Reviewing Nasir el-Rufai’s book: The accidental trouble maker…

by Joachim MacEbong

This is because we have no strong institutions, and strong leaders must build these institutions and entrench a culture of excellence which will continue after they are gone.

In part, ‘The Accidental Public Servant’ is a story about bullies. Sunday, a boy in Barewa College, his alma mater, would be the first to find out it was unwise to attempt to bully Nasir El-Rufai, and it was a sign of things to come. There would be others. The company he worked for while on national service, Abdul, a hustler with a diplomatic passport, three Nigerian presidents, one former vice president (with a presidential ambition which remains to this day) and other countless government officials all found him impossible to intimidate or compromise.
The book is also about networks. A young Nasir wanted to go to Government College, Kaduna, but ended up at Barewa College, and later Ahmadu Bello University. Every significant event in his private and public life linked back in one way or another to his time in both institutions. His lifelong friendships, his first marriage, his business partners, and especially his entrance into public service was a direct result of his networks. We are often told that who you know is as important as what you know, and this fact is brought into stark focus throughout.
Networks were also key once in government. When he met Oby Ezekwesili, a woman he described as ‘one of the most honest people I know’, his partnership with her, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nuhu Ribadu, and for a time, Chukwuma Soludo resulted in a closely knit group of reformers in government. Okonjo-Iweala and Ekwesili were instrumental in getting him retained by Obasanjo after a time spent reorganising the Bureau for Public Enterprises, after making more than a few enemies, which nearly blocked his confirmation as minister.
The frankness and detail in the book is unnerving, for want of a better word. It gives the impression of a man who held back precious little, honest about the tensions in Obasanjo’s economic team which eventually proved too much, and caused him great distress. He was also honest about the constant tensions between himself and Obasanjo on one hand, and Atiku in the other hand, reproducing conversations in detail. He was also honest about his role in frustrating the Third Term Agenda, stating clearly stating his thought process.
El-Rufai’s time as Minister of the FCT is something he remains very proud of, and will always be. It is clear he sees himself as the one who saved the Abuja master plan from going the way of Lagos. In fact, that was precisely the reason Obasanjo asked him to turn the Federal Capital Territory into a laboratory of sorts, quoting the former president as saying that Lagos does not work and will never work. It was in trying to get Abuja back on track that he came face-to-face with having to offend even more people, even bringing down a building belonging to the Federal Ministry of Works, which violated the masterplan, one of about 900. He reorganised Wuse market, banned commercial motorcycles and improved the land allocation system, reducing land prices in the process. His time in the FCT is described over 6 chapters, and one realises that a similar scale of reforms in a city like Lagos over such a short period will come at a cost too high for any regular politician to pay. One of his regrets, however, is a lack of investment in satellite towns, and he also wishes he started building a metro.
There is quite a lot more in the book. It must be stressed again that the honesty is likely to be disturbing, a sign of a man completely at peace with all his key decisions and their costs, providing clear reasons behind each one. Nasir El-Rufai understands that he will always be a divisive figure, and makes no apologies for this. He does lament the lack of time he had for his family as a result of public office, including his disdain for party politics which he now views as a mistake, having witnessed first hand the disastrous turn things took from 2006.
During his exile, he had a lot of time to think about the lessons of the Obasanjo years, coming to terms with his former principal’s duality, a theory of second comings, and the vacuum which comes with an exit from government. In a book full of advice for future public servants, he says that living within his means at all times was crucial.
El-Rufai also elaborated on the moves to form a united opposition to the ruling party in the 2011 elections, one which eventually did not materialise, as key figures either lost interest or pursued their own personal ambition. The release of this book, coming at the same time that existing opposition parties finally announced a merger, it remains to be seen whether any lessons have been learnt.
He concludes the book with a strong belief that Nigeria has reached the point where it is better to the painful and right thing, than to be liked when in a position of responsibility. This is because we have no strong institutions, and strong leaders must build these institutions and entrench a culture of excellence which will continue after they are gone. There is no doubt that he believes Obasanjo’s handling of the 2007 succession hurt his legacy – and Nigeria – greatly, but there is also no doubt that El-Rufai himself thinks he could have done more.
In the end, that is his charge to everyone. That we can and must do more. Indifference to politics, leaving the space open to those who do not want the best for Nigeria, is no longer an option. All his life, he has stood up to bullies, charlatans and criminals, heeding only his conscience along the way, and asks us to do the same. By no other means shall Nigeria be saved.
YNaija.com

Why Séx Does Not Make You Lose Weight

The latest study has dispelled previous held notions about séxual activity in relation to exercise

Burning love apparently does not equate to burning fat. A new study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham says the average séx act burns only about 21 calories.

