Obasanjo reveals El'Rufai's three 'Clever' problems

A recall has been brought forward on the character traits of former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai.

According a social media user, Abubakar Yunusa, using his X handle, recalled that former President Olusegun Obasanjo had once sat El'Rufai down to tell him that his problem was that he is too clever. 

Quoting from El-Rufai's "The Accidental Public Servant (p.127)," Yunusa observed that part of the current political travails of the former governor could be as a result of what President Obasanjo had told him.

El-Rufai wrote "The Accidental Public Servant", a tell-all memoir about his experiences in Nigeria's government, serving as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja and Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises.

El-Rufai, a member of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, during the weekend, alleged that there is a presidential plot to arrest him, after a failed attempt at Abuja airport. Afterwards the Presidency said that El-Rufai should be arrested for tapping on the telephone number of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

Below is what Yunusa lifted from El-Rufai's book on what Obasanjo told the former Kaduna governor:

"Listen, let me tell you- you know , you have three problems. Each one of them is enough of a problem by itself , but you have all the three. Your first problem is that you are very clever. People generally do not like clever people. You are clever . That alone will attract you enemies."

"But you have a second problem - your second problem is that you look clever. One look at your face and a person knows that this one is very clever, and that is a bigger problem. Look at me . In my time, I was not as clever as you are. I have gone through your grades in school. You are very bright. You got A's in high school , A's in A levels, first class honours. I did not go to University but I took my high school graduation exams a year in advance and I also got A's so I was also clever in school. But I am lucky - God gave me a not -so- clever face . People think I am stupid . So you can not look at me and know what is going on in my brain. But in your own case , you do not have that luck. You know what I do? I behave like a bushman. See what that has done to me. I am here , far smarter people than me are out there. There is nothing you can do about your face, but you can reduce the enemies you have by avoiding the the problem of being too clever."

"Your third problem - you speak clever, you act clever , you are impatient with people who are not as smart as you. You talk down to them. You do those things. So you have these these three problems... You are smart ; you look smart, talk and act smart. Many people will not like you. You must learn to look simple ,to be patient with people who can't think as fast as you . You must learn to talk less and listen more and agree even more with not -so- clever people. Unless you do that, you will continue to have problems and it is my duty to protect you, and develop you, because you are a good person..."-