Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed that he turned down a proposal to have former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, succeed him as Nigeria’s president, saying the ex-minister needed more time to mature.
Speaking on Saturday in Abeokuta, Ogun State, during a public lecture themed "Importance of Leadership in Governance," Obasanjo disclosed that the idea was pushed by his former Minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka, who had recommended El-Rufai for the top job.
"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. I did not yield to the pressure because I felt he needed to mature," Obasanjo said, teasing Chidoka during the event.
The former president said Chidoka later admitted that his assessment of El-Rufai had been right.
"When I left government and many years later, he saw El-Rufai’s performances, he came back to me and said, ‘You were absolutely correct. El-Rufai needed to mature,' " Obasanjo recalled.
Obasanjo, however, praised both men for their intellect and contributions to his administration, describing them as individuals with "special attributes" that shaped the success of his government.
Touching on the event’s theme, the former leader lamented the lack of proper grooming for political leadership in Nigeria, saying that even in unconventional groups, some form of apprenticeship exists.
"It’s only in politics that I found there is no training for leadership. Even among armed robbers, I was told there is apprenticeship. But it’s only in politics that there is none that’s not good enough," Obasanjo said.
Delivering the keynote address, Chidoka stressed that Nigeria’s major setback was not a lack of ideas but the failure to build systems that endure beyond their creators.
"Leadership finds its true measure not in speeches or charisma but in the systems it leaves behind. Moral conviction must translate into rules, routines, and institutions that make competence predictable and corruption difficult.
"Nigeria's problem has never been a shortage of ideas; it is the absence of systems strong enough to outlive their authors," he said.
Other dignitaries present at the gathering were the Senator representing Ogun Central, Shuaibu Salis; the Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba Saka Matemilola; the Olota of Ota, Oba Adeyemi Obalanlege; and former Ogun State First Lady, Mrs Olufunsho Amosun.
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