NASIR EL RUFAI ADMITS, "YES, I WAS OBASANJO'S 'YES MAN!'

He was a member of the kitchen cabinet of one of Nigeria's most-derisive former President Matthew Okikiolakan Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo. He was one of his man-Fridays and a very trusted aide. For his unabashed loyalty to Olusegun Obasanjo, he was handsomely rewarded with the post of minister of the Abuja Federal Capital Territory. He was one of the up and coming Fulani boys from northern Nigeria? But it would appear that this mallam has made a sudden 180 degrees turn and now confesses that Olusegun Obasanjo single-handedly cursed Nigeria with the Greek gift of a President Umaru Yar'Adua! This is a big development because contrary to what was popular then that he was very powerful and very influential, this mallam has now come out to debunk all the hype and myth about his influence on Obasanjo; publicly stating that he was just an Obasanjo's "YES MAN!"

According to Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, "It was Obasanjo who single-handedly selected Umaru and presented him to us as his choice-candidate to succeed him. Nobody dare say anything against Umaru because you could be seen to be having an antagonistic interest, which was why we all kept quiet and said, 'Yes sir,' we will support him." Icheoku says, it is always a thing of joy and a source of comic relief for Nigerians, whenever their former men of power bemoans their lose in the power struggle that is Nigerian politics and comes out pontificating on their holiness in the whole sordid affair of power struggle? The former lord of the manor in Nigeria, a minister of the Federal Capital Territory and member of former President Olusegun Obasanjo's kitchen cabinet, the 'almighty' El-Rufai, now left out in the cold, is crying out loud, complaining to anyone that would listen how bad things have suddenly become in Nigeria? But what he is not telling those his listeners is the contribution he made to bring about the bad situation. Icheoku asks, how could any of these guys been rendering good professional service to a government, when they lacked the back-bone and strong moral conviction to objectively advise their boss in the best way out of a given situation? Why serve when you cannot serve conscientiously and objectively?

Some of these former officials were the reason why the government they served did not survive or perform well, because they will not honestly and objectively profer advise but will always do it under color of political survival and not what is in the best interest of the country? These past leaders including Olusegun Obasanjo and the present Umaru Yar'Adua may have faired as bad because of the Nasir el-Rufai types, sycophants who surround them and who ususally do not give them the best advise possible? They only tell them what they wants to hear and that is it; irrespective of the wisdom of such counsel. Imagine, Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo desires to hire Umaru Yar'Adua as Nigeria's president and all these guys could do and did was just salute and bow out? A unison chorused, master is always right? Why were they hired in the first place if all they do or did was just chorus the president's desires without analysing or discussing its broad ramnifications? Was their job description not to critically analyse any given situation and hand in their best assessment of it as to the way forward; and strongly recommend options for the president? So, Icheoku asks Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, why didn't he and his fellow inner circle of Olusegun Obasanjo's government critically analyse the choice of Umaru Yar'Adua, forensically checking his suitability, ability, eligibility and qualification to be Nigeria's president? But he did not do what was expected of his office as a close adviser to the then president, only to now, join other leeches on power to pile up on Olusegun Obasanjo for being that arrogant despotic leader, whose wish must always be obeyed and without any question? Really? Icheoku asks, but was Nasir el-Rufai a zombie operating in a zombie-land Nigeria under a zombies' company comfortable man, President Olusegun Obasanjo?

Now everyone is blaming only Olusegun Obasanjo for the ineptitude of the sickly Umaru Yar'Adua while many of his advisers who alongside midwived Umaru Yar'Adua's presidency like Mallam Nasir El-Rufai is under the radar, staying blameless for the apology that is President Umaru Yar'Adua? Icheoku asks, could it be possible that when Olusegun Obasanjo nominated Umaru Yar'Adua as his preferred choice for the presidency of Nigeria that he was just looking up to his kitchen-cabinet to hold-out and give him a reason to ground such a nomination; and hoping honestly that one would be given him to enable him thrown aside the candidacy of Yar'Adua? Is it a plausible argument to make that this people, the Nasir el-Rufais of Nigeria, failed Obasanjo and by implication the Nigerian public for not candidly advising Obasanjo on the lack of merits of sickly Umaru Yar'Adua's candidacy? Is it possible that Olusegun Obasanjo is not solely responsible for the quagmire of President Umaru Yar'Adua's government that Nigeria is left to deal with now? It is Icheoku's position that Mallam El-Rufai is partly to blame for the nightmare Nigerians are being forced to live through since May 2007 with the unfortunate ridicule that is Umaru Yar'Adua's presidency?

