FORMER Kaduna State Governor, Mr Nasir El-Rufai, have asked Nigerians to examine whether their lives are better now than they were pre-2023, noting that things have gone from bad to worse under President Bola Tinubu.

In an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, El-Rufai asked,”Is your life better now under President Tinubu?” Mr El-Rufai said he was lampooing the president because things had got worse under his government.

Mr Bola Tinubu’s administration liberalised the foreign exchange (FX) market and removed petrol subsidies to reduce wastes and corruption while also rejigging the economy. The twin policies, though good, have brought untold hardship to Nigerians, leading to one of the worst cost of living crises in Africa’s most populous nation.

Mr El-Rufai was among the All Progressives Congress (APC) governors who backed candidate Bola Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election. He joined other leading politicians in the ruling party to seek legal redress against former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, who introduced the obnoxious naira redesign policy, which threw Nigeria into cash crunch delirium.

READ ALSO: Kaduna Debt: El-Rufai borrowed $343m and N37bn in 8 years

He was primed for the post of power minister in President Tinubu’s government but was disqualified by the National Assembly on the alleged advice of security agencies.

Mr El-Rufai said he was not desperate to be minister, noting that he had beenminister at the age of 23. “I was a minister at the age of 23. I am not interested in being a minister. I love Nigeria and gave them the template to transform the power sector, but are they using it?” he asked.

He accused Kaduna State governor, Mr Uba Sani, of sponsoring thugs at the recent African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition meeting in Kaduna.

“It is very stupid for anyone to think I would invite thugs to invade an event of my party. The police were there; I don’t know what they are now investigating. They knew what happened. They provided covers for the thugs to do what they did, so thugs were government- sponsored. We know them, and we know the police officers that were there,” Mr El-Rufai alleged.

“The government of Kaduna state was behind the attack. I will submit my evidence to the police service commission and the inspector general of police, if they care to take action.”

The former Kaduna State governor also accused the government of Mr Sani of paying bandits. “The government is paying bandits. They can come and deny it but I have evidence,” he claimed, stating that he never paid bandits while he was governor of Kaduna State.

Mr El-Rufai was instrumental in Mr Sani’s emergence as Kaduna governor. However, things began to fall apart between the two when Mr Sani became governor of the state.

READ ALSO: Agric Ministry invites civil servants to food security prayers despite budgeting billions on frivolous projects

Asked whether he had fallen out with Mr Sani, Mr El-Rufai responded, ” I have not fallen out with him. He was never my friend; he was my mentee.”

In 2024, the Kaduna State government accused Mr El-Rufai of borrowing $343 million and N37.43 billion in 8 years of his stewardship, Economy Post had reported.

On March 30 2023, Governor Sani said he inherited a huge debt from his predecessor on May 29, 2023.

According to Mr Sani, his administration inherited a total of $587 million, N85 billion, and 115 contract liabilities from the ex-governor, noting that the state was struggling to pay salaries.

Mr El-Rufai was also accused of corruption. However, he has taken the state to court and refuted all the allegations against him.

“We ran the state with total commitment and sense of accountability. We did not steal or bribe the media or anybody,” he said, noting that the state received over N900 billion in his 8 years as governor.

“Someone came to Channels TV and said I stole four hundred and something billion naira. I have sued him and also joined Channels TV because you gave him the platform. We got nine hundred and something billion naira in my 8 years as governor, If we stole that kind of money, we would not have done what we did in Kaduna,” he said.