| Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai | |
| Honorific Prefix: | Mallam |
| Office1: | Governor of Kaduna State |
| Deputy1: | Barnabas Bala Hadiza Balarabe[1] |
| Term Start1: | 29 May 2015 |
| Term End1: | 29 May 2023 |
| Predecessor1: | Mukhtar Yero |
| Successor1: | Uba Sani |
| Office2: | Minister of the Federal Capital Territory |
| President2: | Olusegun Obasanjo |
| Term Start2: | 17 July 2003 |
| Term End2: | 27 July 2007 |
| Predecessor2: | Mohammed Abba Gana |
| Successor2: | Aliyu Modibbo Umar |
| Birth Name: | Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai |
| Birth Date: | 16 February 1960 |
| Birth Place: | Daudawa, Northern Region, British Nigeria (now in Katsina State, Nigeria) |
| Party: | All Progressives Congress (2013–present) |
| Children: | 8, including Bello |
| Alma Mater: |
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| Otherparty: |
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Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai (; born 16 February 1960)[2] is a Nigerian politician who served as governor of Kaduna State from 2015 to 2023.[3] He had served as minister of the Federal Capital Territory from 2003 to 2007. El-Rufai also served as director of the Bureau of Public Enterprises.[4] He is a founding member of the ruling party All Progressives Congress.[5]
Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai was born on 16 February 1960 to a Fulani family in Daudawa. His father died while he was eight years old, and he was sponsored through his early schooling by an uncle.[6]
El-Rufai was educated at Barewa College. As a junior at the college, future president, Umaru Yar'Adua, was the house captain of his dormitory.[7] In 1976, he graduated at the top of his class, winning the "Barewa Old Boys' Association Academic Achievement" Trophy.[8] El-Rufai studied at the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, where he received a bachelor's degree in quantity surveying with first class honours.[9]
In 1984, he received a Master of Business Administration from Ahmadu Bello University. He has since attended several professional and post-graduate programs, including the Georgetown School of Foreign Service of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and programs on privatization and leadership.[10]
In August 2008 he received a law degree from the University of London; and a master's degree in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University in June 2009. He also received the Kennedy School Certificate in Public Policy and Management having spent 11 months as an Edward A. Mason Fellow in Public Policy and Management from July 2008 to June 2009.
In 2017, he enrolled in for a Doctorate Degree in Governance and Policy Analysis at the United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology in Netherlands.[11]
In 1982, he founded El-Rufai & Partners, a quantity surveying consulting firm with three partners, which he managed until 1998.[12] During the military juntas of 1983–1998, the firm received building and civil engineering contracts including during the construction of Abuja, making the partners "young millionaires".[13] In addition to his practice, El-Rufai held management positions with two international telecommunications companies, AT&T Network Systems International BV and Motorola Inc.
After the death of military dictator Sani Abacha, his successor Abdulsalami Abubakar began planning the peaceful transition of power, he set up an advisory policy committee which was referred to then as "the presidents think tank" of technocrats to aid in demilitarising the entrenched public administration following years of military dictatorship in Nigeria. Abubakar appointed El-Rufai as an economic advisor on his team in 1998, he resigned from his private sector positions and spent the next year of the transition working primarily on issues with the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and other financial institutions overseeing the national privatisation program and electoral finance for the 1999 presidential election. On 29 May 1999, Abubakar transferred power to President Olusegun Obasanjo. In November 1999, Obasanjo appointed El-Rufai as the inaugural director of the Bureau of Public Enterprises,[14] and secretary of the National Council of Privatisation where he spear-headed the privatisation of several government owned corporations alongside Vice President Atiku Abubakar.[15]
In July 2003, he was appointed the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. During his tenure, he presided over a radical transformation of the federal capital earlier riddled with corruption and vast deviation from the original masterplan.[16] With the establishment of the Abuja Geographic Information System, the capital became the first municipality in Nigeria with a computerised land register and information system.[17]
After el-Rufai's appointment was approved by the Nigerian Senate, he accused two senators, Jonathan Zwingina and Ibrahim Mantu (deputy senate president), of asking him for a bribe of $414,000 before his nomination as a minister was approved.[18] Both senators denied the accusation, with Mantu calling him a 'pathological liar'.[19]
A year into el-Rufai's tenure, members of the Senate Public Accounts Committee accused him of paying exorbitant salaries to staff without proper approval and demanded that he reimburse the state. In response, el-Rufai retorted: "Silence is the best answer to a fool". This remark angered the Senate, which went on a two-day strike, demanding that the President sack him for his comments.[20] President Obasanjo issued an apology on his behalf, but it was swiftly rejected by the Senate. As a result, el-Rufai appeared before the Senate to formally apologise, stating "I did not mean what I said. I certainly did not mean to refer to the senators [as fools]. The statement is inappropriate. I made a mistake and I am sorry."
