Nasir El-Rufai has been a privatisation chief, the FCT minister who reshaped Abuja, and a two-term governor of Kaduna State. Once a key ally of Tinubu, he became one of his fiercest critics — and in 2026 found himself fighting corruption charges, which he calls political persecution.
Quick facts
| Full name | Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai |
|---|---|
| Born | 16 February 1960, Daudawa, Katsina State |
| Former offices | Governor of Kaduna State (2015–2023); Minister of the FCT (2003–2007); Director-General, Bureau of Public Enterprises (1999–2003) |
| Party | African Democratic Congress (ADC); previously SDP (2025) and APC (2013–2025) |
| Education | Quantity Surveying (first class) and MBA, Ahmadu Bello University; law degree, University of London; MPA, Harvard Kennedy School |
| Book | The Accidental Public Servant (2013) |
| 2026 | Facing ICPC charges in court; pleaded not guilty |
Early life and education
El-Rufai was born in Daudawa, Katsina State, and grew up in Kaduna. He attended Barewa College, Zaria, and graduated with a first-class degree in quantity surveying from Ahmadu Bello University, where he also earned an MBA. He later studied law at the University of London and earned a master’s in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Consultant and businessman
In 1982 he founded a quantity surveying consultancy, El-Rufai & Partners, and also worked with international technology companies. In 1998 he served as an economic adviser to the military head of state, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, during the transition to democracy.
Privatisation chief (1999–2003)
President Obasanjo appointed him Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), the agency in charge of selling or reforming state-owned companies. He oversaw several major privatisations; supporters say these improved services, while critics argue some assets were sold too cheaply.
Minister of the FCT (2003–2007)
As FCT minister, El-Rufai set out to restore the original Abuja master plan. He computerised land records through the Abuja Geographic Information System and revoked thousands of plots, and his government demolished buildings it said violated the plan. The approach earned him admirers for order — and the nickname “Mr Demolition” from those who lost homes and businesses.
Exile, the CPC and the APC
After 2007 he spent time abroad amid disputes with the new PDP government, then returned and joined Muhammadu Buhari’s CPC in 2011. He was one of the founding figures of the APC in 2013, serving as its deputy national secretary. His 2013 memoir, The Accidental Public Servant, became a bestseller for its frank account of power in Abuja.
Governor of Kaduna (2015–2023)
Elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019, El-Rufai pursued bold and controversial reforms:
- Free primary and junior secondary education, plus a school feeding programme;
- Testing primary school teachers and replacing over 20,000 who failed, with a fresh round of recruitment — praised by reformers and fought by unions;
- Cutting the number of ministries, a Treasury Single Account for the state and urban renewal projects in Kaduna, Zaria and Kafanchan;
- Tough land and demolition policies, and repeated clashes with labour and with critics over insecurity in southern Kaduna.
Falling out with Tinubu
El-Rufai was a strong supporter of Tinubu in the 2023 election. Tinubu nominated him as a minister in July 2023, but the Senate did not confirm him after it received an unfavourable security report. Relations soured. In March 2025 El-Rufai left the APC for the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and later aligned with the opposition coalition in the ADC.
