El-Rufai sacks 19 political appointees to cut cost of governance

Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna, has disengaged 19 political appointees in an effort to “rightsize” the state’s public service.

A statement issued by the Kaduna government on Wednesday said this is the first phase of the rightsizing exercise at the executive level.

The governor has been at loggerheads with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over the state’s government resolve to disengage 4,000 workers across the 23 LGAs in the state.

The workers went on a warning strike but suspended the action after the federal government intervened, following a request for negotiations.

The statement said a deputy chief of staff and two special advisers are among the 19 appointees disengaged by the governor.

Bala Yunusa Mohammed, the deputy chief of legislative staff (DCOSL), Halima Musa Nagogo, special assistant to DCOSL, and Umar Abubakar, special assistant to DCOSL, were affected.

“Malam Nasir El-Rufai has thanked the departing officials for their services to the state and wished them well in their future endeavours,” the statement said.

Ben Kure, special adviser political, was also disengaged.

”Mustapha Lynda Nyusha, Umar Haruna and Jamilu Gwarzala Dan Mutum, special assistants to Kure, will exit the service,” the statement said.

”Zainab Shehu, special adviser social development; Stephen Hezron, special assistant to Shehu; Mohammed Bello Shuaibu, senior special assistant stakeholders relations; and Aliyu Haruna, senior special assistant on youth, were also not spared in the move to rightsize the state’s public service.

“Also on the list are Halima Idris, special assistant creative arts, Engr Aliyu Alhaji Salihu, director-general of public procurement authority, special assistant community relations, Ashiru Zuntu, and Saida Sa’ad, a senior special assistant,” it read.

“Special assistant programmes, Elias Yahaya, and special assistant to the secretary to Kaduna state government; Tasiu Suleiman Yakaii, are on the list, [as well as] the special assistant on economic matters, Samuel Hadwayah, and Ahmed Mohammed Gero, senior special assistant environment.”