THE ALTERNATIVE
By Reno Omokri
Nasir el-Rufai is someone I know very closely. He is extremely intelligent, but his intelligence is governed by ego, not conscience. He is capable of anything. If you make the mistake of voting for Bola Tinubu in five days’ time, el-Rufai will lead a cabal that will control you.
Because Bola Tinubu does not have the strength of personality to resist people like Nasir el-Rufai.
And if you are wondering why Nasir el-Rufai is desperately against an Atiku Presidency, I will tell you. Nasir was a struggling young man in the late 90s. United States diplomatic cables, leaked by Wikileaks, have since exposed that he was just a taxi guy before President Obasanjo rose to power.
Now, how did he go from a taxi guy to a powerbroker? The short answer is Atiku Abubakar.
The then vice President of Nigeria took a liking to el-Rufai and elevated him to the position of Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, an agency that was under him.
He and Nasir worked closely together, and after the re-election of the Obasanjo-Atiku ticket, the then Turaki Adamawa, again, was the hand that God used to elevate Nasir to the Federal Executive Council as minister.
Even when he hit a snag at the National Assembly, Nasir ran to his benefactor, who successfully smoothed things out, and el-Rufai emerged as the Minister for the Federal Capital Territory. And he was an efficient and effective minister, and an even more efficient and effective backstabber.
He it was, who sensing an opportunity, poisoned the heart of then President Olusegun Obasanjo, by telling him that his deputy, Atiku Abubakar, had told him (el-Rufai), that Obasanjo would die and he would be the next President.
I know this for a fact, because Nasir himself told me with his own mouth, and if he tries to deny it, well, I am nothing, if not a meticulous record keeper.
Why did he do it? Well, because he himself wanted to succeed Obasanjo. And he felt that Atiku Abubakar was his greatest obstacle. And so, he poisoned the hitherto relationship of trust between Atiku Abubakar and President Obasanjo.
Of course, things did not quite work out for him as planned. It is said that when you sell your brother, even the buyer will not trust you. And the relationship between President Obasanjo and el-Rufai is a textbook example of that adage.
El-Rufai is gutsy. But he is also a cowardly opportunist. That is why he did not stick around after Yar’adua emerged over him. He fled Nigeria and lived in exile, and I was one of those who helped him.
El-Rufai does not even like Bola Tinubu. He considers him a crook. But knowing how much Waziri Atiku Abubakar did for him, and how deeply he betrayed him, he is afraid, very afraid, of an Atiku Presidency.
And that fear has turned into desperation.
Desperation is behind his treasonable felony in taking the unprecedented step of giving a statewide broadcast to counter the nationwide broadcast given by President Buhari. The man is desperate. He cannot even begin to imagine an Atiku victory.
To those who do not know Nasir el-Rufai, let me quote what President Obasanjo said about him:
“Nasir’s penchant for reputation savaging is almost pathological. Why does he do it? I recognised his weaknesses; the worst being his inability to be loyal to anybody or any issue consistently for long, but only to Nasir el-Rufai. He barefacedly lied which he did to me against his colleagues and so-called friends. I have heard of how he ruthlessly savaged the reputation of his uncle, a man who was like, in the African setting, his foster father. I shuddered when I heard the story of what he did to his half-brother in the Air Force who is senior to him in age.”
Now, what will Buhari do about the open treason by Mr. el-Rufai? So far, he has done nothing. Could that be why Senator Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed called General Buhari a “weakling” during his courtesy visit to the Obi of Onitsha on Thursday, February 16, 2023?
Do we have two Presidents in Nigeria? How can el-Rufai promise that Tinubu will revalidate the old Naira that Buhari invalidated? That is treasonable. It is a coup. Beyond treason, it shows that if we elect Tinubu, it will be el-Rufai and Kashim who will be in charge!
What Nasir did in defying the Central Bank of Nigeria’s directive, unnecessarily approved by Buhari (the CBN does not need the President’s approval. By the CBN Act of 2007, the CBN is an independently autonomous entity), by saying the old Naira notes would still be valid in Kaduna, is not just treason. It goes beyond that. It is a declaration of war by a state, against the central government. Did Emeka Ojukwu do up to this before General Gowon’s Federal Military Government acted against him? Ojukwu did not issue the Biafran Pound until January 29, 1968. By giving that broadcast on Thursday, February 16, 2023, Nasir el-Rufai created his own Kaduna Naira, which is legal only in Kaduna, and as a result, he declared war on Nigeria. His immunity does not cover him for such acts of treason. If he goes Scot-free, then why is Nnamdi Kanu in prison?
If a state of emergency is not declared in Kaduna, then Buhari should apologise to Nnamdi Kanu and release him.
Buhari will lose any moral authority he has in keeping Nnamdi Kanu in jail, in direct disrespect of the Court of Appeal’s orders, if he refuses to move against Nasir el-Rufai for treason. If a state within a federation issues its own legal tender, it has declared war on the federation.
For those saying el-Rufai was obeying the Supreme Court judgement, note that there is no judgment. There is only a stay order. And even the Supreme Court itself is rejecting the old Naira notes from lawyers who want to file cases there. The law of the land is the Constitution. Not a stay order! The Supreme Court Justices have read the CBN Act of 2007. It grants absolute independence to the Central Bank of Nigeria on monetary policy.
When we said he was pretending in that 2018 photo, where Nasir el-Rufai knelt down to greet Buhari, some of you insulted us. We know him. We have met him, we have played politics with him. We have eaten with him. You have not. So listen to us when we tell you about him. If you are locked in a room with a snake and el-Rufai, leave the snake and face Nasir!
And as for Tinubu, I will only say that if you have a friend like el-Rufai, you do not need enemies. El-Rufai had betrayed President Obasanjo, Waziri Atiku, Buhari, Bukola Saraki, and his once bosom friend, Nuhu Ribadu. So, who does Bola Tinubu think he is, that el-Rufai will be loyal to him?
The only consistent character trait that el-Rufai has is betrayal. If in doubt, ask Oby Ezekwesili. After el-Rufai used her to tarnish the image of former President Jonathan, how did he repay her? He did not even diss her himself. It was his son he used to call her ‘beggar with receipt!’
Reno’s Nuggets
10 Things that will reduce your expenses:
1. Have a budget.
2. Shop with a shopping list.
3. Avoid impulse buys.
4. Cook your own meals. Don’t eat out.
5. Wash your clothes. Don’t launder them.
6. Buy what you need. Not what is in fashion.
7. Give to those who need, not those who ask.
8. Flee relationships that require financial maintenance.
9. Ghost any church that preaches godliness as a means to financial gain.
10. Walk any distance that is less than 5 miles. If it is too hot, get an umbrella, or go in the evening.
#RenosNuggets #FreeLeahSharibu