The study, published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, contradicts many long-standing claims that séxual activity is a vigorous, fat-burning workout. Funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, the study results found that “false and scientifically unsupported beliefs about obesity are pervasive in both scientific literature and the popular press.”

Most online claims about the calorie burning potential of séxual activity are based on one-hour increments, whereas this study worked off an average time span of six minutes per séxual encounter, reports The Sideshow.

The study’s director, Dr. David Allison, who also serves as director of the university's Nutrition Obesity Research Centre, tested a number of theories in his study, including whether physical education classes actually improved a child’s health and whether skipping breakfast or snacking contributed to weight gain.

“As health professionals, we should hold ourselves to high standards so that public health statements are based on rigorous science," Allison said in a statement. “The evidence is what matters.

However, CBS News notes that some fellow experts question the motivations behind the study, noting that some of the participants received funding from sources including Coca-Cola, the McDonald’s Global Advisory Council and two obesity drug manufacturers—Vivus and Arena Pharmaceuticals.

Allison responds that his team’s research was motivated by a desire to counter health theories propagated as fact by self-proclaimed health experts.

"From social media outlets like Facebook, to mainstream television news to dietetics and nutrition textbooks, these myths are perpetuated, irrespective of the scientific evidence," study co-author Dr. Krista Casazza told CBS News. "As scientists, we have the responsibility to present the evidence as it exists without inflating ideas and contributing to popular misconceptions. As a registered dietitian, I feel that providing evidence-based statements about weight loss is essential."

TalkOfNaija

Eco-friendly Dubai Municipality To Hold Car Free Day On Wednesday

Nearly 7,000 employees both from the public and private sector are expected to use public transport while commuting to work on Wednesday as part of Dubai Municipality’s initiative to mark Car Free Day 2013.
The initiative is aimed at contributing to the reduction of carbon emissions and spreading awareness about global warming and the methods of controlling it.
“The car parks of all participating parties will be closed throughout the day, so employees will have to use the Metro or the bus to get to work. An awareness campaign will also be held on Wednesday on the importance of using public transportation,” Hussain Nasser Lootah, director-general of Dubai Municipality announced at a press conference on Sunday.
As many as 27 government departments and institutions, including the American University in Dubai and Dubai Health Authority, are participating in the initiative that is being held in its fourth consecutive year which falls on February 13.
“We also aim to have a new achievement for Dubai as an eco-friendly city through the registration of this initiative in the name of Dubai locally and globally, as the initiative receives a larger response each year from the government and private sector organisations,” he said.

Lootah pointed out that in 2012, 18 organisations participated in the initiative and that 3,500 vehicles were not used — resulting in a reduction of 10.5 tonnes of carbon emission.
“As part of our contribution in reducing carbon emissions, we want to participate further with the Roads and Transport Authority and provide bus services to our gated communities and encourage residents to use public transport. Last year, 200 staff took part in Car Free Day and we expect 100 more this year,” said Khalid Al Malek, chief executive of Dubai Properties Group.

Participants also stressed that although such initiatives to reduce carbon emissions is vital, organisations should responsibly carry out environmental initiatives throughout the year in their respective fields.
“We recycle the waste of Emirates airlines on a daily and a weekly basis, such as plastics, aluminium cans and paper. We compress it and then hand it over to the municipality to recycle,” added Mohammad Ahli, director-general of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority.
InformationNigeria

Pictures Of Previous Nasty Grammy Outfits

When it comes to the Grammys, CBS exécs have skin on their minds.

Just days after the Tiffany Network accidentally broadcast MVP quarterback Joe Flacco dropping the F-bomb during the Super Bowl, a memo has leaked in which CBS brass urge music industry luminaries to keep Sunday’s Grammy telecast squeaky clean.

