Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State on Saturday banned the allocation of fertilizers to traditional rulers, politicians and other elites across the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.

El-Rufai also directed that fertilizer stocks should be sold directly to local farmers from designated sales points across the state with immediate effect. He warned that the procurement of fertilizers should not become an ordeal to ordinary farmers in the state.

The governor stated this through his Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Samuel Aruwan, in a statement made available to newsmen in Kaduna on Saturday.

El-Rufai gave the directive when he paid an unscheduled visit to the fertilizer warehouse of Kaduna State Ministry of Agriculture at Dankande village along Kaduna-Zaria Expressway.

The statement said in part, “The governor made it clear that his administration will not condone injustice and acts of discrimination to the disadvantage of the ordinary citizens. The governor directed the Ministry of Agriculture to make more fertilizers available for sale in order to avoid the sort of scarcity that can introduce corruption into the distribution process. He said fertilizer procurement should not be made an ordeal for farmers.”

Meanwhile, the governor has said he would not have a bloated cabinet in the yet-to-be formed state executive council.

El-Rufai stated that he would adopt the practice of the past where commissioners are picked from the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.

He added that he would appoint only few advisers and that he would merge ministries to cut cost that would reflect the current economic situation in the state.