By Cross Udo, Abuja
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has advised the former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, to move on and stop expressing resentment over not being appointed a minister in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet.
Speaking in an interview yesterday, Onanuga said that the former Kaduna State governor’s continued criticism of the government stemmed from his exclusion from the ministerial list and urged him to let go of the past.
He said, “As a person, I think I will pity the former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai. He feels hurt that he was not made a minister, but I think it’s long since the ministers came in in August 2023. I think it’s time for him to move on.”
The presidential spokesman noted that while Mallam el-Rufai’s disappointment was understandable, it was unnecessary for him to go on a public campaign against the President.
He says, “It’s natural for him to feel hurt, it’s natural for him to feel bad that he’s been excluded. And as the President acknowledged in a recent birthday tribute to him, Nasiru helped install President Tinubu. But it doesn’t mean he must bring down the roof if he’s not there.”
Addressing concerns about the relationship between the President and el-Rufai, Onanuga insisted that Tinubu held no personal grudge against the former Governor.
“The President has nothing personal against Nasiru, and so if Nasiru feels naturally hurt that he has been excluded, and that’s why he’s going about everywhere campaigning against the President, it shows a man who resents being left out of the moving train and who will not let go,” he stated.
Onanuga stressed that el-Rufai had been in public service since 1999 and should embrace a new phase of his life.
He said, “My advice for him as a brother, as a former governor, is to appeal to him that he should forget it if he’s not made a minister.”
While el-Rufai has also criticized the administration’s policies and governance approach, Onanuga dismissed his views as a personal opinion that does not align with reality.
Onanuga said, “This government inherited a lot of problems, and if you look at the figures and other things that we are witnessing, things are improving. We are certainly not where we were in 2023.”
He pointed to improvements in economic indicators as proof of the administration’s progress.
“This administration has done much to re-engineer the economy, and we see positive figures. We’re seeing inflation coming down, our foreign reserves growing, and so many positive things happening,” he submitted.