Along with the President and members of the Economic Management Team, Rufai led the reform of the Nigerian public service which had become dysfunctional during years of military dictatorship.[21] At various times during his tenure as Minister, he oversaw the Federal Ministries of Commerce (twice) and Interior.[22] He also chaired several high-profile cabinet committees that led to the establishment of a mortgage system in Nigeria,[23] National ID card system for Nigeria,[24] Electric Power Supply Improvement and the sale of Federal Government real estate in Abuja.[25]
During the last days of the Obasanjo administration, Nuhu Ribadu, a one-time El-Rufai ally described him as the "de facto No. 2 official",[26] tagging him with the role of Vice President, especially after the fall-out between Obasanjo and his vice president Atiku Abubakar. It is believed that Obasanjo's trust and confidence in El-Rufai angered a vast majority of the political class, which would later persecute him.[27] [28]
As FCT Minister, el-Rufai came to be known as "Mr Demolition" for his policy of forced evictions and demolitions of buildings and settlements in the capital city. A report by the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions, titled 'Forced Evictions: Violations of Human Rights 2003-2006', claimed that 800,000 people living in informal and unauthorised settlements were displaced in an effort to restore Abuja to its original master plan. The report also stated that at least 49 settlements were targeted for demolition by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) under el-Rufai's leadership.[29]
By the end of el-Rufai's term, the government had demolished 945 buildings in the FCT, around 300 in Kubwa, and 12,000 shanties in squatter settlements across Idu Karmo, Jiwa, Gwarimpa, Jabi, and Anguwan Mada. Notably, one of the demolished buildings was the residence of the PDP National Chairman, Ahmadu Ali, in Asokoro, which was removed for being built over a water trunk line. El-Rufai also revoked 1.2 hectares of land in the Central Area owned by late businessman Joseph Igwe, as the land was designated as a green park and church in the FCT master plan.
In 2008, El-Rufai went into self-imposed exile and became a vocal critic of the Umaru Yar'Adua administration.[30]
In 2010, he returned to Nigeria and was subsequently arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He explained his return was in order to clear his name of corruption charges.[31] In 2011, el-Rufai joined party politics with the Congress for Progressive Change supporting Muhammadu Buhari's campaign in the 2011 presidential election.
In 2013, el-Rufai was appointed deputy national secretary of the newly formed All Progressives Congress (APC).[32]
In 2014, El-Rufai declared his campaign for Governor of Kaduna State, contesting the APC governorship primaries to emerged as the party's candidate for Governor of Kaduna State.[33] He went on to win the governorship election, with over one million votes to defeat the incumbent Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero the candidate of the People's Democratic Party.[34] In 2018, he again emerged as the APC's governorship candidate.[35] He was re-elected on 9 March 2019, defeating his closest rival by over 200,000 votes.[36]
On 29 May 2015, El-Rufai was sworn in as the 22nd Governor of Kaduna State.[37] In his inaugural address, he declared that he and his deputy were cutting their allowances by half pending an improvement in the state's fiscal situation.[38] On 6 August 2015, El-Rufai in one of his first acts as governor announced that Kaduna State will adopt the Treasury Single Account policy by 1 September of the same year.[39] At the end of the exercise, 470 accounts belonging to different ministries, departments and agencies were closed and a sum of N24.7 billion was recovered and remitted to the Kaduna State Government TSA with the Central Bank of Nigeria.[40]
By blocking leakages and cutting the cost of running government, it is estimated that the El-Rufai administration was able to save N1.2 billion in just two months.[41] El-Rufai also reformed the civil service in Kaduna State and reduced the number of ministries from 19 to 13 and the number of permanent secretaries from 35 to 18.[42] In a bid to reduce the cost of governance, El-Rufai appointed only 13 commissioners, 10 special advisers and 12 special assistants as against the 24 commissioners, 41 special advisers and about 400 special assistants appointed by the previous administration.[43] [44]
As governor, El-Rufai has embarked on a comprehensive education reform with the goal of revamping the moribund state of education. El-Rufai sacked over 22,000 unqualified primary teachers.[45] El-Rufai's administration launched the School Feeding Programme, aimed at providing one free meal per day to 1.5 million pupils in public primary schools within the state.[46] [47] He also abolished the collection of fees and levies in public primary and junior secondary schools in Kaduna, thereby removing a financial burden of N3 billion from the parents.[48]
On 28 March 2020, El-Rufai tested positive for COVID-19, following contact with an index case.[49] He has placed a curfew in Kaduna State and restricted movement, to prevent the spread of the virus.[50]
On 20 August 2020, Controversy arose on social media when the Nigerian Bar Association invited Governor El-rufai to speak at its annual conference. Thousands of Nigerians signed a petition on change.org to have Governor El-rufai's invitation revoked. The NBA succumbed to the pressure and disinvited the governor.[51] A report by Open Bar initiative cited eight reasons why El-rufai's invitation to the general conference was turned down.[52] Some of the reasons include his refusal to obey court orders in his case with Audu Maikori, threatening Gloria Ballason who was Maikori's lawyer and a report by Quartz (publication) Africa which named Governor El-rufai as the head of a "powerful" group of Nigerian governors who "now regularly use security agents to arrest and intimidate journalists who dare to question their actions or attempt to hold them accountable".[53]