Peradventure if Mallam El-Rufai had been candid with Olusegun Obasanjo and advised him honestly, maybe a different can-do man or woman would have been Nigeria's president and not the Mr Slow-man who spends most valuable time, battling a debilitating illness instead of governing. So what we are saying is that Nigerians should blame Nasir el-Rufai for some of the failures of Obasanjo's government, particularly the 'appointment' of Umaru Yar'Adua as president of Nigeria. President Umaru Yar'Adua was courtesy of the lack of advise from Obasanjo's supposed kitchen cabinet, which includes Mallam El-Rufai who failed and/or refused to give Obasanjo their honest take concerning his decision to impose Umaru Yar'Adua on Nigeria? Imagine Mr. El-Rufai now criticising President Umaru Yar’adua's government as a sleeping government; a government his silent sycophancy helped put in place? He is now blaming Olusegun Obsanjo for chosing Yar’adua to succeed him, when he could have but failed or refused to advise against it; or even resigned his appointment in protest if he felt so strongly against it? But instead, he chose to tag along just to get along; and his present warped logic is that "there was no how any of them could have opposed the choice of Yar’adua as president because nobody wanted to be seen to be opposing the president?" This guy is indeed a laughable specie of human evolution; so what if the president wanted to mortgage the entire Nigeria to say, Cameroon; Icheoku asks, would he have acquiesced just because 'no one want to be seen to oppose the president?' What is your value or worth then, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai?

Mallam Nasir el-Rufai is the stuff majority of Nigerian officials are made of and this is the single most agonising reason why Nigeria leaderships always fail to deliver. They lack competent advisers who would manage their objectives very well, honestly advising the president even at the pain of either being fired or forced to resign their office? Such people are the political jobbers "YES MEN" and are always recycled through various governments, so much so that one begins to wonder why the former government failed; and whether the new government wants to also fail since they also have the same faces on board? Mallam Gerry Gana is one example of a Nigerian that served over four governments and yet they all failed; with him being absolved? Icheoku asks, does it make any sense?

Mallam El-Rufai gave his ten-cents opinion in a recent Hausa service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) interview, wherein he also indicated that he will be returning to Nigeria at the end of this year but before Christmas, to in his own words, continue to carry on the fight from inside the belly of the beast, that is Nigeria. Icheoku only wishes to remind this now crusading former minister that his then served government of Olusegun Obasanjo killed Attorney General Bola Ige and nothing happened as a consequence thereof? So what is the guarantee that if he suddenly disappears upon his return to Nigeria that the heavens will cave in? A word is enough for this 'repentant' mallam, there is no bravery in the grave; and only a fool goes to court of reasoning with obtrusive and obstinate touts who parade themselves as leaders of Nigeria and expect a decent discuss. As he knows, those Nigeria leaders so called are not rational and will get him as soon as his feet touches Nigerian soil. This stage has now been set with the court ruling that he, Nasir el-Rufai has a case to answer! So upon his return, he will be arrested, no, abducted, tried or extra-judiciary killed and nothing will come out of it as he already knows, himeslf having been part of the problem of Nigeria; a member of government of power.

Icheoku advises Nasir el-Rufai to please wait a little longer to return to Nigeria, if he must; as the authorities there cannot wait to lay their hands on you and make a mince-meat example of you, after the recent embarrassing cat and mouse game which they lost to Nuhu Ribadu; during his condolence visit to the Gani Fawehinmi's family. The Nigerian security organisations are still smarting at the ridicule that was made of them by Nuhu Ribadu's breach of their porous security blanket and cannot wait for an opportunity to redeem their besmirched ego. Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, please do not be the sacrificial offal as you will surely pay for Nuhu Ribadu's insult should you venture into Nigeria under the present inclement political climate. Icheoku says, we do not think that the former minister is so naive to commit suicide by his visit and is rather being just vociferous because he lost out in the power struggle in Nigeria? Otherwise what spectacular thing did his Olusegun Obasanjo government do for Nigerians that they could be remembered for? The answer is nothing, nada, zilch! So, mallam please stay under the radar and stay out of Nigeria in order not to become a statistics among the many whose death has met an unyielding brickwall in their investigation. Ask yourself, is it worth it? Until we see him return to Nigeria to face his hound dogs, Icheoku says, Mallam EL-Rufai is just running-off his mouth and in any other event, we cannot wait to report his arrest, torture and possible murder once he steps his aboki-feet back in Nigeria. So, good-luck mallam!