The Kaduna State Government has fired back at former Governor Nasir El-Rufai over claims that all the projects commissioned by President Bola Tinubu during his recent visit were initiated by his administration.
El-Rufai, in an interview on Arise TV on Monday, said every project Tinubu inaugurated in Kaduna was conceived during his time in office. But the current government dismissed that claim as false and misleading.
In a strongly worded statement on Tuesday, June 24, Governor Uba Sani’s Chief Press Secretary, Ibraheem Musa, described El-Rufai’s remarks as a “bare-faced lie” and accused him of attempting to rewrite history.
“The attention of the Kaduna State Government has been drawn to the bare-faced lies disseminated by the former Governor of Kaduna State, His Excellency, Malam Nasir El-Rufai,” the statement read. “This assertion is not only misleading but a blatant distortion of the truth.”
Musa explained that Tinubu inaugurated three major projects during his visit, the Institutes of Vocational Training and Skills Development, a 300-bed specialist hospital, and 100 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses, all of which, according to him, were either started or completed under Governor Sani.
He said the vocational training institutes, built in Rigachikun, Soba, and Samaru Kataf, were fully initiated and completed by the current administration as part of a broader effort to empower Kaduna’s youth.
“These centres are designed to graduate 36,000 youths annually and are among the best-equipped in Nigeria,” Musa noted, quoting the Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Prof. Idris Bugaje, who described them as unmatched nationwide.
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Musa also pointed to the newly introduced CNG buses, which he said were rolled out by Governor Sani to cushion the impact of fuel subsidy removal.
The eco-friendly buses offer free rides to workers, retirees, and students for the first six months and will later operate on subsidised fares.
He said this transport initiative underscores the administration’s commitment to social welfare and environmental sustainability.
On the 300-bed Bola Ahmed Tinubu Specialist Hospital, the statement clarified that while the project dates back to the tenure of former Governor Namadi Sambo, it was abandoned and left at just 53% completion until Governor Sani took office.
“The structure was an emblem of waste and mismanagement,” Musa said. “Governor Sani took it upon himself to complete and equip the hospital with modern facilities, turning it into a signature achievement of his administration.”
The state government said the facts speak for themselves and warned against what it called a campaign of distortions by El-Rufai.
“In light of these tangible and verifiable achievements, Malam Nasir El-Rufai’s resort to distortions and falsehoods is regrettable but not surprising,” the statement added.
It concluded stating, “While he is entitled to his opinions, facts remain sacred. Governor Uba Sani has succeeded where others have faltered. No amount of revisionism can rewrite the truth.”