The Kaduna State Government has rejected claims by former Governor Nasir El-Rufai that all projects commissioned by President Bola Tinubu during his recent visit to Kaduna were initiated by El-Rufai’s tenure. El-Rufai made these claims during a televised interview on Arise TV.
Responding to these assertions, the government, through a statement by Governor Uba Sani’s Chief Press Secretary, Ibraheem Musa, described the claims as false and misleading. The statement provided a detailed account of the projects’ origins, highlighting that many were initiated or completed under Governor Sani’s administration.
During President Tinubu’s visit, three key projects were inaugurated: the Institutes of Vocational Training and Skills Development, the 300-bed Bola Ahmed Tinubu Specialist Hospital, and 100 Compressed Natural Gas buses. The vocational training institutes—Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa Institute, Col. Dangiwa Umar Institute, and Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa Institute—were fully established and completed by Governor Sani’s government.
These institutions are part of a broader human capital development plan aimed at equipping Kaduna’s youth with practical skills and modern training facilities, with a target of graduating 36,000 youths annually. The National Board for Technical Education has certified these institutes as the best-equipped skills development centers in Nigeria, according to NBTE Executive Secretary Prof. Idris Bugaje.
The statement also highlighted the introduction of 100 CNG buses as a Governor Sani initiative to mitigate the impact of fuel subsidy removal. The buses provide free rides for six months to workers, retirees, and students, with subsidized fares for others afterward, reflecting the administration’s commitment to social welfare and environmental sustainability.
Regarding the 300-bed specialist hospital, the statement noted that the project was originally conceptualized during former Governor Namadi Sambo’s administration but remained incomplete through subsequent governments until Governor Sani took office. The hospital was only 53% complete and lacked essential equipment when Governor Sani assumed office.
Governor Sani prioritized the hospital’s completion and equipped it with modern medical technology, marking it as a significant achievement of his administration.
The statement, titled “El-Rufai and his litany of lies,” criticized the former governor for spreading falsehoods and emphasized that Governor Sani’s administration has made real progress where others stalled.
