Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna, has reminded current office holders that their tenure is temporary, urging them to lead with fairness and keep in mind that “power is transient”.

Speaking in Abuja on Thursday during the public unveiling of Mohammed Bello Adoke’s memoir titled “OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 billion Nigerian Oil Block”, el-Rufai said Adoke, a former attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, should be praised rather than targeted for his role in strengthening the nation’s democracy.

He noted, “Everyone knows that Mohammed Bello Adoke was one of those that stood and persuaded President Jonathan to actually concede the 2015 elections.”

According to him, “we should actually thank him as the APC government of 2015, not persecute him.”

Reflecting on his time in government, el-Rufai spoke about the betrayals that often come with public service.

He recalled, “About 12 years ago in this hall, I presented ‘The Accidental Public Servant’, which was a record of my experience in public service at the time, which showed how friends abandon you, betray you, and how those that you’ve been good to turn around against you.”

He continued, “And everyone told me I made a mistake, that I will never go near public service again. Because in Nigeria, when you are in government, you eat, you keep quiet, and you come back, and you remain silent.”

El-Rufai said he had no regrets about his service and believed Adoke had no reason to fear scrutiny.

“I don’t think I had anything to hide in public service, yes. I still don’t,” he said.

“And I know Bello Adoke has nothing to hide. So, you can write a book like that and hold your head high, because you know you did nothing wrong while holding public office.”

He encouraged today’s leaders to act with integrity and always remember how brief time in power can be.

Bayo Onanuga, President Bola Tinubu’s special adviser on information and strategy, says the 2013 merger that led to the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) secured the “important votes” that helped former President Muhammadu Buhari win the 2015 presidential election.

During an interview with Arise TV on Thursday, Onanuga responded to comments made by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, who claimed that the APC merger added only three million votes to Buhari’s tally in the 2015 election.

The merger brought together the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP).

Mustapha argued that Buhari had consistently polled over 12 million votes even before the merger, suggesting those votes formed the majority of the 15.4 million he received to defeat ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.

But Onanuga contended that despite those numbers, Buhari lacked sufficient presence in the south and required the support of the ACN to achieve the necessary electoral “spread.”

He noted that the ACN delivered the “important votes” Buhari needed from the southern region.

“It was clear to ACN, a very strategic arm of that alliance, that without additional support, there was no way Buhari could have won the election,” Onanuga stated.

“Yeah, he was getting 12 million votes if you put all the 19 states together, but in the south, Buhari was nowhere. Buhari needed the spread. ACN had six.

“Buhari got the votes he needed in those six states. They may not be in millions, but there were important votes.

“He won in all those six states, and he got more than 25 percent. At the end of the day, he won in about 25 states, more than the constitutional requirement of 24 states.”

Onanuga also said Buhari “never forgot the help that Tinubu rendered to him” and maintained that without Tinubu’s contribution, Buhari would not have become president.

Nigeria’s rejection of a request from the United States to accommodate asylum seekers is one of the factors contributing to the recent visa restrictions placed on the country by President Donald Trump, TheCable has learned.

According to TheCable’s findings, this issue is part of a broader set of demands being pushed by the Trump administration, which are still under negotiation.

Diplomatic sources revealed that the US president has been pressuring multiple nations to serve as temporary hosts for asylum seekers while their applications are processed, a process that can take up to seven years.

While a number of countries have agreed to the arrangement, Nigeria has declined to participate.

Trump’s negotiation style often involves imposing significant penalties on the other party to gain leverage, a method he has used consistently in trade disputes with various nations.

VISA RELATIONS BETWEEN BOTH COUNTRIES

The US embassy announced on Tuesday a new restriction reducing the validity and entry allowances for “most” non-immigrant and non-diplomatic visas issued to Nigerians. These new rules limit visas to a single entry and a three-month stay.

Social media commentary suggested an imbalance in visa reciprocity as the reason behind the policy shift, but exact details were not disclosed by US authorities.

The move surprised many Nigerians. Initial claims that Nigeria had stopped issuing five-year visas to Americans—supposedly triggering the new US policy—were later proven false.

Nigerian visas issued by the embassy still range from three months to five years in validity, and can be single or multiple entry depending on the category.

Nigeria launched an e-visa system on March 1 to make applications easier and remove the need for in-person embassy visits or the unreliable visa-on-arrival process.

The e-visa is valid for 90 days from issue and allows for a single entry and a maximum stay of 30 days.

These new procedures are not limited to US citizens but apply to all non-ECOWAS nationals requiring a visa to enter Nigeria.

Despite the reciprocity agreement, the US does not offer a comparable visa category to Nigerian applicants.

Diplomatic insiders said the actual disagreement goes beyond the issue of visa parity.

FAILED DEAL TO SEND ASYLUM SEEKERS

Since January, Trump has signed several executive orders aimed at deporting millions of undocumented immigrants, many of whom are asylum seekers.

The US has also asked third countries to accept deportees who are not their nationals, a move that human rights advocates have widely criticised.

Central American nations like El Salvador and Panama, and African countries including Libya, South Sudan, Rwanda, and Djibouti, were among those considered for this role.

Some of these countries have already accepted a number of deportees.

On June 9, the US supreme court authorized the deportation of migrants to third countries—even those in conflict—rather than returning them to their countries of origin.

TheCable learned that Nigeria was among the nations approached by the US for this arrangement.

While the full terms of the proposal remain undisclosed, diplomatic sources confirmed discussions occurred but fell through due to Nigeria’s reluctance to accept non-citizens, many of whom still had pending asylum claims.

A significant portion of these individuals are also believed to be convicted criminals.

This proposal closely resembles the UK-Rwanda asylum deal, which has faced both legal and political hurdles and remains largely unimplemented.

Under that deal, the UK agreed to provide economic support to Rwanda and additional funds to cover the cost of processing and hosting deported migrants.

So far, the UK government has paid Rwanda £220 million as part of the plan.

However, new Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently declared the scheme “dead and buried.”

MORE DEMANDS

TheCable also learned that the US requested permission for its citizens to apply online for Nigeria’s five-year visa without needing to visit an embassy.

However, sources familiar with the talks said Nigeria declined due to concerns about a lack of reciprocity, noting that Nigerians do not receive similar treatment from the US.

In its Tuesday visa update, the US embassy stated that Nigeria must meet specific criteria to improve its visa reciprocity standing.

These include issuing secure travel documents with verified identities, managing visa overstays effectively, and sharing relevant criminal and security records with US authorities.

TheCable understands that one of the US demands is access to Nigeria’s criminal database, which would help identify Nigerians living in the US with previous criminal records for possible deportation.

‘THE ART OF THE DEAL’

Since returning to the White House, Trump has been applying principles from his book ‘The Art of the Deal’ to international relations, especially on issues related to tariffs and immigration.

His approach—marked by aggressive posturing, risky tactics, and a readiness to abandon negotiations—has shaped US policies on trade and immigration.

On tariffs, he has frequently introduced heavy levies on partner nations, only to offer temporary relief as a bargaining chip for new agreements.

Nigeria’s recent involvement with BRICS, an economic bloc often criticised by Trump, has not helped relations between the two countries.

On Wednesday, Nigeria was notably absent from a meeting Trump held at the White House with several African leaders to discuss economic cooperation.

In response to the US visa restrictions, Nigeria said the decision does not align with the values of “reciprocity, equity, and mutual respect” that should guide international partnerships.

Nigeria called on the US to reconsider its stance in the interest of global cooperation and shared responsibilities.