“Please be sure that búttocks and female bréasts are adequately covered,” reads the memo, distributed to awards show attendees and their representatives.

“Thong type costumes are problematic,” reads the memo, first published on Deadline.

SEBASTIAN ARTZ/GETTY IMAGES

Singer Pink prefers necklines that may break some of CBS’s dress code.

“Please avoid exposing bare fleshy under curves of the búttocks and búttock crack. Bare sides or under curvature of the bréasts is also problematic. Please avoid sheer see-through clothing that could possibly expose female bréast nipplés. Please be sure the génital region is adequately covered so that there is no visible `puffy’ baré skinésxposure.”

The memo was distributed by a low-level staffer in the network’s standards and practices department, tasked with keeping the airwaves free of obscenities and indecency, a source told the Daily News. “Its content was the result of a conference call” earlier this week among CBS executives, the source said.

“It was never intended to be written down or emailed anywhere,” the source said. “It wasn’t approved by anybody.”

SCOTT GRIES/GETTY IMAGES

Jennifer Lopez set a new standard for daring in Versace at the 42nd Grammy Awards in 2000.

The music industry was amused by the network’s efforts.

“Right, they’re telling rock stars how to dress?” a music industry exec sneered in response to the memo. “Good luck with that.”

Other topics covered in the memo included a plea to avoid commercial identification “of actual brand name products on T-shirts,” instructions that “foreign language on wardrobe will need to be cleared” and a call to ban artists and other Grammy audience members from wearing “lapel pins or any other form of accessory” that represent an “organized cause.”

KEVIN WINTER/GETTY IMAGES

Lady Gaga’s fondness for revealing outfits might cause her trouble this year.

In capital letters, the memo states: “OBSCENITY OR PARTIALLY SEEN OBSCENITY ON WARDROBE IS UNACCEPTABLE FOR BROADCAST.”

Conference calls about keeping a live telecast clean are commonplace at broadcast networks.

They are especially prevalent at CBS, which has run afoul of the FCC’s indecency rules before – most notably during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show when pop-star Janet Jackson suffered a “wardrobe malfunction” that exposed her bréast.

YNaija.com

Why I quit PDP for CPC — El-Rufa’i

 by Abdulkadir Badsha Mukhtar

inShare

Malam Nasiru el-Rufa’i was FCT minister during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s erstwhile administration. In his book, titled Accidental Public Servant, el-Rufa’i accused his former boss of an attempt to elongate his tenure.  In his interview with BBC Hausa programme ‘Ganenini Hanya’  he defended the views he expressed in the book. Excerpts:

Why did you decide to publish this book?

I think it is important for someone who has worked as a civil servant to write what he learned and to enumerate his mistakes during his service so that those who will come after him can learn from it. This is because the nation’s development depends on written history. There were things which we did wrongly and there were those we did appropriately. As human beings, we cannot escape rights and wrongs.

In the book, there are some places in which you mentioned aspects of the inappropriate things Obasanjo did, like third term and privatisation of Transcorp.  Why do you think he was wrong?

The issue of wrong deeds are replete in the book and President Obasanjo is a human being. There is no way somebody would lead people without making some mistakes. Even I, when I was FCT minister, I made some mistakes, and I wrote it in the book so that those who are coming could learn. Anybody who wants to know what I wrote should get the book.  Journalists concentrated on what Obasanjo did wrongly as mentioned in the book and decided to ignore what he did for the development of this country, which are also stated in that book.

Does this mean if Obasanjo at that time, was successful to go for the third time you may not have worked for him as minister?

This issue does not even arise because in our opinion - those among us who worked with him at that time - we believed that third term was not good for democracy in this country. That was why many people stood against it; some in secret, others in public. The issue of third term is very a difficult thing in this country.

This means that you did not support it?

If you will read my book, you will see my observations and the observations of those who were also in government at that time - those who supported it and those who stood against it - it is all stated in the book.

You were among those defending Obasanjo government at that time. Now, of a sudden, you are attacking what did.  May we know why?

