El Rufai: Today and yesterday

Nasir  Ahmad El Rufai

Nasir  Ahmad El Rufai is no doubt an egg head. He is well read and also a Fulani.

With these two qualification's in Nigeria, the sky is your starting point.

This explains why El Rufai's name features in all political features today that talk about tomorrow.

El Rufai's journey into politics is not an accident but like all moves from the North well choreographed.

It started where it started for other leading lights of the north, at Barewa College, where he shone academically like a million stars.

Later he went to Ahmadu Bello University to study Quantity Surveying and made a First Class.

Barewa College, Ahmadu Bello University and then like others before him, the best of Universities abroad including Harvard Business School.

His first break in governance came courtesy of Abdul Salam Abubakar who appointed him, Economic Adviser.

Next Atiku took him under his wing as Vice President Chairman of National Council on Privatisation and made him, head of Bureau of Public Enterprises and Secretary of the National Council on privatization.

At BPE shady deals happened and I know because I worked in a Financial Institution that lent money to an Oil Company that Atiku was interested in. Surpringly we were made to look like villains because Atiku wanted to use his position to buy the Oil company's Assets while shirking a duty to their creditors.

When Atiku was removed as Chairman of National Council on Privatization, the Oil company turned a new leaf and paid up its entire debt.

With the falling out between Obj and Atiku, El Rufai was plucked out of Bureau of Public Enterprises and made the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

With that appointment and the schism in Government, El Rufai transferred his loyalty to Obj. When it was said that Atiku brought El Rufai into government, he retorted that it was Obj that made him a Minister.

Today El Rufai is no more in Obj"s camp but in the Camp of PMB and an undeniably strong power broker who like Umaru Dikko was used to send the message of the North to BAT: you ain't nobody.