Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has insisted that he did nothing wrong during his time in office and simply chose to follow a different path.
El-Rufai, who insisted that he has no regrets from his time in office, disclosed that he is preparing a second memoir to further document his experiences in public service.
According to him, many people told him he made a mistake because in Nigeria, the general expectation is that you eat when you are in office and keep quiet after office.
The former Governor, however, said on his part, he refused to keep quiet because he had nothing to hide.
Naijaonpoint reports El-Rufai made the submissions on Thursday while speaking at the launch of “OPL 245: Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Nigerian Oil Block”, a memoir written by former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke.
“About 12 years ago, I presented The Accidental Public Servant, which was a record of my experience in public service. It showed how friends abandon you, betray you, and how those you’ve helped can turn against you.
“They said I had made a mistake and would never be allowed near the government again. But I chose a different path. In Nigeria, they expect you to keep quiet after office. I refused to do that,” he said.
El-Rufai, who served as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory under President Olusegun Obasanjo before becoming governor of Kaduna State, said operated with transparency and integrity during his time in office.
He expressed that Adoke has nothing to hide as well.
“I don’t think I had anything to hide in my public service years. I still don’t. And I know Bello Adoke has nothing to hide,” he said.
He praised Adoke for using his memoir to clarify his role in the controversial OPL 245 deal, for which he was cleared of wrongdoing by courts in Nigeria, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
“You can write a book like that and hold your head high, knowing you did nothing wrong. I urge those in power today to remember that your turn will come,” El-Rufai added.
The former Governor urged those in power at the moment to always remember that a time would come when they would no longer occupy the office.
“So you can write a book like that and hold your head (high) because you know you did nothing wrong while holding public office. I appeal to those in power today to remember that their turn will come,” he added.