Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has said that President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet lacks quality.
He recently revealed that the cabinet is not competent enough to tackle Nigeria’s challenges.
Speaking during a political programme aired on Arise News, El-Rufai shared that he expected BAT to replicate the inclusive governance model he adopted when he was Lagos State Governor.
According to him, the bloated and underperforming cabinet Tinubu ended up setting up has been a massive disappointment thus far, and only 5 of the selected members actually qualify to be referred to as a minister.
Describing the cabinet as a joke, El-Rufai lamented how low the country has sunk from the era of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Oby Ezekwesili as ministers.
“Look at his cabinet—it’s a joke. It is the largest in Nigeria’s history, and maybe only five of them can be called real ministers.
In my time as a minister 20 years ago, we had individuals of the calibre of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Oby Ezekwesili.
Who do you see in this cabinet that fits that profile? There is simply no quality. We brought a tragedy upon Nigeria,” he said.
El-Rufai further noted that he is also to blame for the tragedy that has befallen Nigeria because he supported Tinubu during the 2023 elections.
He, however, maintained that BAT had his backing mainly because of his past achievements in Lagos State.
He concluded by saying that he was never a Tinubu follower, stressing that Muhammadu Buhari was the politician he had close ties to when he was an APC member.
“I supported him because I believed in his Lagos legacy. He was inclusive. He brought in professionals like Yemi Osinbajo and Wale Edun from the private sector. He appointed Igbos and Hausas in key roles, and he got things done. But now… this?
I feel like I owe Nigeria a duty to correct this mistake. I am 65 now, approaching retirement, but I cannot rest knowing that I helped bring in a government that is hurting Nigerians.
I will do all I can, with others, to reverse this trajectory. If we leave this unchecked, Nigeria will be destroyed.
I was never close to Tinubu. In the party, I was a ‘Buhari boy.’ Tinubu had his boys.
The person I connected with was Baba Bisi Akande. I served as his deputy national secretary.
So Tinubu never liked me. But when he won the ticket, I set my personal feelings aside and worked hard to deliver Kaduna for him. That was my duty as a party man,” he added.
