Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, has appointed Muhammadu Sanusi II, former emir of Kano, as member of Kaduna Investment Promotion Agency.
The appointment was announced a day after the government of Abdullahi Ganduje dethroned Sanusi as emir of Kano.
In a statement on Tuesday, Muyiwa Adekeye, special adviser to the governor on media and publicity, said el-Rufai appointed Sanusi as the board’s vice chairman as part of the reconstitution of KADIPA board.
He said the governor hopes the state will benefit from the profile, experience, intellect and networks of the former emir.
“Malam Nasir El-Rufai has appointed His Highness, Muhammad Sanusi II into the board of KADIPA. The appointment is part of the reconstitution of the board of KADIPA, which is statutorily chaired by the Deputy Governor, and has as internal members senior officials of the Kaduna State Government,” the statement read.
“Governor El-Rufai said that Kaduna State hopes to benefit from the profile, experience, intellect and networks of His Highness, Muhammad Sanusi, who before becoming Emir, had built a solid reputation in global financial circles. Malam Nasir El-Rufai said that Kaduna State is honoured to be able to call on the services of a man of such calibre to drive its development.
“The Governor also said that he is confident that the new board, which includes the most senior officers of the state will further propel KADIPA to greater success in attracting investments to Kaduna State. He disclosed that the external members have been carefully chosen to further reinforce the investment credentials of the state.”
Apart from Sanusi, other members of the board are Hadiza Balarabe, deputy governor of Kaduna and board chairman; Balarabe Lawal, secretary to the state government; Bariatu Mohammed, head of service; Jimi Lawal, senior adviser-counsellor; Aisha Dikko, attorney-general of the state; and Idris Nyam, commissioner for business, innovation and technology.
Others include Fausat Ibikunle, commissioner for housing and urban development; Thomas Gyang, commissioner for planning and budget; Farida Dankaka, KACCIMA; Amal Hassan, private sector; Hafiz Bayero, managing director, Kaduna markets development company; Altine Jibrin, director-general, Kaduna geographical information service; and Umma Aboki, KADIPA executive secretary.
Adekeye said the governor has expressed his gratitude to members of the reconstituted board of KADIPA for agreeing to serve.
The agency was established in 2015 to lead the investment drive of the state.