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El-Rufai: Ensnared by a caustic tongue?
The Senate last week asked FCT Minister Mallam Nasir
el-Rufai to refund N18 million paid to two special assistants not approved by
President Olusegun Obasanjo. Group Politics
Editor, Felix Ofou examines this latest face-off between the minister
and the upper legislative chamber and concludes that as always, el-Rufai�s
tongue may have put him in trouble
The
dance of a short man is predictable. So is his style of talking. For the
dance, the short man evolves a pattern that enables him to gallop in a manner
as if he is desperate to add some more height to his physiognomy. Not only
does the man with less height talk rather loudly, he wants to be noticed each
time he opens the mouth to talk. At least, this much is true of the Federal
Capital Territory Minister (FCT), Mallam Nasir el-Rufai.
Irrespective of
his diminutive stature, el-Rufai is one man that wants to be noticed. Some
people have described him as a �power dresser,� but that is because he also
has a loud dress sense. The essence, undoubtedly, is to call attention to his
persona. And, you are bound to be attracted, and, subsequently glued, when he
opens his mouth to talk. He leaves you with the impression all the time that
references to him as a whizkid or one of Nigeria�s top kids on the blocks are
not misplaced after all.
Perhaps, it is on
account of this unique psycho-analytical faux pas that el-Rufai is forever in
the news. His penchant for courting controversies has also become legendary.
Not only does the FCT minister not suffer fools gladly, he is one man who
definitely wants to be heard at all times. And he is sure to have an opinion
on every subject or issue that is thrust before him.
As the late sage
Chief Obafemi Awolowo once noted, the hallmark of an educated man is steeped
in this reality. He must know something about everything, and everything
about something. If we accept this observation as a true test of intelligence
and education, then it would be safe to further conjecture that this
Zaria-born technocrat from Kaduna State is a bundle of brain and high I.Q.
But, that is not
to say that Mallam, as some prefer to call him, which translated means
�teacher,� has not done well for himself. Yes, he has had to fight many battles
and taken up persons sometimes considered �untouchables� and survived them
unscathed.
Even in
situations where he has had his nose bruised or bloodied, el-Rufai seemed to
have found a way to smoothen the rough edges. It may well mean that he is
indeed a smart alec.
Should it then be
safe to assume that the minister remains immune from falling, after climbing
the Augean stable? Of course it would amount to self-delusion to reach such conclusions
in haste. That is the problem most people have with the man. His
self-confidence seems predicated on assumed and over bloated estimation of
what his acclaimed godfather, in this case Vice-President Atiku Abubakar,
thinks about him. Moreover, the fact that he has also enjoyed tremendous
support from President Olusegun Obasanjo has served as further catalyst in
the perception of his personality.
However, the
latest face-off with the upper legislative chamber, the Senate, regarding the
hiring of two special assistants, has once again brought to the fore inherent
contradictions between el-Rufai�s claim of being transparent and what the
reality really is. And although he has since dismissed the latest brouhaha
with an outright wave of the hand, there is no doubt that this time around,
he has more than a cursory explanation to make.
As have become
customary, Nigerians expect him to shoot on all cylinders. It would
definitely not be in his interest to succumb to �pressures� from his bosses
to back down this time around, as was the case during the N54 million bribe
scandal. No matter the outcome, Nigerians are interested in how this latest
problem would be handled by the Harvard-trained whizkid.
Making
of the el-Rufai myth
Several factors
helped in creating what can rightly be described as the el-Rufai myth. It
dates back to his days as the director-general of the Bureau of Public
Enterprises (BPE). As the man saddled with the task of privatising the
nation�s public enterprises, he made it known almost from the start that the
exercise was not going to be business as usual, where such vices as graft,
nepotism and godfatherism play key role in determining who gets what. At
least, it must be conceded to Mallam that he injected the word �auction�
�preferred bid� and �core investor� into the nation�s lexicon.
Of course, it was
also to his credit that the privatisation exercise, though started by former
military ruler, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), has attracted
accolades for President Obasanjo. El-Rufai took the job at the BPE as a
serious one and ensured that the process was near flawless.
