Hadiza Usman, Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has cried out.

She said; “I am definitely not Governor el-Rufai’s girlfriend. The governor is my mentor and my boss. He has been very supportive of my career and the career of every other woman that has worked for him.”

“As you are aware, Kaduna State is the first state in northern Nigeria that has an elected female deputy governor. So you can see he has that commitment having women in positions of authority so that rumour is completely untrue.”

“These are the things they say to women to pull us down. For everything you have done in terms of showcasing your competence, they always reference and attribute it to the fact that you are in a relationship with another person.”