The governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, stated on Saturday that the governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, is not known for being a sycophant and has a reputation for speaking truth to power.
The governor remarked that only El-Rufai had the guts to insist that the southern region of Nigeria win the presidency in 2023 for the sake of national unity and advancement.
In a message for the occasion, the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who was represented by former Chairman of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Kashim Imam, praised governor El-Rufai for his work ethic and said that “give El-Rufai any task, he will deliver it.”
For the book launch, Tinubu gave N20 million.
The pair spoke at a book presentation on El-Rufai on Saturday in Kaduna. The presentation was for the book “Putting The People First,” which was written by seasoned journalist and public commentator Emmanuel Ado.
A former top news anchor for the Nigerian Television Authority named Eugenia Abu reviewed the book.
Wike recalled the contentious letter El-Rufai (ret.) wrote to President Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) in March 2017 challenging Buhari to meet the expectations of the people in order to avoid being on the wrong side of history.
As a leader of the All Progressives Congress, he continued, Governor El-Rufai was a model of courage who could speak the truth to authority without worrying about the repercussions. He also noted that he had never been known to be sycophantic in nature.
The governor, who provided N20 million for the book launch, urged attendees to purchase the books and stock public and private school libraries all over the nation with them.
The governor-elect of Kaduna State, Senator Uba Sani, was admonished by him to continue Governor El-Rufai’s legacy of enhancing the state’s greatness at the same time.
“El-Rufai is one leader whose greatness defies categorization,” he declared. In character, dedication, and hard work, Governor El-Rufai excels. He’s a brazen individual. His spirit of justice, equity, and fairness is strong, and he is brave and daring.
“El-Rufai is assertive on the sociopolitical front and unwavering in his adherence to morality. There is no history of Governor El-Rufai being a sycophant. I could recall his contentious letter to President Muhammad Buhari, particularly the one from March 2017 in which he pressed the president to meet the expectations of the populace in order to avoid being on the wrong side of history.
I don’t know how many governors will have the guts to write the party’s president in the senate and say, “Look, do the right thing; be the expectations of the people so that you will not be on the wrong side of history. Men of character and courage are required.
“No sycophantic individual could do that. Nobody I know is even able to look at the president’s face. Everything the president does is morally correct. The President is perfect. You can’t call that El-Rufai. His adherence to principles does not excuse his dishonesty. And that’s what this nation needs in terms of leadership and morality right now.
“Those who will stare at you straight in the eyes—not in an insulting way—but to advise you that this is improper. And because of that, some of us can’t help but identify with him. You recall what transpired in this nation. El-Rufai was one of the APC governors who spoke out firmly in support of the idea that this nation must remain united in order to advance.
He has the necessary qualifications to declare that he will run for president of this country. Nothing is off limits. But he added that because we are building this nation together, we need to be united in order to advance. I don’t know how many people can put aside their personal agendas and say, “Let’s go to the South.” Due to this, we will state that “agreement is agreement.” El-Rufai is of the opinion that consent is consent. Observe what we have agreed to.
“That’s why when I saw the invitation this morning, it was pouring rain, I said if it wanted to, let there be flood everywhere, I had to be here today, to participate, and honor a man who has shown character; who has shown that service is not just about getting elected. Providing for your people is a privilege. Because of this, he put the people first and Nigeria second. On the right side of history, you are.
Remember that people won’t start talking about you until after you leave office. Not while you are at work. When you were the Minister of the FCT, people are still talking. Comparing now. I’m sorry to say that, but whether anyone likes it or not, Abuja is not what it was when you were the FCT Minister.
“It wasn’t the same when you were the FCT Minister. To restore Abuja to its former glory, we need people like you. Everyone wishes they could visit FCT again. However, if you visit FCT right now, you’ll find trash everywhere. When you were a minister, that didn’t exist. I’m sorry, but since this is your party, the truth must be said.
“I think today’s event is more significant than just the book launch. As governor of Kaduna State for the past eight years, Governor El-Rufai has made significant contributions to the growth and development of Kaduna State and Nigeria. This is more of an opportunity to celebrate his exemplary leadership, ground-breaking ideas, courage, and dedication to service.
El-Rufai acknowledged Wike’s praise for him and said, “God’s timing is the best. Our paths may not have crossed for very long before now. Everything Wike said about me also applies to him. He is just as blunt and fearless.
El-Rufai pledged to keep removing any bad actors from his government who needed to go as well as demolishing bad buildings up until the very last moment on May 29 when he would be leaving office.
“Any negative elements we uncover will be eliminated so the next governor won’t have to deal with them again. Keep an eye out because we’ll continue to fire bad actors and get rid of bad things until the very last minute when we leave office, he warned.
