EL-RUFAI, THE MAKING OF A MAN WITH A STRONG WILL.

Born on 16^th February 1960 in Daudawa, Faskari local government Area of Katsina State, Mallam Ahmad Nasri El-rufai, is not one of the favorites for my admiration. I had to halt reading his account on his years of public service, “The Accidental Public Servant”, because of the rampant self-serving and praise singing contained in it.

But today, I am not in the least concerned about what he has to say about himself, but what I personally have to say about him since he emerged the Governor of Kaduna State.

During the electioneering campaign, one of the analysts categorized him as being a member of the elitist school of thought. A school of thought that is more concerned with the welfare and wellbeing of the elites than with the welfare of the majority of the populace. I somehow bought the idea, given his past attitude as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. He had to ask poor persons to leave Abuja.

During the campaigns, he joined the party of change Ambassadors, lambasting past administrations in Kaduna and accusing them of mortgaging the future of the people of Kaduna. He did not mince words in stating that he would prune down the bureaucracy of government and shut down leakages. He has just done that.

Unlike Baba Buhari, who is still waiting to be told what to do with the different promises he made to Nigerians, El-rufai in his inaugural speech, slashed his salary and that of his deputy by 50%. It did not end at this. He stopped the practice of allocating fertilizers to politicians and Traditional rulers and more recently, he reduced the number of ministries from 23 to 13, and have released his list of commissioners.

The above for me, is a serious sign of one who is ready to confront the problems of his state head-on and without kid gloves. Although it is too early to call, but he seems set to make hard decisions for the betterment of his state. He had to do that as the minister of FCT, when he pulled down structures, even of rich and powerful men, although at a point, it had a political cum witch-hunting undertone.

The other governors and our dear President should at least learn from El-rufai to be decisive in their choices and not to be trepid.

I look forward to Buhari’s restructuring of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies.