BEVERLY HILLS, July 02, (THEWILL) – Kaduna State Governor, Mr. Nasiru El-rufai has declared a whooping N90 billion in assets in his filing at the Code of Conduct Bureau, a national newspaper said in a news report Thursday.
The Union said the governor, who was elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) declared ownership of “40 mansions”, most of which are located in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, where he served as Minister of the FCT under the Olusegun Obasanjo regime.
But the Governor says he is dismayed by the “blatant falsehood” in the report and has directed his lawyers to sue the newspaper for libel.
El-rufai’s spokesman, Samuel Aruwan in a statement said, “After a busy few weeks as governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai is dismayed by the blatant falsehood being practised as journalism by The Union newspapers. He has consequently directed his legal team to vigorously enforce his rights to protect his reputation from the vandalism of irresponsible hacks.
“The Union chose to write a spurious story alleging N90b as his assets declaration without seeing the declaration made by Malam El Rufai. The circle of blackmail that did the story claimed they heard a rumour, and they pursued the rumour so vigorously they transformed it into news.
“When some of their cohorts made contact with the governor’s media team insisting that they respond to rumour, they were told that it is better if they chose the more legitimate route of agitating for a public asset declaration.
“Fair minded people who read the story will notice that it is not grounded in any evidence. It is just the animus of blackmailers who regard Malam Nasir El-Rufai as easy prey. But since his reputation is not based on purchased kudos, he cannot be compelled into accommodation with venal people masquerading as journalists.
“Malam Nasir El-Rufai is a privileged Nigerian. He qualified as a chartered Quantity Surveyor early in life and became a dollar millionaire in his twenties. He is a respected leader in in his professional field but as successful as he has been in his career, he certainly has neither N90 billion nor 40 mansions.
“He will not be distracted from his total focus on making Kaduna great again. In this endeavour, he will continue to be accessible to practitioners of responsible journalism.”
Before his appointment as Minister, the politician was head of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), which supervised the sale of federal government assets and had a multi-billion-naira budget.
El-rufai is a Quantity Surveyor by training and was a partner in a Quantity Surveying and Project Management Consulting firm which he established in 1982 with three others before his adventure into politics in 1999.
THEWIL made several unsuccessful attempts to get an independent confirmation of the declaration from the Abuja headquarters Code of Conduct Bureau which is often very secretive and would not discuss details of disclosures by public servants.
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