Former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nasir El-Rufai has come under fire from former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who has called him a someone who has a chronic predisposition to deceive and a lack of loyalty.
In his autobiography, My Watch (Vol. 2), Obasanjo wrote about his experiences working with El-Rufai, the minister he selected during his rule. Obasanjo acknowledged El-Rufai’s brains and ability to produce outcomes, but said the former minister lacked the moral qualities expected of a public servant.
Nasir’s propensity to destroy people’s reputations is nearly obsessive. He shamelessly lied, not just against me but also against his coworkers and even his own relatives,” Obasanjo said.
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The former president described how, in spite of having authority and support inside his administration, El-Rufai frequently violated confidence and misrepresented the truth in order to further his own agenda.
Obasanjo denounced El-Rufai’s purported acts against his own family members, including a half-brother and a well-respected uncle, calling the behavior extremely concerning and indicative of a lack of moral integrity.
He requires careful supervision despite his talent. He has what I refer to as the “little man syndrome,” which is a confluence of his background and psychological problems,” Obasanjo said.
Despite the strong criticism, Obasanjo acknowledged that El-Rufai played a significant role in putting important programs into effect during his presidency and that he could still serve the nation, but only under close supervision.
I was confident in his ability to deliver, and he did. But in unsupervised situations, his character flaws render him a problem,” he continued.
Obasanjo expressed concern about the factors that might have influenced El-Rufai’s personality in his closing remarks, pointing out that his actions might have been influenced by his early lack of parental direction.