As I said, there is no way a leader can lead without making some mistakes. For example, there is no way a district head will lead his people for eight years without making a mistake. Anybody who told you otherwise is just deceiving you. There were a lot of things which President Obasanjo did which were right. There are a lot of things he did which were wrong, and we mentioned them in the book. This is not because you are with Obasanjo or not. It is Nigeria we are working for, not Obasanjo or anybody.  If we did the right things, Nigeria will develop. If it is wrong, Nigeria will fail. It is only God who is always right. Those who say what Obasanjo did was always right are liars and those who said he was always wrong are also liars. The fact is in the middle.

During that tenure, did you stand against decisions that you thought were wrong?

Yes, of course.  We stated a lot of things in the book. We met Obasanjo and told him that some things he did were wrong.  We did not agree with everything he did.  Some he changed; some he did not. We, as ministers, advised him and, sometimes, we advised him and he didn’t want it.  And any leader who doesn’t want to take advise is in trouble. That is my concern because, in this country now, if someone is the president or governor, nobody would tell him that he is wrong. If you say this thing you did was wrong, you become an enemy. This is not how it is supposed to be in a democratic system.

What surprises many is, why is it now that you are launching this book?

Because, first, I am a slow writer.  What I am good at is plus and minus. I am not a super writer. That is why I spent three years writing this book. Second, those who were not in government at that time are those who didn’t know we were always telling our leaders that they were wrong when they were wrong.

Some of the things people believed that you did well was the issue you talked about: how Yar’adua was picked as president. You showed that it was only few people who sat and decided who would do this and who would do that, meaning that, by implications Nigeria’s democracy is something else?

You know,  democracy is not something that will be perfect in one day. It is a gradual process. In fact, the way Nigerian leaders emerged, not even the late Yar’adua, but governors and ministers, is just at random.  Sometimes, it is perfect, sometimes not. The reason we wrote this is for people to know what is going on and find ways of corrections. Every country which wants to develop but failed to give its leadership to honest and right people would fail. Our hope is that our leaders, politicians and even the masses would think carefully, because the masses were the ones given soaps and salt to vote for the wrong people.

Some think that the way you have revealed what some leaders did in the past shows that you would expose those you would work with in future?

(Smiled) Government job has no secret job. There is not supposed to be anything to hide, unless something is wrong. You have to know that even if it didn’t come out now, one day you would be forced to account for what you did before the Almighty God. It has happened world over.  If you stole someone would write it.

Some think that your future ambition to contest elections was what prompted you to write this book?

Do you think someone with this ambition could write this kind of book, portraying what those considered as power brokers did?  I wrote this book because of Nigeria.  I never thought I would work for government.

If you say you are not interested in contesting then who would address these problems?

You can be in politics without contesting for any post. At party level, for example, you can be there to make sure the right people occupied the right places.

You decamped to the opposition party instead of the party in power?

I saw that the party was not changing. What it wants is to cripple the country. That is why I joined Muhammad Buhari’s party, because I think there is hope for changing the country in the right direction.

Some think you are a very difficult person?

That is life. Those saying so have never seen me.  There are those who like you, no matter what you did. For example, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is my friend. We were in school together despite what anybody says about him, I am on his side.

SundayTrust

Nigerian Pastor Arraigned For Eloping With Married Woman

A cleric, Peter Ododa who allegedly eloped with a member of his church, a married woman has been arraigned before a Nigerian court in Nasarawa State.
The Complainant’s Counsel, Mr Sunday Ijiga, told the Upper Area Court in Mararaba, Nasarawa State that his client, whose name he gave simply as Mr Okpara, got married to his wife on March 28, 2008, only for her to disappear in 2012.
“He said his wife Grace Okpara had shortly after their wedding joined the Holy Family Praying Ministry in New Karu.
“He said also that after he was once invited by his wife to the prayer house, he had since then been uncomfortable with the place.
“His wife continued visiting the prayer house, and suddenly started behaving strangely. Later in September 2011, she abandoned her husband and eloped with the accused who is the Lead Pastor at the church,’’ Ijiga narrated.
The counsel said that Okpara later reported his ordeal to the District Head of New Karu, who summoned Ododa and made him return Grace to her husband.

