El-Rufai credits Atiku for economic reforms under Obasanjo

Nasir El-Rufai, former Kaduna governor, has said that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar deserves recognition for his role in spearheading economic reforms during the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Abubakar, who served as vice president from 1999 to 2007, was responsible for overseeing the privatisation of national assets. The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), led at the time by El-Rufai, was under his purview.

Speaking during a condolence visit to the family of the late elder statesman and Niger Delta advocate Edwin Clark, who passed away on February 17, el-Rufai emphasised Abubakar’s contribution to economic policymaking during the Obasanjo era.

“Nobody gives Alhaji Atiku Abubakar the credit for economic policy making under the Obasanjo administration. Many of the things we did, we did under his leadership,” El-Rufai stated.

“Maybe because we don’t write about it, and people don’t read history, we tend to forget. We only remember negative things. Maybe it’s part of human nature.”

Atiku’s role in economic reforms has often been a subject of political debate, particularly regarding the privatisation of government enterprises. El-Rufai himself had earlier attacked Atiku, saying that he was being haunted by “demons of corruption.”