Ribadu urges Nigerians to emulate good character people
The EFCC chairman, Malam Nuhu Ribadu has urged Nigerians to emulate people of good character in their endeavours in life.
Ribadu was speaking in Abuja, at the presentation of a book entitled `` Nasir el-Rufa'i, An Embodiment of Pragmatism''.
He described el-Rufai, the minister in the presidency and chairman of the Federal Capital Territory as a man of honour and integrity.
Ribadu commended el-Rufai, for the opportunity of having his life documented and presented to the public in his life time.
He stressed that it was important to document people of worthy character to serve as a mirror for the younger generation.
According to the EFCC boss, the commission had benefited immensely from the ideas and contributions of el-Rufai, who understands ``the system better than I do''.
``No single individual can claim to have contributed better to the growth and development of the commission more than the FCT minister in the areas of fund and ideas.
``A great advocate of standard and excellence, who is always involved in every complex issues of the federal government, '' Ribadu said.
Mrs Oby Ezekwsili, Minister of Education in her speech, described el-Rufai as a fearless man, pointing out that most people find themselves in corruption because of fear.
``El-Rufai is the face of the new Nigeria,'' Ezekwesili said.
Dr Abubakar Sadique, Head of the Department of Political Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, who reviewed the book, said the book dealt with some controversial issues in the Nigerian economy like privatisation.
He explained that he had never been a party to privatisation initiative, until he had encounter with el-Rufai, who enlightened him on the issues involved in the privatisation exercise.
According to him, the Minister took the pains to explain to me why public enterprises should be privatised.
Sadique in an interview with NAN, said that the book had succeeded in presenting el-Rufai as a Nigerian model public officer.
He , however, said that the major weakness of the book was that it does not arrest the attention of the reader from the beginning, by letting the reader into the essence of its content ``Indeed one may not know exactly what the book is all about from the beginning, because of its suspense,'' he added.
Alhaji Abdusamad Rabiu, the Chairman BUA group of companies, who presented the book to the public, said the minister had not disappointed those close to him while serving the nation.
``He has demonstrated forthrightness and fearlessness in all his activities and this is a trait he carried along from his younger days,'' he said.
NAN reports that over N15 million was realised at the occasion.