THE EL-RUFAI I HAVE KNOWN SINCE 1972.

I have known Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai since 1972. I was one year his senior. 

We were students of Barewa College, Zaria, one of the country's foremost institutions of learning and, for generations of Northern Nigerian boys, an institution that shaped not only our education but also our character, outlook and understanding of public service.

My knowledge of El-Rufai did not begin with politics. It did not begin with his appointment to government. It did not begin with his tenure as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory or Governor of Kaduna State.

I knew him before he became El-Rufai the public figure.

I knew him as a young Barewa student, "the giant", as he was fondly referred.

That distinction is important.

Over the years, I have watched his remarkable transformation from a young student into a quantity surveyor, businessman, public administrator, reformer, minister, governor and one of the most controversial, but undoubtedly consequential, figures in contemporary Nigerian public life.

After more than five decades of observation, I have reached a conclusion that some people may find uncomfortable:

Like him or hate him, Nasir El-Rufai is an exceptional Nigerian public administrator.

That statement does not mean that I believe he is perfect.

Far from it.

He has his flaws. He can be impatient, combative and uncompromising. Some of his decisions have generated legitimate controversy. Some of his methods have attracted strong criticism. And where allegations of wrongdoing have been made, they must be properly investigated and, where appropriate, determined by the courts.

But none of those things should prevent us from making an objective assessment of his contribution to public life.

Indeed, I believe that Nigerians sometimes make the mistake of judging public officials primarily by whether they like them personally.

That is the wrong standard.

The proper question is:

What did the person inherit? What did he attempt to change? What did he actually accomplish? What institutions did he build? And what measurable difference did he make?

By that standard, El-Rufai's record deserves serious consideration.

WHY I BELIEVE HE HAS AN EDGE

Having observed him for more than five decades, I believe his principal advantage lies in a combination of qualities.

INTELLECTUAL CAPACITY

He has demonstrated an ability to understand complicated administrative and economic problems.

COURAGE

He is prepared to make decisions that many politicians would avoid.

EXECUTION

He has repeatedly translated policy ideas into actual projects and institutional reforms.

RESILIENCE

He has demonstrated an unusual ability to survive political opposition and controversy.

That is the characteristic of an administrator rather than merely a politician.

THE EL-RUFAI I KNOW

The El-Rufai I know is therefore not the caricature presented by either his supporters or his opponents.

He is neither the infallible reformer portrayed by some admirers nor the embodiment of everything wrong with Nigerian politics portrayed by some critics.

He is a complex human being.

He has strengths.

He has weaknesses.

He has achieved remarkable things.

He has made controversial decisions.

He has enemies.

He has admirers.

But above all, he has left a footprint.

And that is what matters in public service.

FROM BAREWA TO THE NATIONAL STAGE

When I think back to Barewa College in 1972, I could never have imagined that the young student I knew would eventually become one of the most discussed Nigerians of our generation.

From Barewa he went into professional life.

From professional life into federal public administration.

From the BPE to the Federal Capital Territory.

From Abuja to Kaduna.

And from Kaduna to the centre of national political discourse.

That trajectory is extraordinary.

Very few Nigerians have moved through such a range of consequential public responsibilities.

Even fewer have left a visible institutional footprint at each stage.

HISTORY SHOULD JUDGE THE WHOLE MAN

My purpose in writing this is not to ask anyone to support El-Rufai politically.

It is not even to persuade anyone to like him.

People are entitled to their opinions.

My appeal is simply that we should judge the man fairly.

After knowing Nasir El-Rufai since 1972, I am comfortable making this observation:

He is not a perfect man.

But perfection has never been the appropriate standard for judging public administrators.

He has demonstrated intellectual ability, administrative courage, institutional imagination and an unusual capacity to execute.

Nasir El-Rufai is not an ordinary public servant, and his contribution to Nigerian public administration cannot be dismissed simply because he is controversial.

And having watched the journey from 1972 to the present, I believe the fairest description of the man El Rufai is this:

A remarkably gifted, fiercely determined, deeply controversial and undeniably consequential Nigerian.

That is the El-Rufai I have known since 1972.

©Unknown Author.