YAR’ADUA MUST PROSECUTE EL-RUFAI NOW FOR CORRUPTION
There is no doubt that Nigerians, particularly residents of Abuja and its environs will never forget the atrocities of the immediate former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nasir el Rufai.
There is no gainsaying in the fact that he had used his tenure to unleash terror on many hapless residents of Abuja and its environs all in the name of ‘correcting the distortion of the master plan’ of the city. It is glaring that el Rufai was from all indications not speaking the truth when he said severally that no matter whose structure was constructed on a green area, a sewage or water line, he will use his position as Minister in charge of FCT to demolish same in any part of the city.
Even then, a number of affected Nigerians have described el Rufai as a big liar since there were developments sited on areas not earmarked for developments and in contravention of the master plan but he turned blind eyes on them because they were owned by some first class citizens.
What is coming to light from his weak and desperate explanations is that el Rufa’i took advantage of the frenzy of their departure on the eve of May 29 2007 to get the ex-President to sign away public assets to the ex-minister and other top officials of the government. The issue is that el Rufai has admitted selling to himself, the former Vice President Atiku’s Guest house in question.
It is revealing that el Rufai’s urge to buy the VP house came only two weeks to the handover of their government. According to him, he originated a memo, precisely on 15 th May 2007 and allegedly got the President to approve the sale of the house to himself (and two other top-ranking officials) the following day! Why the rush to convert these public assets less than two weeks to their departure from government?
It is pertinent to ask el Rufai some key questions as regards the sale of the guest house in question. Who valued the house, who determined the prices at which they were sold? Others are who originated the memo for their sales, who supervised the sales and who were they sold to? If el Rufai is the same person engaged in these series of unbecoming activities, how could he justify this abuse of his office as minister in charge of the FCDA? Is this not a conflict of interest?
There are other questions that el Rufai must answer, to get the public to fully appreciate the level of looting that went on during the last days of the Obasanjo regime: Who are the two other public officers that were awarded the remaining Guest houses? How much did each of the three pay for the guest houses? How much did el Rufai in particular pay for the house he awarded to himself, and how did he pay for it?
El Rufai had publicly stated that he equally applied to buy the FCT Minister’s house located at Life Camp which is equivalent to Government Houses in the States, but that the ex-president surprisingly refused to approve it. Is there a limit to his desperate quest to buy up Abuja? How many more houses do this land speculator and ex-administrator of the FCT convert to himself in the city?
One can also recall that few days to his departure, el Rufai again engaged in massive sale of Abuja land, and in the process granted rights of occupancy to his companies, governors, ministers, his relations, and his cronies as published in several newspapers.
It is important to at this juncture recall the recent rejection of about 38 plots in choice areas of Abuja as announced at a recent federal executive council meeting to 7 former governors, including Yar’adua himself, ministers and other very important personalities. The irony of the allocation of the 38 plots by el Rufai before he left is that they were all located in green areas, which are not sites for development purposes. Similar plots allocated in green areas by previous administrations and developed by their owners were demolished and reclaimed by him. How then comes el Rufai also allocated and refused to demolish the green area plots? El Rufai had always insisted that plots allocated in green areas were demolished and reclaimed by the FCT because of ‘overriding public interest and the need to check violation of the Abuja master plan’. Are the 38 plots he allocated to Yar’adua, former governors and ministers not covered by the need to check abuse of the city’s master plan?
One is amazed that el Rufai is today trying to justify these barefaced looting of public assets! By the mere fact of his incestuous sale of former Vice President Atiku’s guest house to himself, el Rufai has shown that he is ‘a hypocrite who pays only lip service to the much vaunted anti-corruption crusade’.
Before his appointment as Minister, el Rufai had, as Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises; BPE committed a number of blunders that have caused this country loss of dignity and billions of Naira. He was indicted by the national assembly and banned for life from occupying any public office for ten years for attempting to influence his screening as federal minister by the Nigerian Senate with an attempt to bribe them. This was however rejected by Obasanjo, another insincere anti corruption czar.
It is however heart warming hearing Nigeria’s minister of Justice, Mike Aondoakaa saying that el Rufai will soon face trial over his indictment by the national assembly over corrupt practices.Specifically, Aondoakaa mentioned NITEL/PENTASCOPE deal in which el Rufai was indicted for his role in the sales of NITEL to TRANSCORP while he served as BPE’s Director General. The Senate indicted him and banned him from holding public office for 50 years.
I have no doubt in my mind that el Rufia is a criminal who deserves nothing but total prosecution. Aondoakaa must do all within his powers to prosecute el Rufai. He had abused the trust reposed in him by Nigeria as BPE chief executive and federal minister. He must be made to pay for his selective and sentimental administration of the BPE and FCT ministry.
Barrister Rafindadi Mohammed
(rafindadimohd@yahoo.com)
20, Daura Street
Katsina