El Rufai granted pardon to 12 prisoners in Kaduna State, 10 of whom were nearing the end of their sentences, some of the pardons were also granted due to age. Additionally he reduced one prisoners death sentence to life in prison.[54] On 1 August 2023, he was screened by the Senate, following his nomination as minister by President Bola Tinubu.[55]
On 27 July 2023, president Bola Tinubu nominated El-Rufai and 27 others for ministerial appointment. The list was forwarded to the Nigerian Senate for screening. However, after the overall screening exercise, it was revealed that El-Rufai's confirmation had been withheld due to a negative security report from the country's secret police, the SSS. [56] El-Rufai was eventually not appointed a minister.[57]
In December 2023, El-Rufai co-founded a venture capital firm based in Abuja, FCT with a US$100 million investment commitment to promote the economy of northern Nigeria.[58] [59]
In March 2024, El-Rufai met with chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), as well as other party leaders causing media speculation that El-Rufai may defect from the APC to the SDP ahead of the 2027 general elections.[60]
On October 1 2024, El-Rufai announced his intention to return to politics in the next general election in 2027, stating "there is no retirement in politics" in a Hausa-language broadcast on popular northern broadcaster Freedom Radio Nigeria.[61] This revelation came on the backdrop of a private conversation held in Washington, D.C. at the Council of Foreign Relations on the subject of Nigeria's Political Future with Ebenezer Obadare.[62]
In 2012, El-Rufai threatened anyone who might challenge the Fulani, an ethnic group, even in the line of military duty. "We will write this for all to read. Anyone, soldier or not that kills the Fulani takes a loan payable one day no matter how long it takes," he tweeted.[63]
In 2019, El-Rufai said, in reference to a conspiracy theory that election observers were meddling in the Nigerian election, that "the person who will come and intervene...will go back in body bags because nobody will come to Nigeria and tell us how to run our country"[64]
In December 2021, International Christian Concern a Christian organisation published a report alleging that El-Rufai punished Christian protestors in Kaduna State.[65] The report details two incidents in which El-Rufai responded to protests by putting the protesting community under house arrest. The first of these lockdown orders was in December 2016 in Jema'a Local Government area and the second stretched 72 days starting in June 2020.[66]
The report says that eleven villagers were killed in the 2016 lockdown.[67] The report lists a number of attacks that happened during the 2020 lockdown and alleges that a total of about 120 villagers were killed at that time.[68] The report also states that El-Rufai has punished protestors with these lockdown orders at least six times since the first incident in 2016 and goes on to document El-Rufai's large wealth as evidenced by his and his family's wide international travels, extravagant lifestyle, and the fact that he sends one of his sons to a private boarding school in Canada where tuition runs about $44,000 USD per year.[69] The report concludes by calling for international governments to sanction El-Rufai for his actions.
These reports add to concerns by human rights organizations that El-Rufai may not respect the human rights of the people in Kaduna state. In October 2021, he resurrected the Religious Preaching Edict of 1984 to create the Interfaith Preaching Regulatory Council.[70] This state body has the authority to approve or deny religious leaders the right to lead and can disapprove the content of their sermons and messages. "Anyone who begins to preach without authorization, will be liable to pay a fine and may even be imprisoned," El-Rufai said in a radio interview after imposing the new regulation.[71]
According to one human rights watchdog group, "El-Rufai is pitching this as a measure to reduce religiously fueled violence, [but] he himself has a troubling history of fueling religious tension."[72] The watchdog group then cites how El-Rufai claimed, in a tweet posted on 8 September 2014, that Christians were behind Boko Haram, funding and controlling it to tarnish the name of Islam.[73] Boko Haram is not funded by Christians but is an Islamist terror group with strong ties to Islamic State.
In 2023 Christians in Kaduna expressed outrage when a video emerged of Nasir el-Rufai openly admitting to discriminating against Christians. El-Rufai is seen claiming that "those that are not Muslims don't vote for our party. Most of them. So, why should I give them the deputy position? I did my calculation, and I knew we could win the election without giving them the deputy governor", adding later that "of course, Kubau [a Muslim area] voted for us the most, so I'll add something to Kubau because they voted for us. What I'll give Jaba [a Christian area], I'll increase it for Kubau because Jaba didn't vote for us."
In reaction, representatives from the Catholic Diocesan Priests Association in Kaduna, Nigeria, Zaria and Kafanchan, which are all within the borders of Kaduna state, labelled the comments a "divisive, bigoted, hateful and completely unstatesmanlike declaration of Islamic political supremacism in Kaduna State and Nigeria".[74]
El-Rufai is married to three wives. His first wife Hadiza Ismail El-Rufai, is a writer and novelist; she runs the Yasmin El-Rufai Foundation[75] (YELF), set up in honour of their daughter who died in 2011.[76] His son Muhammed Bello El-Rufai is a member of the House of Representatives.
In October 2022, a Nigerian national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) was conferred on him by President Muhammadu Buhari.[77]