Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai

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Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai (name often seen prefaced with the honorific Mallam) (b. 16 February 1960) has been Minister of the Abuja Federal Capital Territory since 16 July 2003. He is a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). He received education at the elite Barewa College, Zaria - Nigeria and Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria - Nigeria. He has attended programs at Arthur D. Little School of Management, Harvard Business School (OPM-23 and AMP-162) and Georgetown School of Foreign Service. From November 1999 to July 2003, he was the head of the Bureau of Public Enterprises and Member/Secretary of the National Council of Privatization where he spearheaded the privatization of many government owned companies. El-Rufai is a known crusader against corruption : having previously successfully exposed legislators that demanded bribe from him for ministerial confirmation. Since his leadership at the FCT, he has presided over a real estate boom backed by radical transformation of infrastructure and land use practices of the federal capital earlier riddled with corrupt and vast deviation from the original masterplan. Along with the President and members of the Economic Management Team, he currently leads the reform of the Nigerian public service which has become dysfunctional during years of military dictatorship. Mr. El-Rufai has worked in various areas of government reform like the procurement ('due process"), the extractive industry transparency initiative, and public expenditure. These activities are aimed at doing away with Nigeria's corrupt past especially relating to revenues, contracts and public works.

El-Rufai, a Muslim, is married to two wives, Hadiza and Asia. He has eight children - six boys and two girls, namely (Sani, Yasmin, Ramla, Bello, Hamza, Bashir, Ibrahim and Ahmed). He has been honored by - the Government of Nigeria with the conferment of the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) in 2001, - the University of Abuja with the Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa)in 2005 and the Honorary Citizenship of the State of Georgia, USA (2003, 2006). He is currently a final year LL.B external student of the University of London.