Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed that he once turned down a proposal suggesting Nasir El-Rufai, then Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, as his successor in 2007.

Obasanjo said he rejected the idea because he believed El-Rufai was “not mature enough” at the time to handle the complexities of governing a nation as diverse as Nigeria.

The former president made the disclosure on Friday at the Ajibosin Platform Annual Symposium held in Abeokuta, Ogun State, while responding to a speech by Osita Chidoka, former Minister of Aviation.

During his keynote address, Chidoka had narrated how El-Rufai introduced him to Obasanjo at age 34, leading to his appointment as Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

Obasanjo, interrupting the story, chuckled as he recalled a detail Chidoka omitted. “Let him tell you,” Obasanjo said, smiling. “He didn’t mention that when I was leaving government, he was pushing that his friend, El-Rufai, should succeed me.”

Turning to Chidoka, he added, “No be so?” to which the ex-minister nodded in agreement.

Obasanjo continued, “I did not agree. Later, he asked me why, and I told him El-Rufai still needed to mature. Years later, after watching his performance, he came back and said, ‘You were absolutely right.’”

The former president praised both men for their service during his administration, describing them as talented individuals who contributed immensely to Nigeria’s progress between 1999 and 2007.

Speaking on leadership, Obasanjo lamented the lack of formal preparation for those who go into politics, saying even criminals undergo some form of apprenticeship, but politicians often don’t.

He said, “It’s only in politics that I discovered there’s no training for leadership. Even armed robbers have apprenticeship, but in politics, there’s none — and that’s not good enough.”

In his address, Osita Chidoka argued that Nigeria’s challenges stem not from a lack of ideas but from weak systems and institutions.

He said, “Nigeria’s problem has never been the absence of ideas; it is the absence of systems strong enough to outlive their authors.” Chidoka emphasized that leadership should be measured by enduring institutions, not rhetoric, and called for national dashboards to track government performance and outcomes.

The symposium, which drew political figures, academics, and civic advocates, explored the theme: “Leadership, Governance, and Institutional Renewal in Nigeria.”