The Governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai yesterday sent message of gratitude to those who celebrated his 60th birthday celebration with him, IgbereTV reports.
He said in a statement titled “A Statement of Gratitude”
I am profoundly grateful for the many kind messages sent to celebrate my 60th birthday. While I am unable to individually acknowledge and respond to each and every birthday message, I wish to thank each and everyone that sent them using different platforms and methods.
I appreciate the family members, friends, professional colleagues and political associates who came personally to Kaduna, many at great inconvenience, to celebrate with me. I thank all those who were unable to make it to Kaduna for the event but nevertheless joined in praying for me and my family.
I thank our leader, President Muhammadu Buhari, for sending a representative to the presentation of two volumes of my latest book, These Times, for which he also wrote a touching foreword. Mr. President also sent the Honourable Minister of Environment Dr. Mahmoud Mohammed Abubakar to represent him at the event. My family and I remain grateful to the President for his kindness and exceptional courtesies extended to me at all times.
Alhaji Aliko Dangote, GCON and Mr. Tony Elumelu, CON sent eminent persons to represent them as chairman and book presenter, respectively. We appreciate their consistent support for.
The governors of Edo, Ekiti, Lagos and Plateau States and the former governors of Bauchi and Zamfara States did me the great honour of their personal presence at the event. The governor of Kebbi State also joined us the next day when the President visited Kaduna State. I am grateful to them and the former governors, current and former party leaders, principal officers and members of the National Assembly, the Kaduna State House of Assembly, the Chief Judge of Kaduna State, Honourable Ministers and all the distinguished guests who spared time to attend the book presentation and other birthday events.
I thank our Deputy Governor, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, for her nice welcome speech and the former Deputy Governor, Architect Barnabas Yusuf Bala, for the kind tributes.
Several other eminent persons sent touching tributes that were published in the event brochure. I am humbled by the content of those tributes and I pray to Almighty Allah to give me the grace to live up to the expectations expressed in them.
I thank the editors and publishers of These Times, Safari Books of Ibadan, for collaborating to collect my writings and speeches and making them available to a wider audience.
I wish to acknowledge the sterling efforts of the Organising Committee of Malam@60 for putting the book presentation and related events together.
I ask Almighty Allah’s blessing on everyone for their role in helping to mark this milestone in my life.
Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai OFR
