A former Minister
of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai, has vowed to
roll out more inspirational and political books that will expose corruption and
promote piety in public office.
The former
Minister firmly and confidently disclosed that his last book, entitled ‘The
Accidental Public Servant, was motivated by the need to instill transparency
and honesty in governance.
Speaking at a
book presentation in Lagos on Monday as organised by the Save Nigeria Group
(SNG), el-Rufai, however, warned those who may have reservations about the
contents of the 700-paged work to write a rejoinder, instead of trying to
castigate him.
While throwing
some darts at those condemning his work, he vowed to write more books
cataloguing his sojourn in government, saying the present one is just a tip of
the iceberg.
Pioneer Chairman,
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and former
Vice President Atiku Abubakar, had in separate occasions faulted some of the
details contained in the book as well as the motive of the writer.
To Ribadu, there
exists what he termed a “huge integrity deficiency” in former minister’s book,
stating that el-Rufai was wrong to have written about the EFCC as he knew next
to nothing about its operations throughout their stint in government.
On his part, the
former vice president dismissed the book as nothing more than a work of
fiction, as he argued that aspects that catalogued his official dealings in
government were inaccurate.
Abubakar, in a
statement made available to newsmen in the wake of the allegations contained in
the book, stated that el-Rufai was writing alleged fiction for
self-glorification at the expense of truth.
Reacting to the
barrage of criticism trailing the presentation of the book, el-Rufai stated
that he had no other motive for undertaking to write the book other than the
need to ensure transparency in the governance of the country.
Lamenting the
spate of secrecy in government, el-Rufai said, “Governance of this country must
move away from what it is. It must be open for all to see. Governance must be
transparent. It is unfortunate that since I have written this book, politicians
have been ascribing various motives for the move which are from what was
intended.”
He however
admonished youth in the country to be more involved in political matters,
despite the failure of government to take care of their economic challenges.
Earlier in his
speech, the chief host and Convener of the SNG, Pastor Tunde Bakare praised
el-Rufai for undertaking to write the book, saying with such efforts, he has
defined a workable compass for the problems plaguing the country to be solved.
“God positioned
el-Rufai to be where he was at that time, so that he will later expose the
workings of government. With the coming of this book, friends have become
enemies, enemies have become friends. Anyway, if anybody is angry with the
contents of the book, he should write his own,” Bakare stated.
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