assistant on technical matters, effective 10th August, 2004.
[87]
See Page 49 of ThisDay newspaper of June 17, 2005 – ‘Public Notice: Resolutions from the meeting
of the Minister of FCT with Owners of Corner Shops in Abuja’ – for example.
[88]
In my opinion, AVM Hamza Abdullahi was probably the best minister of Abuja. I therefore requested
to meet with him immediately after we took office. We met at the guesthouse of a construction
company on 9th September 2003. He not only gave me some of the soundest pieces of advice on
administering Abuja, but a 25-page position paper titled – “Abuja – The Way Forward” which I
cherish until today. I will forever remain indebted to AVM Abdullahi for his counsel always. He did
not once raise the issue of the illegal conversion of his farmland until I mentioned that I knew about it
and would find a way to resolve the issues based on the realities of the time.
[89] In fact, the House suspended sitting at the urging of Honourable Datti Baba Ahmed to visit
Kubwa, led by no less a person than the Right Honourable Speaker of the House, Mr. Aminu Bello
Masari. A motion condemning our action was passed without requesting us to brief the House on the
reasons therefore, but with Obasanjo’s tacit approval, we did not slow us down on our restoration of
Kubwa.
[90]
Mr. Yahaya Yusuf, a low-key and effective manager, is currently the Director of Development
Control, succeeding Mr. Isa Shuaibu that I had rapidly promoted and appointed to the position in
2005, after Mrs. Jummai Kwanashie had been made the CEO of the newly-created Abuja
Metropolitan Management Agency.
[91]
This is a little-known criminal offence – a violation of the provisions of the Abuja Environmental
Protection Board Act of 1996. Another even lesser known (and unenforced) crime is hanging clothes
on balconies in Abuja!
[92]
Other members included my special assistant, Ms Aishetu Fatima Kolo, Mr. Bashir Haiba, Mrs O. A.
Adebayo, Mr. Rabiu Usman and Ibrahim Bala. The secretaries were Salisu M. Dahiru and B. S.
Ahere.
[93]
Charles Dorgu is an engineer by training and politician by vocation. He was appointed ES of FCDA
via his political connections as one of the leaders of the PDP in Bayelsa State, and enjoyed the strong
support of Obasanjo’s powerful national security adviser, Lt-Gen. Aliyu Mohammed Gusau.
[94]
The FCT receives 1% of the Federation Account which, along with value-added tax and excess crude
account, yielded about N14 billion in 2003. This constitutes the FCT’s Statutory Budget. FCT’s
internally generated revenue was projected to be a mere N1.2 billion. In addition, like every state of
the federation, the FG budgets for projects located in the FCT, but these are payable by the Finance
Ministry. In 2003, about N19 billion was budgeted for Abuja projects in the federal budget. This is
referred to as the FCT’s National Budget.
[95]
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) collects all personal income taxes in the FCT which are
then remitted to the Federation Account. We had several meetings to claw that back but were
unsuccessful up to the time I left office.
[96]
The Committee was chaired by M. Sani Kalgo, the Director of Land Administration and Resettlement.
Other members representing MFCT were Professor S. I. Abumere (Consultant), Jimmy Cheto
(Engineering), Emeka Elobi (Planning & Survey), Mohammed Soso, Ben Ukpong, Abubakar
Suleiman, O. Solomon, Lawan Ahmed, and U. D. Okafor as Secretary. Princess Esther Audu, J. S.
Kaura, Micha Jiba and L. Z. Gaza represented the Abuja Municipal Area Council while Sapeyi of
Garki, Usman Nga Kupi, Musa Barde (Galadimawa), Jacob Garki (Garki), Lazarus Nyaholo, John B.
Bawa and Ishaku T. Yamawu represented the Original Inhabitant communities subject to resettlement.
[97]
I met Hauwa Yabani when she emailed a request to BPE for information on privatization while
researching her M.Sc thesis at the University of Warwick. She graduated and served out her NYSC
year at the BPE in my office. When I moved on to the MFCT, I offered her a job as Technical
Assistant, and later as Special Assistant. She is intelligent, conscientious and calm at all times. She is
now General Manager of the ATV.
[98]
Years after I left the FCT, in early 2012, I met the owner of Sonic Global at Dubai Airport. I do not
recall ever meeting him before he won the bid to be a concessionaire. He introduced himself and then
told me how he was invited by the EFCC, threatened with detention unless he confessed that I was the
owner of, or a shareholder in, his company. He refused and was released when Farida Waziri and her
team failed in their intimidation. This seemed to be a recurring pattern of that persecution period
because Charles Okah had a similar experience with the SSS in October 2010 (See Appendix 14).
[99]
Mr. Buhari Dikko, one of the pioneer directors of the FCDA, was appointed to be the first Director of
the STDA. A perfect gentleman, an experienced and competent engineer, he did a wonderful job,
assisted by my senior professional colleague and Barewa Old Boy, Abba Dutsinma Abdullahi. Sadly,
the enabling law to institutionalize STDA and AMMA were both ignored by the National Assembly.
