Nasir El-Rufai Biography: Early Life, Career, Wives, Children & Net Worth
Nasir El-Rufai CON (born February 16, 1960) is a Nigerian politician who served as Governor of Kaduna State from 2015 until 2023. From 2003 until 2007, he served as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
El-Rufai also served as Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Privatisation Agency, officially known as the Bureau of Public Enterprises, from November 1999 to June 2023.
He is a founding member of the ruling All Progressives Congress. He was designated the party’s Interim Deputy National Secretary and a member of the National Working Committee.
In November 2025, he switched to the opposition African Democratic Congress, alleging irreconcilable differences with the ruling APC and the opposition Social Democratic Party.
Nasir El-Rufai Biography
Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai was born February 16, 1960, in Daudawa, Northern Region, British Nigeria (now Katsina State, Nigeria). He was reared by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. El-Rufai.
His father died when he was eight years old, leaving him to grow up alongside his two siblings, Zainab Ahmed and Aliyu El-Rufai. El-Rufai was educated at Barewa College in Zaria.
In 1976, he graduated first in his class, earning the “Barewa Old Boys’ Association Academic Achievement” Trophy.
El-Rufai attended Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in quantity surveying with first-class honours.
He earned a Master of Business Administration from Ahmadu Bello University in 1984, followed by a Post-Graduate Diploma in Computer Science in 1985.
He has now completed a number of professional and post-graduate programs, including the Owner-President Management Program (OPM-22) from 1993 to 1995 and the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Programme (AMP-162) in 2002.
In 2000, he attended the Georgetown Leadership Seminar at Georgetown University’s Georgetown School of Foreign Service in Washington, D.C. He also participated in privatisation programs at Arthur D. Little School Management and various Aspen Institute leadership development programs.
He obtained his law degree from the University of London in August 2008, followed by a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government in June 2009.
He also got the Kennedy School Certificate in Public Policy and Management after serving as an Edward A. Mason Fellow in Public Policy and Management for 11 months from July 2008 to June 2009.
In 2017, he began studying for a Doctorate in Governance and Policy Analysis at the United Nations University – Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology in the Netherlands.
Career
In 1982, he formed El-Rufai & Partners, a quantity surveying consultancy firm with three partners that he ran until 1998. During the military juntas of 1983-1998, the firm earned building and civil engineering consultancy contracts, including those for the construction of Abuja, making the partners “young millionaires”.
In addition to his practice, El-Rufai held executive positions at AT&T Network Systems International BV and Motorola Inc. In July 2003, he took office as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. During his tenure, he oversaw a drastic renovation of the federal capital, which was previously riddled with corruption and deviated significantly from the original Abuja blueprint.
The introduction of the Abuja Geographic Information System made the capital the first municipality in Nigeria to have a computerised land registration and information system. El-Rufai went into self-imposed exile in 2008, where he became a prominent critic of President Umaru Yar’Adua.
On 1st May 2010, he returned to Nigeria and was subsequently invited for questioning by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He appeared at the Commission on the 6th of May and was released on administrative bail on the same day. He explained his return was in order to clear his name of allegations of abuse of office and corruption.
In 2011, el-Rufai joined party politics with the Congress for Progressive Change supporting Muhammadu Buhari’s campaign in the 2011 presidential election. In 2013, Justice Sadiq of the Federal Capital Territory High Court discharged and acquitted El-Rufai of all the allegations levelled by the EFCC against him.
In 2013, El-Rufai was named deputy national secretary of the newly founded All Progressives Congress (APC). In September 2014, El-Rufai announced his desire to run for governor of Kaduna State, contesting the APC governorship primaries to become the party’s nominee.
He went on to win the governorship race with over a million votes, defeating incumbent Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, the People’s Democratic Party candidate, by over 400,000 votes. In 2018, he was once again selected as the APC’s governorship candidate.
He was re-elected on March 9, 2019, surpassing his closest rival by more than 200,000 votes. El-Rufai was sworn in as Kaduna State’s 22nd governor on May 29, 2015. In his inauguration address, he stated that he and his deputy would reduce their allowances by half until an improvement in the state’s financial circumstances.
On August 6, 2015, El-Rufai said in one of his first acts as governor that Kaduna State would implement the Treasury Single Account policy by September 1 of that year.
At the completion of the exercise, 470 accounts belonging to various ministries, departments, and agencies were closed, and N24.7 billion was recovered and paid to the Kaduna State Government TSA through the Central Bank of Nigeria.
On March 10, 2025, Nasir El-Rufai announced his departure from the ruling All Progressive Change (APC) for the Social Democratic Party (SDP), claiming a growing divergence between his personal values and the APC’s current trajectory as the key reason for his choice.
El-Rufai expressed deep regret that the SDP had refused to meet the conditions for adoption as the coalition platform for the 2027 general election, and promised to join the ADC once some upcoming bye-elections and other off-season elections were completed by November 2025.
Nasir El-Rufai Wives
El-Rufai had four wives. His first wife, Hadiza Isma El-Rufai, is a writer and novelist. They married in 1985 and have five children: Yasmin (died in 2011), Mohammed Bello, Hamza (died in 2014), Bashir, and Ibrahim.
She is a polyglot with master’s degrees in architecture, business administration, and creative writing. She heads the Yasmin El-Rufai Foundation (YELF), which was established in memory of their daughter, who died in 2011.
His son, Muhammed Bello El-Rufai, is a member of the House of Representatives. He married Asia Ahmad El-Rufai in August 1999. The union has three children: Ahmad, Bilqiss, and Mustapha. Asia is a lawyer who practices and teaches corporate law.
Aisha Garba El-Rufai is El-Rufai’s third wife, whom he married in November 2010. They have four children: Abubakar Sadiq, Nafeesa Nasreen, Rabiah Ummah, and Fatima Layyan. El-Rufai’s fourth wife, Aichatou Assabe Djibril El-Rufai, married him in December 2020. They have a son from their relationship, Jibril Arif El-Rufai. El-Rufai is a devout Muslim.
Nasir El-Rufai Net Worth
Nasir El-Rufai’s net worth is expected to exceed $15 million by 2026. He has amassed riches through a variety of commercial enterprises, including real estate investments, consulting services, and advisory roles.
Social Media
X: @elrufai
