The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tuesday, urged former Kaduna state governor, Nasir El-Rufai, to move on from his ministerial disappointment.
He said: “As a person, I pity the former governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai. He feels hurt that he was not made a minister.
“It has been a long time since the cabinet was formed in August 2023. I think it is time for him to move on. He cannot continue to behave like a child, as if someone stole his bread,” the presidential aide stated.
Speaking for the first time on the ministerial issue, El-Rufai, in an interview with Arise TV Monday, had said Tinubu, and not the National Assembly, rejected his nomination.
“Since I left office and the President begged me publicly to come and serve in his government, I had my plans and told President Tinubu from day one that when he asked me to support him, I agreed but made it clear I didn’t want anything. Politics in Nigeria is always about ‘What do I get for giving you support?
“I’m not in politics for that reason. I’m not in politics to get anything. I have a surname, and I’m a self-made man. I made money before coming into public office. I don’t need anything. After eight years in Kaduna, I was nearly burnt out. I struggled for eight years and wanted to take a break. I had my private plans,” he said.