Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed why he turned down a proposal to make former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, his successor.
Speaking in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, Obasanjo said former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, had once recommended El-Rufai for the presidency, but he dismissed the idea.
Chidoka, who delivered the keynote address at the event, had earlier recalled how El-Rufai introduced him to Obasanjo when he was just 34 years old, a move that paved the way for his eventual appointment as Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
In his remarks, Obasanjo playfully chided Chidoka for leaving out that part of the story.
“Let him tell you,” Obasanjo said with a smile. “He didn’t mention that when I was leaving government, he was pushing for his friend, El-Rufai, to be my successor.”
The former president explained that he rejected the suggestion because he felt El-Rufai needed more time and experience before aspiring to such a role.
“I did not yield to the pressure,” he said. “Later, he asked me, ‘Why didn’t you agree?’ I told him El-Rufai needed to mature. Years later, after seeing El-Rufai’s performance, he came back to me and said, ‘You were absolutely right, El-Rufai needed to mature.’”
Despite this, Obasanjo praised both Chidoka and El-Rufai for their intelligence and drive, describing them as part of the team that shaped his administration’s achievements.
Speaking on the theme “The Importance of Leadership in Governance,” Obasanjo emphasized that true leadership is built on character, exposure, experience, and training.
He lamented the absence of formal preparation for leadership roles in Nigerian politics.
“It’s only in politics that I discovered there is no training for leadership,” he said. “Even among armed robbers, I’m told there’s an apprenticeship. But in politics, there’s none — and that’s not good enough.”
In his keynote address, Chidoka attributed Nigeria’s persistent challenges to what he called “a culture of excuses and the politics of alibi.”
“Leadership finds its true measure not in speeches or charisma but in the systems it leaves behind,” he said. “Moral conviction must translate into governance structures — rules, routines, and institutions that make competence predictable and corruption difficult.
“Nigeria’s problem has never been a lack of ideas; it is the absence of systems strong enough to outlive their authors.”
Dignitaries at the event included 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.
