obasanjo’s government.
Na wa o! nigerians no d shame
Na wa o! nigerians no d shame
For what he did in Abuja I have to say I commend him.
We Nigerians always take the law into our hands. Go around our cities and see how disorganised they are. Buildings without approved plans, and where we have approved plans, the owner changes it as they please without informing the authorities.
In Nigeria Cities have no limits, no parks or recreation grounds for the public, all land belong to someones father which he in turn inherits obscurely.
And in the modern Abuja same is happening, coming in and doing that was meant to be a warning… but is it?
Houses without roads, uncompleted buildings that has been there for years, habouring robbers et al.
When a whiteman comes to our country, he want to go back home within 3 months but when we go to theirs we do not want to leave, now to make our country look like the advanced worlds we rise up in arms and insults.
YOU CANNOT WIN!!
El rufai shared the gains of corruption with obj,failed nigeria alongside obj and now wants to wash himself clean by denouncing a fellow thief,what an irony?Denouncing a partner in crime can’t have u disculped from ur criminality.This guy helped creay many criminal and kidnappers all over nigeria by destroying and seizing their reward of their years of hard labour and leaving them with no choice other than criminality.not surprised at those partaking and eulogising a failed politician seeking a renewed releavance.
Perhaps, the stir that Achebe’s recent book brought on nigerian polity gave him a cleu on what to do to regain his political life he lost.well,he’s lost that game cos we know where he’s coming from and where he’s going.A loser
And instead of regaining political life, he’s further destroyed his already battered image.
Most of us have not read the book and we want to kill Elrufai for what he wrote. Ofcourse he attacked money bags that has money to defame anything. Its obvious some commentators here are bought. Elrufai did not care and ready on attack. Atiku wants to be president and he has to fight back. Jonah will be happy now bcos Elrufai has rubbished his tormentors…
And what will make us believe that you are not bought to say what you said on this forum?
none of them have done any thing good for us. it is all about making money.
Is is obvious that malam el ( aboki) is a thief as well as his superiors, but we may filter one of two things frm his book, because there is an igbo proverb that say’s ” those that are close to you are the pepl to hear the smell of your teeth”. On that not el lufi is more in a beter possitn to reveal to us hw they sold nig ( wth obj & atiku)even if he try to exenorat hm self we kno hw to judge that. In that let see if we can pick som points that wl help us in the revolusn tht is not far & encourag more of thm to talk. What do u thnk?
El-Rufai is a criminal just like his cohorts on the corridors of power,who only comes out to cry wolf in broad day light probably because of some bad deals gone wrong between him and his partners in crime that pretend they are serving us, but are busy milking this nation called Nigeria.
El Rufai, OBJ and Atiku? Hmmm, politicians? Thiefs of the highest order. Liars to the core. People who lies through their teeth. I can’t believe any word from their mouth. But still, let them do their exposition and we will sieve the truth from their lies.
I hope OBJ and Atiku answers back by exposing El Rufai’s not yet exposed evil.
You certainly have not heard everything. The truth shall always prevail. People always tend not to learn from history, that what goes around comes around. It does amaze me, why are we surprised in the first place ? Just wait for the bombshell sooner than later.
Nigeria is a unique Country,if not who would ve fantomed that ex-President and his former Vice Atiku Abubakar will ever rise in unism to attack /respond to any issues affectn, both Corrupt Leaders,that were once at each others gurgular/throat,Who said that the infant terrible Mallam El-Rufias recent book exposure have not touched both men at very sensitive parts’ of his ex-Bosses Man hoods,who knows if Nigerians are soon to be treated with slogans’such as if you, OBJ me,I.El-Rufia you or if you,Atiku me,I.El-Rufia you.Nigerians are all ears,let the macabre Dance bit begin,so that more of the behind scenes’ under cuts shall become an open-si say.whatever dat goes up,must definitely come down.This Na Mallam El-Rufia gate exclusive.
El Rufai is nothing but son of devil. Nothing good can come from an atheist like him. Why should he be telling us about things already known instead of telling us things we don’t know? Somebody who called Jesus Christ that is revered by both Muslims and Christians a fornicator can never mean well for anyone except himself. Somebody who insulted his emir while serving as FCT minister must be a bastard. This act of public dance of shame of his in futile effort to launder his self-seeking nauseating image is a confirmation of the claim that madness runs in the blood of his family. He should have rather used the opportunity to confess his magnitude of stinking sins and begged Nigerians for pardon. That should have endeared him as a penitent actor to us. Wise up.
el rufai is an aimal as far dis stpid wil acuse jesus i am asre he slp wt his mther yr prht mry 9 wife an d fact mhmd is not a prht as u read ur bk u wil see no prht dat cms 4rm any tribe excpt 4rm d tribe of judas dats d isreal mhmd was a drmr
El-rufai is finished and confused. Ewu presidential aspirant.
when a man runs mental he can say anything, its only a fool who can deny his maker “JESUS”, el rufai music of madness has started.
I see this as what was done in the secret is now open. Let us not kill ourselves over non issues like this. When they are appointed, they will be praising the person that appointed them because of what they are gaining.But once they vacate the Office, they will start vomiting what they have eaten in the secret. Do not mind them, they are all sycophantic polithieves. He wants to launder his battered image, probably he is eying presidency. El-rufai if you have such intention,to go for presidency,kindly drop the idea immediately.Your story is still fresh in mind
El- rufai is a big fool, confused and frustrated. Baba no mind nam joo!
Obasanjo is a thief-yes! But this Obasanjo is the man Who made democracy what it is today in Nigeria because rome they say, was not build in a day. We must always give it to obasanjo for working hard for the stability of democracy in nigeria and forget the idiot called El rufai who destroyed the properties of the Igbo in order to secure and convert it to his own and that of his friends and family members. It is high time Nigeria should learn how to read inbetween lines of every statement made by folls like El Rufai and co and know where they are coming from and where they are going. However, let us see how events unfolds itself in the nearest future.