My Administration Believes In Youths Inclusiveness - El-Rufa'i

The Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has expressed how his administration believes in youths through the Kashim Ibrahim Fellowship.

The governor said it was his belief in youths that informed the decision to create platforms and opportunities like the Kashim Ibrahim Fellowship since 2015.

El-Rufa'i made the expression when he welcomed members of the fourth cohort of the fellowship in Kaduna. He said his administration has ‘’given many young persons appointments and challenging responsibilities.’’

While expressing the importance of the fellowship to youths, he said the KI Fellowship is "a programme conceived to help widen the pool of young persons whose leadership ability we can help develop and nurture.’’

‘’Kaduna State Government, the Governing Board, and the Administrator of the Kashim Ibrahim Fellowship are committed to making your fellowship a most transformative experience in building public service leadership capacity," he declared.

He also added that ‘’Just as the appointees in this government come from across Nigeria, we opened up participation in the Kashim Ibrahim Fellowship to all Nigerian youths."

El-Rufa'i further stated that it is his intention to expand the program ‘’to all Africans, including those in the Diaspora, at the most appropriate time in the near future.’’

He further expressed satisfaction over the performance of the previous cohorts.

He stated that ‘’They have amply justified the hopes and resources we invested in them, giving a good account of themselves in the Ministries, Departments and Agencies to which they were posted, demonstrating intellectual acuity in their training programmes, and showing a commitment to the public good."

While explaining further what to expect, he said, they ‘’will be required to read a lot of books on subjects as diverse as Nigerian history and politics, geopolitics, governance, and global economic trends.

‘’As the fellows of the fourth cohort settle into their programme, I wish to challenge each of you to live up to the high standards already set."

Present at the occasion were many dignitaries including the Senate President, Ahmed Ibrahim Lawan, and the Senate Majority Leader, Yahaya Abubakar Abdullahi.