Daily Lens Report
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed that he once turned down a suggestion to choose Nasir El-Rufai, then Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as his successor at the end of his tenure in 2007.
Speaking at the second edition of the Ajibosin Platform Annual Symposium held in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Friday, Obasanjo explained that he rejected the proposal because he felt El-Rufai was “not yet mature enough” to manage the complexities of leading Nigeria.
The disclosure came while Obasanjo was responding to a keynote address delivered by former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, who recounted how El-Rufai introduced him to the former president at the age of 34 — an encounter that paved the way for his appointment as Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
Midway through Chidoka’s speech, Obasanjo interrupted with a smile, saying, “Let him tell you — he didn’t mention that when I was leaving government, he was pushing that his friend, El-Rufai, should be brought in as my successor.” Turning to Chidoka, he added in a teasing tone, “No be so?” to which Chidoka nodded in agreement.
Obasanjo continued, “I did not yield to the pressure. Later, he asked why I didn’t agree, and I told him El-Rufai needed to mature. Many years later, after seeing his performance, he came back to me and said, ‘You were absolutely correct — El-Rufai needed to mature.’”
The former president, however, praised both El-Rufai and Chidoka, describing them and other members of his former cabinet as “talented individuals with special qualities” who contributed significantly to the success of his administration between 1999 and 2007.
