The Kaduna state government has refuted reports that the governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai who has been out of the country for some days, leaving the deputy governor, Bala Bantex to preside over the state as acting governor is sick and had traveled out of the country for medical attention.
New claims from government quarters, however, suggest that the governor is out of the country to study for a doctorate degree, an equally curious situation seeing that El-Rufai has recently been talking about resolving the Southern Kaduna crisis.
Former music label boss, Audu Maikori, who was arrested on the instruction of the governor for allegedly disseminating wrong information capable of worsening the crisis, was arraigned this week despite entreaties from various quarters.
One Kaduna state government official who pleaded with newsmen not to be named, said: “the governor is not sick but he is attending a programme abroad.”
He added “That is why the Deputy Governor, Mr Barnabas Yusuf-Bala, is presently acting Governor pending the return of the governor after the programme.”
Indications also emerged yesterday that the governor was receiving lectures as a part-time PhD student of Philosophy in Governance and Policy Analysis at the United Nations University-Merit, Netherlands.
UNU-MERIT is described as a research and training institute of the United Nations University and Maastricht University, based in the South of the Netherlands, which has been closely involved in research for a variety of UN agencies including the International Labour Organisation, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, and the World Bank.
However, there are reports of an online post by the United Nations University-Merit dated March 7, 2017 at 8:23pm in which the institution noted that it had received a new intake and among them was El-Rufai.
The university reportedly said, “Yesterday a new batch of students started our Dual Career Training Programme to obtain a PhD in governance and Policy Analysis (GPAC2). Good luck to all!”
