‘Nigeria cannot afford to waste El-Rufai’s knowledge, experience’ – Makarfi

Former Kaduna State governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai possesses a wealth of experience and reform credentials that Nigeria cannot afford to discard, according to Hayatuddeen Lawal Makarfi, a former Kaduna State governorship candidate. Makarfi, who ran for the governorship in 2023, emphasized that El-Rufai's lengthy detention was likely politically motivated and accused those in power of wasting his valuable knowledge.

He recounted El-Rufai's impressive educational background, including studies at the University of London and Harvard Kennedy School of Government, as well as his successful career in the private sector and public service. Makarfi highlighted El-Rufai's tenure as Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, which led to crucial telecommunications reforms, and his leadership as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, during which he defended the Abuja Master Plan and introduced the Abuja Geographic Information System.

He praised El-Rufai's focus on strengthening government institutions and empowering ministries, departments, and agencies to take greater responsibility in managing their duties. Makarfi urged for El-Rufai's release and elevation in Nigeria's political landscape, comparing him to other reform-minded leaders such as Lee Kuan Yew, Paul Kagame, and Julius Nyerere, emphasizing that history favors nations that safeguard their reformers.