El-Rufai declares, promises to fix Kaduna without demolishing houses

Buhari and El-Rufai

A former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory [FCT], Nasir El-Rufai, on Monday, formally declared to run for Governor of Kaduna State, with a pledge to turn around the fortunes of the state around if voted into office in the February election.

Mr. El-Rufai, who is running on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, said the current Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, administration of Governor Murktar Yero in the state, is incompetent and should not be allowed to drag the state down.

He told a cheering crowd of supporters and party leaders in Kaduna that he had traversed all the 23 local government areas of Kaduna State and visited tens of communities, but was sad by what he saw as it would have been difficult to believe they were part of the state.

He said he also consulted widely with people, including traditional rulers, respected elders and public officials, who could speak, as well as ordinary people who relied on people to speak for them.

According to Mr. El-Rufai, the purpose of the consultations was to listen to them and understand what they wanted from the state government and how the government and the people could work together to develop it.

The former minister lamented that Kaduna State, which he said used to be known for its industries, now barely had flourishing or profitable factories and that even basic sanitation was absent because Kaduna and most of the local government area headquarters were being overtaken by garbage.

He recounted that what he saw in the course of his visits and consultations and what both leading politicians and the people told him “further reaffirmed his commitment to the decision he made to devote the rest of his life to public service as a way of giving back to the community; to working with his brothers and sisters across Kaduna State and beyond to uplift our state; to building a united state; driving out poverty and making Kaduna the first among equals in Nigeria.”

Mr. El-Rufai used the occasion to revisit his era as FCT minister, saying his record in Abuja showed teamwork could lead to phenomenal results.

According to him, his administration constructed needed infrastructure, promoted transparency and due process.

While defending the demolition that took place under him, Mr. El-Rufai said the people of Kaduna should not worry about it because Kaduna and Abuja were completely different in history, growth and priorities.

He explained that his administration undertook the exercise to make it a true national capital.

Mr. El-Rufai canvassed support for a presidential aspirant on the platform of the APC, Muhammadu Buhari.

According to him, the former head of state would provide the leadership that would bring peace, prosperity and progress to Nigeria. ...PremiumTimes