YNaija Editorial: Forget his motives, El-Rufai’s memo is exactly what Buhari and Nigeria need

Two weeks ago, a memo written by Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai to President Muhammadu Buhari was leaked to the press and published on many blogs and news sites. The 30-page memo, written in September 2016 and confirmed by Governor el-Rufai as authentic caused quite a stir and become the latest hot topic in Nigerian politics.

The memo made for interesting reading and carried with it a large amount of shock value because of the brutal assessment of Governor el-Rufai that the Buhari administration was performing way below expectations, and his unrestrained criticism of two of the President’s top lieutenants: Chief of Staff Abba Kyari and the Secretary of the Government of the Federation David Babachir Lawal, labeling them both inexperienced and incapable of handling their positions, as well as unsavory descriptions of their personalities.

It was a shock to many that Governor el-Rufai who is regarded as being very close to the president could be that candid. Combined with his view of the Chief of Staff and the SGF and his assessment of the mood within the All Progressives’ Congress (APC), it sent tongues wagging that the memo and even its being leaked was part of strategizing and realignment ahead of the 2019 elections.

However, what many people missed beyond the drama and power play are his ideas and proposals to the president on the economy, from how to build our production and export capacity in certain commodities to how to invest in critical infrastructure for the country. Instead, there is a fixation on the political aspects of the memo.

It is evident that Governor el-Rufai has gone against the grain of Nigerian politics to criticize one’s superior, especially one with whom you are not at loggerheads with. Most people expect that the president’s closest people, of whom Governor el-Rufai can be said to be one of, will be engaged in boosting his ego by talking of how his government was performing excellently.

But the fact is that President Buhari needs more of this sort of honest feedback about his performance from people close to him. While it can be easily said that there is a surfeit of opinions and analyses in the public on every action of his, it is very likely that the President does not get to read or hear these opinions being caught up in the presidential bubble and sheltered by his aides. As such, it is very important that those with direct access to him do not hold back in telling him the truth.

The lack of candid and honest feedback to our politicians from the people closest to them is one of the biggest drawbacks to political leadership in Nigeria. This combined with the fact that our society has the big-man syndrome – where we elevate people in political positions to infallibility and cannot even tell them their glaring mistakes and inadequacies. It is further worsened by the fact that many public-office holders have a penchant for appointing yes-men who will never challenge them, even when it is for their own good.

There is need for this political culture to change in order to enable public-office holders at every level benefit from feedback, especially negative ones from those close to them in order to adjust their policies and programs and deliver better on their mandates.

It is a good thing that Governor el-Rufai wrote the memo to President Buhari. It is an even better thing that the memo leaked and is now public knowledge. Hopefully, public pressure will force the President to act upon it.

But most of all, we hope that the President does not wave off ‘unsavory’ parts of the memo, but that he reflects on it and acts upon the advice within it.

Nigeria will be the better for it if he does exactly this.

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