Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has nominated Samuel Peter Aruwan, his Senior Special Assistant (Media & Publicity), as Commissioner, Ministry of Internal Security & Home Affairs.

Mr. Aruwan was El-Rufai’s campaign spokesman in 2015 and 2019. He has been an active member of the Kaduna State Security Council since May 2015.

The governor sent the names of 11 nominees (including that of Mr. Aruwan) for appointment as commissioners to the Kaduna State House of Assembly.

The governor will subsequently forward other three more nominees to make up the 14 commissioners that will constitute the Kaduna State Executive Council.

A statement by Aruwan on Wednesday in Kaduna said that upon confirmation by the legislature, the commissioners will run the 14 ministries created in the June 2019 Executive Order.

According to the statement, “Malam Nasir El-Rufai nominated 11 persons for appointment as commissioners. The names of this first batch of 11 nominees have been forwarded to the Kaduna State House of Assembly. The second batch of nominees will subsequently be forwarded for the consideration of the legislature.

“All the 11 nominees served in various positions in the first-term of the government. Picking insiders is a deliberate decision to enable the nominees hit the ground running and assist the government to achieve its targets for the second term. Every appointee will be subjected to stronger monitoring based on clear terms of reference and key performance indicators.

“The first batch of 11 nominees for and their proposed portfolios are as follows:

1. Ja’afaru Ibrahim Sani Ministry of Local Government Affairs

2. Idris Samaila Nyam Ministry of Business, Innovation & Technology

3. Shehu Usman Makarfi Ministry of Education

4. Ibrahim Garba Hussaini Ministry of Environment & Natural Resources

5. Kabir Muhammad Mato Ministry of Sports Development

6. Balaraba Aliyu-Inuwa Ministry of Public Works & Infrastructure

7. Samuel Peter Aruwan Ministry of Internal Security & Home Affairs

8. Fausat Adebola Ibikunle Ministry of Housing & Urban Development

9. Mohammed Bashir Saidu Ministry of Finance

10. Hafsat Mohammed Baba Ministry of Human Services & Social Development

11. Aisha Dikko Ministry of Justice

“Nominations for the commissioners of Agriculture, Health and Planning & Budget will be forwarded in the second batch.”

On the background of the nominees, the statement said: “Ja’afaru Ibrahim Sani served as commissioner in the ministries of Local Government and Education in the first-term. Prior to joining the Kaduna State Executive Council, he was Permanent Secretary Cabinet Affairs.

“Idris Samaila Nyam is the current Accountant-General of the State. He has served as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance.

“Shehu Usman Makarfi is the current Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health.

“Ibrahim Garba Hussaini is the pioneer Director-General of the Kaduna State Geographic Information Service (KADGIS).

“Kabir Muhammad Mato, a Professor of Political Science, has served as commissioner of Agriculture and Local Government. He joined he government as Special Adviser, Inter-Governmental Relations.

“Balaraba Aliyu-Inuwa is the immediate past Commissioner of Works, the first woman in Kaduna State to be appointed to that role. She has served as Special Adviser and subsequently Commissioner for Rural & Community Development.

“Fausat Adebola Ibikunle is the General Manager of the Kaduna State Urban Planning & Development Authority (KASUPDA). Born in Doka district of Kaduna, she studied Architecture at the Ahmadu Belo University, Zaria, and graduated in 1983. She worked with the Ministry of Defence from 1984, until she moved to the Federal Capital Development Authority as Assistant Director in 2005 in the Public Buildings Department. In 2007, she rose to become Deputy Director in Health & Human Services Secretariat in the Federal Capital Territory Administration. She joined the Kaduna State Government in 2016.

Mohammed Bashir Saidu served as Commissioner for Local Government before being appointed as Chief of Staff to the Governor. He was appointed Commissioner of Finance towards the end of the first-term.

“Hafsat Mohammed Baba is the immediate past Commissioner of Women Affairs & Social Development.

“Aisha Dikko is Special Adviser, Legal Matters, the role in which she served in the first-term. She will be the third woman to be appointed as Commissioner of Justice by Malam Nasir El-Rufai. She was called to the bar in 1988, and had worked in banking and private law practise before joining the government.”

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