[100]
Ms. Jummai Kwanashie, a hardworking and competent town planner that I had tested with previous
tough assignments first as Director of AEPB and then Development Control, was appointed the
pioneer Director-General of AMMA. She did not disappoint me, and laid a solid foundation for the
take-off of the organization.
[101]
An example is the retirement of my nephew, Lawal Zubairu Ahmed from the services of the FCDA.
Lawal was one of the Zonal Land Officers, and his name was submitted along with others for
retirement on the grounds that their activities messed up the land register. I was not expected to
approve it. I did. Another example was approving the revocation of my Asokoro plot allocation when
it remained undeveloped eight years after allocation.
[102]
One of the first persons I approached for help the moment I was confirmed by the Senate as minister
was Yayale Ahmed, who had been a classmate and friend of my elder brother and mentor, Bashir El-
Rufai. I therefore considered Yayale Ahmed a respected elder brother. I met him along with my
assistant, Ms. Aishetu Kolo, on 10th July 2003 in his office for a long discussion. He was very
helpful and frank in his assessment of the challenges I would face working with the civil service. He
offered to help me in my future interactions with the Federal Civil Service. For instance, he gave me
advice on restructuring the MFCT/FCDA, and promised to post out of the MFCT any person with
whom I was uncomfortable. He suggested that I should ask the president to exempt me from protocol
and politically-related duties incidental to the FCT minister’s functions. I had already agreed with
President Obasanjo on that exemption and on placing a distance from partisan political engagements.
In the end, Yayale did not fulfill any of his promises. In fact, at every stage of the implementation of
the reforms of the FCT, he attempted to undermine and sabotage our efforts, with a smile and further
br
oken promises - all the time.
[103]
Indeed, President Obasanjo wrote a letter, reference PRES/36-1, dated June 30, 2005 with the title:
Stemming Malpractice in Civil Service Promotion Examinations, requiring the FCSC to investigate
allegations of the exam malpractices. The letter was copied to me and the Head of Civil Service of
the Federation.
[104]
See for instance "FCT to prosecute beggars, hawkers - Minister" in Nigerian Tribune , September 5,
2003.
[105]
The clinic building was a personal donation by Mahey R. Rashid, then Deputy Governor of the
Central Bank of Nigeria. Alhaji Rabiu Karami Rabiu also donated a bus for the use of the Bwari
Vocational Centre and the programme. I am grateful to them for their compassion and personal
interest in our success in the FCT.
[106]
See for example The Guardian, 31st August 2003, pp. 10-11 - "Why We Are Demolishing in Abuja,
by El-Rufai" and Vanguard of 1st September, 2003 - "El-Rufai unfolds plan to restore Abuja master
plan"
[107]
We enlisted the support and participation of First Lady, Mrs. Stella Obasanjo, in launching the Keep
Abuja Clean and Green programme. She was enthusiastic and mobilized the various women
organizations and NGOs she related with to advocate for the programme. Obasanjo was also pleased
that we kept his wife busy, productively.
[108]
See the Report of the FCT Salary Verification Exercise, Ministry of Federal Capital Territory - 15th
December 2003 and "Responses to Salient Issues: MFCT Salary Verification Report dated May
2004, prepared by the Department of Finance & Accounts, MFCT (just being wound up then!)
[109]
In 2003, the budget we inherited had only 25.13% earmarked for capital projects, and the balance for
recurrent expenditure. In 2004, our very first budget, we had 67% for capital projects and only 33%
for recurrent expenditure, even though payroll went up by N1bn, and new provisions for school
feeding and pensions amounting to N750 million were made. Japheth Omojuwa wrote a satirical
piece
on
this
feat
titled: "Nasir
El-Rufai
-
His
Past
Finally
Exposed!"
http://omojuwa.com/2012/nasir-el-rufai-his-past-finally-exposed/ accessed February 2, 2012
[110]
Moving the Public Service Reforms Forward - August 2005, was jointly authored by me and Mr.
Segun Peters of the World Bank, with the assistance of Dr. Goke Adegoroye, Director-General of the
Bureau of Public Service Reforms, after extensive debate and analysis of what was wrong with the
implementation of that component of NEEDS. Every aspect had made substantial progress, and we
had even secured the write-off of our Paris Club debts, but PSR lagged behind. We agreed something
had to be done, and that meant taking control of PSR from the Head of Civil Service.
[111]
Anyone interested in more details of Public Service Reforms design, implementation and pitfalls
should read Goke's highly informative book and a compendium of sorts about the Public Service
Reform programme - Beyond Yours Faithfully publicly presented on his retirement in August 2010.
[112]
Steve Oronsaye was Permanent Secretary (State House) and was a member of the Economic Team.
He went on to be the Head of Civil Service of the Federation between 2009 and 2011.
[113]
An anti-corruption team from the World Bank, led by Michael Stefanovic, visited me in 2009 in
Dubai to ask questions about suspected corruption in the IPPIS procurement. They were investigating
the conduct of one of the former deputy directors of BPSR, Mr. Tunji Olaopa, whose records showed
had been to South Africa twice to meet with one of the prospective software vendors and was
accommodated by the vendor. He tried to influence the bid in the company's favour but was
unsuccessful. His dodgy conduct led to the decision to redeploy him to the OHCSF. I never got to
read the investigation report but learnt from top-level World Bank sources that he was found ethically
wanting. Unfortunately, Tunji was protected by Yayale Ahmed’s system and has been rapidly
promoted and is now a federal permanent secretary!
