Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed that he rejected a proposal to endorse former Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, as his successor in 2007.
Speaking at the second annual symposium of the Ajibosin Platform in Abeokuta, Ogun State, themed “Importance of Leadership in Governance”, Obasanjo revealed that Osita Chidoka, then a young reformist and later aviation minister, had recommended el-Rufai for the presidency.
El-Rufai, who served as the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises and later as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory under Obasanjo’s administration, was considered one of the president’s trusted technocrats.
However, Obasanjo said he turned down Chidoka’s suggestion because he believed el-Rufai “needed more time to mature” before taking on the country’s top job.
“Let him tell you,” Obasanjo said, interjecting during Chidoka’s speech. “He was pushing that his friend, el-Rufai, should succeed me. I did not yield to the pressure. I told him el-Rufai needs to mature. Years later, he came back to say, ‘You were absolutely correct.’”
The former president went on to praise both Chidoka and el-Rufai for their “special attributes”, which he said contributed significantly to the success of his administration.
Obasanjo also used the occasion to stress the importance of structured leadership development, lamenting the lack of formal training for political leaders in Nigeria.
“It’s only in politics that I found out there is no training for leadership,” he said. “Even among armed robbers, I was told there is apprenticeship. But in politics, there is none. That’s not good enough.”
