El-Rufai Threatens To ‘Fire Newly Appointed Commissioners’

Kaduna state governor, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai has said that he will not hesitate to sack any of his newly appointed commissioners should they fail to meet up with demands.

Naija News reports that the Kaduna state governor made this known after he swore in 13 commissioners on Friday, July 12.

He said that the commissioners are appointed not based on the local government they came from but based on their capability to work for the state.

“local government you come from but because you have been tested and found capable to work for the State.

“I know that some of you are qualified and big enough to be ministers but you decided to serve your State. I, therefore, urge your family members to cooperate with you and give you enough space to concentrate on your works”.

Recall that El-Rufai had nominated 14 cabinet members to the State House of Assembly, but nominee for the Ministry of Agriculture, Aliyu Jafaru was rejected by the Assembly.

While speaking further during the swearing in of the 13 commissioners, El-Rufai said; “Therefore, we have appointed our commissioners to represent and work for the entire state. We chose insiders so that they can hit the ground running. That is why you can see so many familiar faces, selected for their sound education, solid experience and capacity. I thank members of the Executive Council that served from 2015-2019. We chose to refresh the team so that other colleagues can bring their experience from other parts of the government into the Executive Council. In fact, some of our appointees are too big to be commissioners, but we thank them for agreeing to serve. Afterall, Kaduna comes first!

“The new commissioners must quickly settle in and deliver results. Each of you will receive and adhere to job descriptions that will be followed by Key Performance Indicators and Performance Agreements. Every Commissioner must in turn sign KPIs and Performance Agreements with the top management of their ministries. All are subject to strict quarterly reviews, because we must maximise the short time left to deliver service for our people.

“Family members and associates must realise that the commissioners would need their support. We thank you for the sacrifice you would make, but we urge you not to pressurize them. Genuine public service is a call duty and we must all account to the Almighty!

“With today’s event, we have formed the apex of the government. But the full government is still emerging. More appointments are coming. We recently dissolved all boards and will soon begin appointing new board members.

“Permit me to put on record our immense gratitude to the Kaduna State House of Assembly for the prompt confirmation and scrutinization of our commissioners. We note that the House was unable to confirm one of our nominees, and we would shortly be proposing a replacement. I would also like to confirm that the Deputy Governor will, for the time being, oversee the Ministry of Health.

“Much is expected from the new Kaduna State Executive Council and much must be delivered for the benefit of our people. May God bless the Kaduna State and the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.