Ijiga said that from investigation, it was revealed that the pastor eloped with Grace finally in 2012.
“In spite of all the interventions and warnings from different parties, he refused to produce Okpara’s wife for him,’’ the lawyer said.
In his response, Ododa pleaded not guilty and insisted that Grace was not in his custody.
The Judge, Mr Vincent Gwahemba, ordered Okpara to produce his witnesses at the case’s next hearing date.
He also invited the district head to be at the next hearing of the case.
The judge asked for further investigations into the case and adjourned the matter to February 20 for ruling.
InformationNigeria

Ruling parties also merge, plus why El-Rufai’s new book is so expensive… in last week’s news with a pinch of salt

inShare

by Stanley Azuakola

Some of the names which the PDP has compiled for the APC so far include: All Political Crooks, Anti PDP Crybabies, Association of Petulant Conmen, and Anteriorly Posteriorly Corrupt.

Mergers galore
Last week was arguably the most politically significant week since the 2011 elections. Four opposition parties came together as one and will now bear a new name, APC. Immediately news of the opposition merger came into the open, four ruling parties took up the challenge and also came together to become one. With the two mergers, 2015 promises to be an interesting election year.
The four opposition parties which came together are the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). On the other hand, the four ruling parties which came together are the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The ruling parties have decided that despite their commitment to their merger, they would all retain their respective names for the time being.
The meaning of APC
The main opposition parties in the country announced last week that they would now be known as the APC. In the opposition statement read by former foreign affairs minister, Tom Ikimi, they said that the APC means All Progressives Congress. However, a leaked PDP strategy memo shows that the PDP is compiling all the possible other meanings which the APC can take. According to the PDP, they are doing that so whenever the APC “tries to abuse them by calling them Papa Deceiving Pikin (PDP) or Poverty Development Party (PDP)”, they too would have names to fire back with.
Some of the names which the PDP has compiled for the APC so far include: All Political Crooks, Anti PDP Crybabies, Association of Petulant Conmen, and Anteriorly Posteriorly Corrupt. It is unclear which of the names the PDP will stick with or if they would go with different collections for different occasions.
El-Rufai reveals why his book is expensive
In his book, The Accidental Public Servant, which he released last week, former FCT minister, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, made a lot of revelations. But by far the most striking revelation in the book was written in the prologue when El-Rufai revealed why the book was so expensive:
“I know a lot of you would be wondering why this book is almost double the price of Achebe’s There was a country, and almost triple the price of Olusegun Adeniyi’s Power, politics and death. I will tell you. In reality what did those other books even reveal? Nothing new. But the fantastic book in your hand will reveal to you great truths you never knew. For example, did you know that Obasanjo really wanted a third term? Or that Atiku Abubakar and Olusegun Obasanjo had serious disagreements during Obasanjo’s second term? Did you even know that I was in the economic team of that administration? I bet you didn’t. This and many more truths I will reveal to you in this book. So you now see why I had to sell a copy for N9000, right?”
CROWNED CLOWN (CeeCee) OF THE WEEK
We all remember the (in)famous Goodluck Jonathan interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. Not many were impressed with the president’s responses. At a point during that interview Jonathan made a boast. “Go and ask Nigerians on the streets about power. That is one area in which they are happy with what we’ve done,” he said (paraphrased). A lot of Nigerians did not agree with the president’s boast; a lot of Nigerians agreed with it. Then last week, as Americans watched The Super Bowl, their biggest sporting event, the power suddenly went off and the match was delayed for over half an hour. Amanpour decided to do a report showing that what Americans experienced for half an hour is normal in Nigeria. No problem with that, but how did she go about it?
She went to an Open-mic report which CNN had done in which some Nigerians were asked about the power situation in the country. That report had a few people speaking in support of the president’s claims that power had improved, while a few others said it wasn’t true. Amanpour selected the two people who were against the president’s claims, edited the others out of the footage, came on her show, aired it, and with a sarcastic tone and smirk, made it look as though the two people who constituted her doctored sample represented all Nigerians. It was an insincere piece of hatchet journalism. She wanted to do the Super Bowl story from another perspective and so conveniently buried Jonathan to do it and meet her predetermined aim. It’s easy to say: ‘That’s good for Jonathan. Always giving exclusive interviews to foreign journalists and ignoring those of us here.’ But then Amanpour shouldn’t be allowed to get away with this kind of shameful journalism. An otherwise respectable journalist, Amanpour is a bozofied clown for doing what she did. She takes the CeeCee this week.
YNaija.com