The Presidency, on the 25th of February, 2025, acknowledged that former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, is still reeling from his exclusion from President Bola Tinubu’s ministerial list.
Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, addressed the matter, urging El-Rufai to let go of his grievances rather than dwell on what he described as a lost opportunity.
Reacting to El-Rufai’s assertion that Tinubu personally rejected him despite his willingness to serve, Onanuga dismissed the outcry, likening it to a child lamenting over spilled milk.
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During an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Onanuga remarked: “As a person, I think I will pity the former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai. He feels hurt that he was not made a minister. I think it is time for him to move on. He can’t continue to behave like a child, as if somebody stole his bread and he is crying.”
He went on to acknowledge El-Rufai’s contributions to Tinubu’s political success but insisted that exclusion from the cabinet should not fuel hostility. “The president has no animosity against Nasir. He naturally feels hurt that he has been excluded, so he goes about campaigning against the president and would not let go.”
Onanuga concluded by emphasizing that El-Rufai, having been in public service since 1999, should step past this phase: “He should forget about not being made a minister. He has been in public service since 1999; it’s time for him to move on.”