But, he got some
bashing after analysts observed that the process was not entirely
transparent. They picked holes in the manner Chief Peter Eloka Okocha emerged
atop the African Petroleum (AP) after being declared as the preferred bidder
through the Chrismatel Group. There are claims that Okocha was a front for
Atiku. Besides, the fact that the BPE was unable to detect that AP was in
debt of over N2 billion at the point of purchase slurred the process even
further.
Similarly,
Nigerians remember with nostalgia claims that Chief Mike Adenuga�s Conoil,
which bought over the then National Oil, was only a front for Babangida, just
as there were insinuations that the former military ruler has substantial
stake in Globacom, also owned by Adenuga. Considering the alleged role of
Babangida in trying to persuade the BPE to return the GSM licence earlier
granted to Adenuga�s then CIIL did not help to douse the suspicion.
Above all, there
have been suggestions that most of the public enterprises bought over by
Alhaji Aliko Dangote took place under less transparent circumstances,
especially the sale of the Benue Cement Company (BCC), Gboko, in Benue State.
Interestingly,
el-Rufai chose not to sidestep the accusations as DG of BPE. He went for the
jugular of his critics and saw to it that no point raised was left
uncountered. The FCT minister timed his responses to the uncomplimentary
remarks, ensuring that the responses were targeted at having the maximum
effect on the polity.
Enter
Minister el-Rufai
Mallam el-Rufai�s
nomination as a minister last year did not come to many as a surprise. The
dominant belief was that he had played the �good boy� role to the hilt and
that the nomination was a testimony of how well he functioned as DG of the
BPE. There were also suggestions that the nomination was compensation from
Atiku, who had been adequately rewarded by a faithful and loyal ward. But,
hopes that he would be cleared early by the Senate soon failed, as his
nomination was among the last to be endorsed by the upper legislative chamber.
Yet, no soon
after he was surprisingly (?) appointed FCT minister, than el-Rufai relapsed
into his legendary penchant for courting trouble. First, he rejected the
title of �Honourable Minister� which his other colleagues relish. Instead, he
directed that he should be referred to as �Mr Minister� or simply �Mallam�.
Then followed the
rolling out of the dreaded bulldozers and the subsequent demolition of �illegal�
property in the FCT. He could not be bothered whether some of the structures
were churches or mosques. Neither could he be swayed that the owners of some
of the property slated for destruction belonged to the top echelon of
society. Not for him such niceties. All el-Rufai simply did was to lay bare
the rules: no sacred cow was to be spared. �It is not true that I have been
sent here to demolish houses as the media have been reporting of late, but if
a person builds on a sewer line, then the house has to go. The interest of
the city overrides that of any individual. We won�t rush, but we are still
taking inventory of all illegal structures in the city. We won�t
discriminate. The law must be followed � no house built on sewer lines or on
water lines will be spared, whether it belongs to a poor man or a big man,�
he was quoted to have said last year after the bulldozers went to town,
destroying in its wake any such houses marked for that purpose by officials
of the ministry.
As proof of his
regular braggadocio, the diminutive�
technocrat recently took a swipe at the police, accusing the force of
corruption. He particularly stated in a petition sent to Police Affairs
Minister, Broderick Bozimo, that recruits for the cadet inspectors� training
were being asked to cough out N60,000 each. The claim was later discovered to
be unfounded, according to the outcome of an investigation ordered by the
Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Tafa Balogun. But nothing was done to make
el-Rufai eat his words.
Equally interesting
was the manner he confronted the Housing and Urban Development Minister, Mrs
Mobolaji Osomo, in the so-called Abuja recertification exercise. Perhaps, he
only restrained from describing Osomo�s vituperations as the �ranting of an
ant.� It did not matter that both ministers belong to the same federal
cabinet.
Osomo was the
first to pick holes in the recertification exercise. �So much depends on the
C of Os. Some have been used as collateral for bank terms while some
financial institutions backed the erection of structures based on the
evidence of possession of a C of O. There are lots of implications in
withdrawing C of Os only issued. The confusion on the economy would be
immense,� she quipped.
