Prof. Chinua Achebe of blessed memory once gave an insight on the situation of Nigeria leadership and its decaying condition and he said that “The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership, that there is nothing basically wrong with the Nigerian character. There is nothing wrong with the Nigerian land or climate or water or air or anything else. That the Nigerian problem is simply the unwillingness or inability of its leaders to rise to the responsibility, to the challenge of personal example which are the hallmarks of true leadership”. Nigerians need not be told of the level of truthfulness in the erudite scholar’s assertion.

On the 1st July 2015,being Wednesday the Union Newspaper made a headline report that Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state and the former FCT minister has declared his assets. The report had it that the Governor is worth #90 billion with ownership of forty (40) mansions in Abuja. The Governor’s assets declaration nonetheless came as a very big shock to the good people of Kaduna state and drew the attention of many Nigerians. However, the Governor through his aide on confirming the asset declaration refuted the claims of the report but refused to give details. He went further to break the iceberg by claiming to have been a dollar millionaire since his twenties. This claim however, did not go down well with many and was probably for those who might have suspicion on the source of his new financial status. The claims and counter claims subsequently sent cold shivers to many quarters across the nation who in their wildest imagination has neither expected nor imagined of a suddenly turned dollar millionaire cum probable naira billionaire Nasir El-Rufai in his twenties. Despite this controversies, the Governor whose  humble beginning is well known will always receive an unequivocal commendation and appreciation for his rare insight into the intricacies of Nigerian governance especially during his days as a Director General in Bureau for Public Enterprise and Minister of Federal Capital territory consecutively

Good followers of Nigerian events should recall that in 2013, Nasir El-Rufai had put forward a provocative autobiography entitled “Accidental Public Servant” In the book, he drew attentions of several Nigerians especially those outside the tight power circle of the happenings in the highest echelon of power, politics and decision making in the government. His ability to divulge and reveal the inner workings of governance at the federal level, naming and shaming the corrupt kings in our nation was truly refreshing and commendable.

However, with his antecedent as a self seeking righteous man, he never failed to accuse everyone he worked with of one atrocity or the other except himself and himself alone. One would equally recall the criticisms that followed the publication of the book which was widely believed to have a silent motive. The 627 paged book was seen by some critics as a means of not only seeking attention as most Nigerian politicians do especially when the workings are no longer in their favour but to also launder and massage his personal ego and pronounce himself indispensable in the affairs of the nation. His open vindictiveness of late president Musa Yar’dua and his then Vice, Goodluck Jonathan as mediocres was noticeably uncalled for. He did not equally spare the  practices of government officials especially the former president Obasanjo and his Vice, Atiku Abubakar-their travails, misunderstandings and battle for supremacy which he benefitted from and was almost acting in a defacto vice president capacity was also detailed. El-Rufai’s message of obsession to look different from others and be an outstanding, incorruptible public servant in the history of the nation was very conspicuous as he continued to lampoon his benefactors, the people he willingly ate with, dined with and dished from the same pot of as being the cause of the grief of this nation, but it is very surprising that he only remembered all this things when the pack of cards had already crashed. This action takes us to earlier belief that Nigerian Leaders are the only set of politicians that would take part in enjoying the proceeds of corruption, directly or indirectly but turns around at any slightest misunderstanding to slandering, vindictiveness and callousness but never fails to exonerate themselves by giving us one thousand and one reasons why they shouldn’t have participated in such clannish act.

Prof. Chinua Achebe would always be remembered for his popular rejection of National Award that he felt was coming from people who have raped and milked the nation of its resources, people that lacked the integrity and character to confer on another an honourary award. Since Nasir El-Rufai is at pains to put and show himself as a man of honour, wouldn’t it have been far honourable   to either stay away from those he clearly knew were flirting with dishonor or inform Nigerians about it then before turning to stories for the birds of the air? well, that’s a story for another day. We can vividly remember that on the launching of the said book which he was unavoidable absent as he latter apologized, he had forwarded a speech in which  in which he pleaded with the public to please buy the book so as to enable him raise some money to finance his children’s education. His request raised wild controversy as some people perceived it to be a mere insinuation of sympathy while some others felt he was trying to manipulate himself  to the calibre of likes of President Muhamadu Buhari whom amidst his numerous years in public office was still unable to take care of some of his bills. Nasir El-Rufai’s inconsistent claims in his “accidental Public Servant” was believed to have been instigated by interests and ego. Today he has taken the pursuit of ego to another level, his recent claims of a dollar millionaire in his twenties and the reports of his asset  worth of #90 billion and forty (40) mansions in Abuja is a food for thought. This is enough to cause a moment pause and ask  the reasons why men with modest imagination, originality and creative depth on creation changes immediately when transposed to a high public offices and assume their thinking and idiosyncrasies to be existential social reality and consequently invade the public space with bequiled controversies and questionable issues. If the major essence of asset declaration is to invigilate and checkmate public office holders, so as to know when the sweetness of power has overwhelmed them which can even lead to the temptation of probable conversion of a government lodge to a personal lodge, then the essence must have outlived its usefulness, since anticipatory declaration has taken the order of the day.

I am not holding brief for anyone but for the sake of conscience and history, we cannot deny the fact that most of our elites were already stupendously rich and successful  before holding any public office whereas many others had their bread buttered in the course of their call to service through lootings and illicit means. It is very few with sense of reason and conscience that still part with what is rightfully due to them and Nigerians are not blind to identify and remember this set of rare credible Nigerians. Nobody can unjustly gain such recognition from behind through tactical antics. Good students of history will not forget in a  hurry that among the few wealthy and lucky ones that were ostentatiously rich before seeking for or being elected into public office in different capacities were Chief M.K.O Abiola of blessed memory, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar-the former vice president, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu-the former Abia state Governor whom apart from being the youngest Governor ever, was already running a conglomerate in his early twenties and by 1999,he was the highest financier/donor to his political party-the Peoples Democratic Party, also among the list is the  newly sworn- in Governor of Niger state-Abubakar Sani Bello whose family was recently listed by forbes magazine as one of the richest not only in Nigeria but also in Africa.

In my own opinion, Nasir El-Rufai has not said anything new, since most Nigerian politicians resort to various claims as to their assets, this I prefer to call “anticipatory assets from the public coffers”. In Nigeria today, the only remarkable asset declaration by a public office holder is that of the late former president Musa Yar’dua. The ex president once blazed a trail by declaring that he owns assets worth #856million and inadvertently submitted himself to public scrutiny during and after his presidency. This was a man that had served in various capacities in public office. He was from a very influential and well to do family and was governor for good eight (8) years. Yet he did not declare to have owned an asset equal to two years budget of some states.

Since our leaders have  made it practically impossible to believe them and their utterances, since they can always see reasons to openly deny, accept, confuse, connive, convince and reconvince us again to accept their claims and counter claims. The best way to judge them if necessary, is through their actions and not words and allowing posterity to take care of the rest. If Gov. El-Rufai’s asset declaration  was “accidental” just as he was an accidental public servant.He should please  better present to the public the unaccidental asset, otherwise it will be taken in good faith that he either acquired those assets and mansions through the most dubious and illicit way ever or that the declaration is for  a “planned occurrence” or futuristic looting that has never been heard of or imagined.

In whichever way, he should heed to the popular advice of a former Governor in the South East who had admonished his successor to “govern the state with his conscience”. In so doing, we will hope that Kaduna state and Nigeria will be safe in the end; if not, then its not the end.

---

Peter Ogbonna writes from Abuja.

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.