El-Rufai: Why Many Believed I Made a Mistake by Speaking Out

  *Ex-Kaduna Governor says he has no regrets, announces second memoir in the works Former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, h...

 

*Ex-Kaduna Governor says he has no regrets, announces second memoir in the works

Former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has said that his decision to publicly speak about his experiences in government led many people to believe he had made a mistake.

El-Rufai made the statement in Abuja on Thursday at the public presentation of “OPL 245: Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Nigerian Oil Block”, a memoir by former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke.

Reflecting on his own first book, “The Accidental Public Servant”, published over a decade ago, El-Rufai said the memoir was written as an honest account of his years in public office, despite widespread discouragement.

“About 12 years ago, I presented The Accidental Public Servant, which was a record of my experience in public service. It showed how friends can abandon you, betray you, and how people you’ve helped may turn against you,” he said.

“They said I had made a mistake and that I would never be allowed near government again. But I chose a different path. In Nigeria, people expect you to stay silent after leaving office. I refused to do that.”

The former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory under President Olusegun Obasanjo said he is currently working on a second memoir, which will provide deeper insights into his time in office and the principles that guided his actions.

El-Rufai maintained that he stands by all the decisions he made while in public service and has no regrets.

“I don’t believe I have anything to hide. I still don’t. And I know Bello Adoke has nothing to hide either,” he added.

He commended Adoke for using his book to clarify his role in the controversial OPL 245 oil deal, for which courts in Nigeria, Italy, and the United Kingdom cleared him of any wrongdoing.

“You can write a book like that and hold your head high, knowing you did nothing wrong,” El-Rufai said. “I urge those in power today to remember that your turn will come.”

He also called on current and former public officials to document their experiences for the benefit of history, public understanding, and accountability.