Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State ,has dismissed the speculation that he could emerge as the Chief of Staff to the President-elect, Bola Tinubu.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Gombe Geographic Information Systems Service Centre, el-Rufai said he was committed to contributing to the country’s development through useful counsel.
The governor indicated that he would prefer to operate in the private sector after handing over as governor on May 29.
He said, “I will be leaving in 22 days, but I will be available anytime if you need (a) troublemaker. I will be in the private sector.
“I’m not going to be any chief of staff. I will take a break and advise people, like Governor Inuwa Yahaya, if they need it.”
Explaining why he would not accept an offer to serve despite his support for Tinubu, the Kaduna governor said though he was aware of the speculation about him being considered for a presidential appointment, he had not discussed such with Tinubu.
el-Rufai said, “I have not had the discussion with the President-elect and I don’t want to speculate. I read on the pages of newspapers and I see all kinds of portfolios assigned to me.
“I’m a committed Nigerian and I want to see my country make progress, and whatever I can do to contribute to the development I will but I don’t have to do it working in the government. “Everyone working in the private sector or civil society is contributing; there is no one way to contribute to the country and I will never stop working for Nigeria’s progress.”
