Net Worth & Profile
Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai Net Worth and Biography
Click to read and know more about the governor of Kaduna state, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai’s net worth and biography.
Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai is a Nigerian politician and the current Governor of Kaduna State. From 2003 until 2007, he served as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and Director of the Bureau of Public Enterprises. And his effort was part of the formation of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). In other words, he is one of APC’s founding members. Here, RNN details Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai’s net worth and biography.
Bio Data
| Full Name | Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai |
| Current Status | Kaduna State Governor |
| Date of birth | 16th February 1960 |
| Age | 62 years old |
| Place of Birth | Daudawa |
| State of Origin | Katsina State |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Religion | Islam |
| Relationship Status | Married |
| Profession | Politician |
| Net Worth | $400 Million |
Life and Education
Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai was born on February 16, 1960, to a Fulani family in Daudawa. His father died when he was just eight years old, and he was sponsored throughout his early education by an uncle in Kaduna. El-Rufai had three wives; his first wife, Hadiza Isma El-Rufai, is a writer and novelist. And together, they manage the Yasmin El-Rufai Foundation (YELF), which was established in memory of their daughter, who died in 2011. His other wives are Asia Ahmad and Aisha Ummi Garba.
El-Rufai attended Barewa College. Then, Late President Umaru Yar’Adua was the house captain of his college dormitory as a student. He graduated first in his class in 1976, earning the “Barewa Old Boys’ Association Academic Achievement” Trophy. Afterwards, El-Rufai earned a bachelor’s degree in quantity surveying with first-class honours from Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria. Ahmadu Bello University awarded him a Master of Business Administration in 1984. And he has subsequently attended various professional and post-graduate programmes, including the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Washington, D.C. As well as seminars on privatisation and leadership.
Afterwards, he got a law degree from the University of London in August 2008, and a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government in June 2009. He also got the Kennedy School Certificate in Public Policy and Management after serving as an Edward A. Mason Fellow in Public Policy and Management for 11 months from July 2008 to June 2009.
Professional Career
In 1982, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai formed El-Rufai & Partners, a quantity surveying consulting business with three partners that he ran until 1998. During the military juntas of 1983-1998, the business earned building and civil engineering contracts – notably during the development of Abuja. In addition to his law practice, El-Rufai held executive roles with two multinational telecommunications businesses, AT&T Network Systems International BV and Motorola Inc.
Early Political Career
Following the death of the military head of state General Sani Abacha in 1998, his successor General Abdulsalami Abubakar appointed El-Rufai as an economic advisor. In this position, he collaborated with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Come November 1999, he was named director of the Bureau of Public Enterprises and secretary of the National Council of Privatisation. In this position, he spearheaded the privatisation of major government-owned firms with Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
He was named Minister of the Federal Capital Territory in July 2003. During his administration, he presided over a significant transformation of the federal capital, which had previously been marred with corruption and enormous deviations from the original plan. The Abuja Geographic Information System made the capital the first municipality in Nigeria to have a computerised land registry and information system. Also, he spearheaded the reform of Nigeria’s public service, which had grown inefficient under years of military rule. He did this with the President and members of the Economic Management Team. During his time as Minister, he also supervised the Federal Ministries of Commerce and Interior at separate periods.
He also oversaw many high-profile cabinet committees that resulted in the formation of a mortgage system in Nigeria, a national ID card system for Nigeria, improved electric power supply, and the sale of Federal Government real estate in Abuja.
Later Political Career
After spending some time in his “self-imposed exile”, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai returned to Nigeria in 2010 and was detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). According to him, he returned to cleanse his name of corruption accusations.
In 2011, El-Rufai joined the All Progressive Congress, which endorsed Muhammadu Buhari’s presidential campaign in the same year. El-Rufai was named deputy national secretary of the newly formed All Progressives Congress in 2013 (APC). El-Rufai announced his campaign for Governor of Kaduna State in 2014, contesting the APC gubernatorial primary to become the party’s nominee for Governor of Kaduna State. He went on to defeat incumbent Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero of PDP by over one million votes in the gubernatorial election. In 2018, he was re-elected as the APC’s governorship candidate. On March 9, 2019, he was again re-elected, surpassing his nearest competitor by nearly 200,000 votes.
His Tenure as Kaduna State Governor
El-Rufai was sworn in as Kaduna State’s 22nd governor on May 29, 2015. In his inaugural address, he vowed that he and his deputy would cut their allowances in half until the state’s budgetary position improved. In one of his first acts as governor, El-Rufai declared on August 6, 2015, that Kaduna State will implement the Treasury Single Account policy by September 1, 2015. And at the conclusion of the exercise, 470 accounts belonging to various ministries, departments, and agencies were closed. And, N24.7 billion was recovered and deposited to the Kaduna State Government TSA at the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The El-Rufai administration is claimed to have saved N1.2 billion in only two months by preventing leaks and lowering the cost of operating government sectors. El-Rufai also reorganised Kaduna State’s public service, reducing the number of ministries from 19 to 13 and the number of permanent secretaries from 35 to 18. In order to cut the expense of government, El-Rufai selected just 13 commissioners, 10 special advisors, and 12 special assistants. As opposed to the previous administration’s 24 commissioners, 41 special advisers, and around 400 special assistants.
El-Rufai, as governor, has launched a comprehensive education reform initiative with the purpose of revitalising the status of education. He also fired approximately 22,000 unqualified elementary school teachers. El-Rufai’s government created the School Feeding Programme, which sought to provide one free meal per day to 1.5 million students in public elementary schools across the state. He also stopped the collecting of fees and levies in Kaduna’s public primary and junior secondary schools, saving parents N3 billion.
Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai’s Net Worth
Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai’s net worth is currently estimated at $400 million. With this, he is also considered one of the richest governors in Nigeria. It is also confirmed that his wealth came from several years of running his businesses, different investments and his returns from his service in political positions.