[114]
Interestingly, after a couple of visits to Buhari, Obasanjo showed me a ‘security report’ sent to him by
the DG of the SSS reporting me for meeting ‘secretly’ with Buhari to “protect Northern interests”.
The SSS neither knew that I was Obasanjo’s emissary nor what I was discussing with Buhari. I was
keeping Obasanjo apprised of the difficulties I was experiencing so he shared that one report with
me.
[115]
From that day onwards I became the emissary between the two old soldiers. Whenever Obasanjo or
Buhari had messages, I was called to deliver the message and the response. I have shed a little more
light on this in the Epilogue.
[116]
It was well known that two newspaper publishers at the time were my close friends - ThisDay 's
Nduka Obaigbena and Leadership 's Sam Nda Isaiah, so every leak in these two papers was blamed
on me. I did not care and always told the President and his aides as much. I never deny my friends to
avoid accusations like this.
[117]
On 13thSeptember 2006, Nuhu Ribadu addressed the Senate on corruption in Nigeria and revealed
that 31 out of the 36 state governors were being investigated for money laundering, corruption and
other economic crimes. This was widely reported in the newspapers. See for example “The Ribadu
Report”in ThisDay of 5th October, 2006
[118]
On 21st April 2006, the National Assembly Journal No. 9, Vol. 3 published the Constitution of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (Amendment) Bill, 2006 jointly sponsored by Senator Ibrahim
Mantu and Hon. Austin Opara. The Bill was 33 pages long and contained about 100 amendments to
the Constitution.
[119] Other groups outside Abuja opposed to the Third Term project that we were in contact with
included Dr. Mahmoud Tukur’s PAL Group and the Arewa Consultative Forum which set up a liaison
team with prominent political leaders from each of the 19 northern states led by General I B M
Haruna, Senator J K N Waku and Dr. Umaru Dikko, coordinating the outreach to national assembly
members. One-time political rivals within the North and across the nation united for once to fight the
Third Term project to a standstill. It was impressive.
[120]
Senator Lawali Shuaibu was the chairman of the Senate committee on economic and financial crimes
and enjoyed very close personal relations with Nuhu Ribadu. I knew Senator Saidu Dansadau from
the early 1990s in Kaduna, and he remains one of the most outstanding senators that emerged in this
Republic.
[121]
Obasanjo relied on multiple, often conflicting, sources of information and then using the law of
averages to aggregate and derive the truth. For instance, he encouraged the formation of a group of
five of us to advise him on ‘northern thinking’ on the Third Term under the chairmanship of Lawal
Batagarawa, with Adamu Maina Waziri, Mustapha Bello, Aliyu Modibbo and I. We met weekly at
Lawal’s house at Mabushi
Ministers’ Quarters. Another ‘national group’ of ten persons also met
every Wednesday in the Villa with him to discuss “ongoing political reform” issues. Obasanjo
enjoyed running these conspiracy cells from which he knew what everyone was doing and everyone
else knew only a part of the whole story. He had similar cells headed by Tony Anenih, Senator
Mantu, Governors Segun Agagu and Abdullahi Adamu, and many other party apparatchiks and federal
government officials.
[122]
Andy Uba asked me to send an aide to collect a message from the President for FCT’s legislators.
My security details went to Andy's house along Ibrahim Taiwo Road to collect two aluminum brief
cases containing N50 million each for delivery to the two members of the House of Representatives
representing the FCT - Hon. Philip Aduda and Sidi Ali. Senator Isa Maina representing the FCT was
one of the few well-known Third Term supporters and reportedly collected his own ‘message’
directly. I later gathered that the ‘messages’ were sent through me to "test my loyalty". I advised my
security details to directly contact the two representatives and deliver the messages. Subsequently,
none of the persons involved ever raised the subject or discussed the matter with me.
[123]
Obasanjo summoned a meeting of the national executive committee of the PDP and delivered a three-
page address as ‘the Leader’ of the Party on 18th May 2006. He said among other surprising things
-”Throughout the period (of the Third Term debate), I resisted the invitation to be drawn on either
side and I maintained studied silence. I was maligned, insulted and wrongly accused but I remained
where I am and what I am and I remained focused.” Chairman Amadu Ali’s speech was titled –
“Time to move on,” was along the same lines of total denial. Four days later, party Secretary Ojo
Maduekwe addressed another press conference, and delivered an eight-page speech titled “That we
may consolidate our democracy” that was more honest. He said among other things – “However,
while we respect the decision of the National Assembly (on term limits), we as a party deeply regret
the loss of a big and historic opportunity to restructure the foundations of our federation in order to
build a virile and more united polity.
[124]
Our multiple sources in the Yar'Adua camp clearly informed us that early in the life of the
The Accidental Public Servant Page 73
