Kaduna State Governor, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, has sworn-in 13 new commissioners to man various government ministries in his second term.

He, however, vowed to fire any of them that fails to meet up with quarterly report of the ministry, just as he added that the Ministry of Health would in the time being, be overseen by the Deputy Governor, Hadiza Balarabe.

He said the commissioners were appointed not based on the “local government you come from but because you have been tested and found capable to work for the state.

“I know that some of you are qualified and big enough to be ministers but you decided to serve your state. I, therefore, urge your family members to cooperate with you and give you enough space to concentrate on your works.”

He urged the commissioners to report immediately to their respective ministry from the venue of the swearing in ceremony.

Governor El-Rufai had nominated 14 cabinet members to the State House of Assembly, but the nominee for the Ministry of Agriculture, Aliyu Jafaru was rejected by the Assembly over his consistent criticism of the El-Rufai’s administration since 2017.

The remaining 13 were however sworn-in amid jubilation inside the state council chamber at the Government House Kaduna.

El-rufai said: “Therefore, we have appointed our commissioners to represent and work for the entire state. We chose insiders so that they can hit the ground running. That is why you can see so many familiar faces, selected for their sound education, solid experience and capacity. I thank members of the Executive Council that served from 2015-2019.

We chose to refresh the team so that other colleagues can bring their experience from other parts of the government into the Executive Council. In fact, some of our appointees are too big to be commissioners, but we thank them for agreeing to serve. After all, Kaduna comes first!

“The new commissioners must quickly settle in and deliver results. Each of you will receive and adhere to job descriptions that will be followed by Key Performance Indicators and Performance Agreements.

“Every commissioner must in turn sign KPIs and Performance Agreements with the top management of their ministries. All are subject to strict quarterly reviews, because we must maximise the short-time left to deliver service to our people.

“Family members and associates must realise that the commissioners would need their support. We thank you for the sacrifice you would make, but we urge you not to pressurise them. Genuine public service is a call to duty and we must all account to the Almighty!

“With today’s event, we have formed the apex of the government. But the full government is still emerging. More appointments are coming. We recently dissolved all boards and will soon begin appointing new board members.

“Permit me to put on record our immense gratitude to the Kaduna State House of Assembly for the prompt confirmation and scrutinisation of our commissioners. We note that the House was unable to confirm one of our nominees, and we would shortly be proposing a replacement. I would also like to confirm that the Deputy Governor will, for the time being, oversee the Ministry of Health.

“Much is expected from the new Kaduna State Executive Council and much must be delivered for the benefit of our people. May God bless the Kaduna State and the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.

The Commissioners sworn-in were: Ja’afaru Ibrahim Sani, Ministry of Local Government Affairs; Idris Samaila Nyam, Ministry of Business, Innovation & Technology; Shehu Usman Makarfi, Ministry of Education; Ibrahim Garba Hussaini, Ministry of Environment & Natural Resources; Kabir Muhammad Mato, Ministry of Sports Development; Balaraba Aliyu-Inuwa, Ministry of Public Works & Infrastructure and Samuel Peter Aruwan, Ministry of Internal Security & Home Affairs.

Others were Fausat Adebola Ibikunle, Ministry of Housing & Urban Development; Mohammed Bashir Saidu, Ministry of Finance; Hafsat Mohammed Baba, Ministry of Human Services & Social Development; Aisha Dikko, Ministry of Justice; Mr. Thomas Gyang, Commissioner for Planning and Budget; Alhaji Hassan Mahmud, Commissioner in the Governor’s Office for Riots, Damage, Rehabilitation and Resettlement. (The Sun)