Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, the running mate to Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai in the 2019 elections, has been given a fresh appointment. A statement from Government House disclosed that Malam Nasir El-Rufai has appointed her as Senior Adviser-Counsellor, with immediate effect. She is currently Executive Secretary of the State Primary Health Care Development Agency.
As Senior Adviser-Counsellor she will be at the heart of government, attending meetings of the State Executive and Security Councils. This new responsibility places her within the second echelon of the government, next to the two elected leaders of the executive branch. She will join other senior officials to drive the policy and governance aspirations of the government in the remaining crucial months of the current mandate.
According to Samuel Aruwan, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Dr. Balarabe is expected to work from Government House, overseeing key agencies reporting to the Governor like the State Pensions Board, KADGIS and KASUPDA, advising the governor on matters of human capital development, and understudying him and the Deputy Governor in all aspects of governance.
The second echelon of the Kaduna State Government comprises of senior officials who are copied recipients of all correspondence from the governor, as part of Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s strategy to ensure that not just him and the Deputy Governor are abreast of all issues and decisions the government is dealing with. These senior officials act as the principal advisers to the governor, and also function as implementors and monitors of the governance agenda of the government.
In her new role, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe will attend all meetings and activities in the Governor’s office, and perform other assigned responsibilities.
The new appointment is expected to further expose this accomplished medical doctor and public health expert to the entire workings of the Kaduna State Government.
Aruwan also reports that Dr. Hadiza Balarabe is the first woman to join the second echelon since Hadiza Bala-Usman, Governor El-Rufai’s first chief of staff, left to take up the leadership of the Nigerian Ports Authority.