On his part,
el-Rufai replied thus: �Our reforms are within the overall mandate Mr
President gave me. That is to sanitise the FCT. The sanitation of the FCT is
on three phases. The first is the reform of land administration, second phase
is the procurement and contract management reform, and the third, of course,
is human resources reform. These are the three-leg clean up FCT mandate Mr
President gave me.�
As it turned out,
the novelty and courage with which he has pursued the recertification
exercise has vindicated el-Rufai, going by revelations published recently.
According to the findings, 80 per cent of those issued the C of O initially
were from the north, while only 20 per cent are from the south. In contrast,
80 per cent of lands developed in the FCT reportedly belong to Southerners
and 20 per cent to Northerners.
A
running battle with the Senate
There was no
basis for el-Rufai�s revelation that some senators demanded N54 million bribe
for him to be confirmed as minister. At least, there was no basis for it at
the time he did. Or so it seemed. But, it turned out that it was made to
achieve certain objectives. In fact, it soon became obvious that he was on a
vendetta mission.
Yet, the minister
did not mince words in naming Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu, and
Majority Leader, Senator Jonathan Zwingina, as demanding the N54 million
bribe to distribute to other senators, a claim that was jointly denounced by
the two senators accused.
Mantu was not
satisfied in simply denouncing the bribe claim. He decided that it was about
time that he told the world that the minister was unhappy that his candidate
was appointed DG of BPE in place of the nominee suggested by el-Rufai. Of
course, Mantu�s candidate is the incumbent DG, Dr Julius Bala. A line was
probably drawn at this time.
Then came the
contentious issue of monetisation and the minister�s determination to dispose
of the Apo quarters, which is the official residence of the lawmakers,
including members of the House of Representatives. Most of the legislators
saw the move as an affront and told him outright to back off.
Under the
monetisation policy, the quarters were to be sold at competitive price in the
open market, and the legislators were to pay rent to the new landlord(s).
But, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation and Finance, Senator
John Mbata, countered that since the property belonged to the Federal
Government, that approval of the National Assembly was needed to give legal
backing to the scheme.
But, Rufai would
not agree to such a submission: �Mbata has got it all wrong. If he had asked
me, I would have educated him on the matter,� adding, �Their estates in
Maitama and Asokoro are shanties. We�ll demolish all of them sooner or later.�
For a man who
once boasted that his powers were equivalent to that of the governor, it is
not surprising that his comments on the Senate would be largely contemptuous.
Besides, he may have been riding on the crest of popular support for his
revelation on the N54 million bribe scandal to embark on a clear campaign of
calumny against the Senate. Could it be a case of wanting to take a pound of
flesh?
A
case of dolarised special assistants?
Before this
latest case of the discovery of two special assistants appointed by the
minister allegedly without required authorisation, there was a hint about a
female assistant said to belong to the same dollar racket as the Finance
Minister, Dr (Mrs) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and her Foreign Affairs counterpart,
Ambassador Olu Adeniji, said to enjoy their remuneration paid in foreign
currency.
Apparently, no
concrete effort was made to verify the claim about the said female assistant.
But, the Senate seems to have its hand on this latest controversy, and may be
headed for a revenge unless it is stopped, perhaps through the usual �family
affair� as have become customary with the ruling
Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP).
According to
reports, the Senate has ordered the FCT minister to cough out N18 million,
being the estimate of salary paid to two of his special assistants whose
appointments were not regularised through direct approval of the President as
laid down by the law, a stand which the whizkid has described as a vendetta
on the part of the upper legislative chamber.
Again, el-Rufai�s
reaction was predictive, though rather caustic: �I will be accountable to no
one except the President and I will keep on doing my job. Since my engagement
with the Senate, I know that for the next few years they will be trying to
find something wrong with me. It�s okay for them to write their English, but
nobody can intimidate Nasir el-Rufai. We will continue to do our job and in
the next few weeks, you will understand many things that have been happening.�
Of course, there
is no doubt that it is the minister that has laid his neck for the guillotine
to fall on it. And the expectation is that beyond making such an order for
the refund that more concrete steps would be taken to enforce it. Whether the
senators would agree to wield the big stick is left for time to determine. If
it decides to do so, it would be because of a man who uses his tongue to
search for very big troubles. But is that all there is to life? Only Mallam
Nasir el-Rufai can tell us. And the ball rests squarely in his court.
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