The Kaduna State Government has accused former governor Nasir el-Rufa’i of peddling “bare-faced lies” over claims that all projects recently commissioned by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during his state visit were initiated under el-Rufa’i’s administration.
In a strongly worded statement released on Monday, the State government dismissed el-Rufa’i’s assertions as “misleading” and a “blatant distortion of facts,” asserting that key projects commissioned by the President were either launched or completed by Governor Uba Sani.
The projects in question include: The Bola Ahmed Tinubu Specialist Hospital; Three Institutes of Vocational Training and Skills Development located in Rigachikun, Soba, and Samaru Kataf;, and 100 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses for mass transit
The statement noted that the vocational institutes, fully conceptualized and executed by the Uba Sani administration, aim to train over 36,000 youths annually. According to the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), these centers are now Nigeria’s best-equipped skills hubs.
On the CNG buses, the government explained that they were launched as part of efforts to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal, with workers, retirees, and students granted free rides for six months.
Regarding the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Specialist Hospital, the state government revealed that while the project dates back to the tenure of former Governor Namadi Sambo, it was only 53% complete when Uba Sani took office. The facility was reportedly unequipped and largely abandoned until Governor Sani made its completion a priority.
The statement quoted Vice President Namadi Sambo, who during the commissioning, acknowledged that three successive administrations failed to finish the hospital, and praised Sani for his commitment to public healthcare.
In closing, the Kaduna government criticized el-Rufa’i’s “resort to distortions and falsehoods”, insisting that Sani’s administration has delivered tangible results through a focus on youth empowerment, healthcare, and infrastructure.
“While he is entitled to his opinion, facts remain sacred, No amount of revisionism can rewrite the truth”, the statement read.
