The Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, is not ill and flown abroad for medical attention as being peddled in some quarters.

Rather, it was learnt that el-Rufai had since commenced receiving lectures as a part-time PhD student of Philosophy in Governance and Policy Analysis at United Nations University-Merit, Netherlands.

UNU-MERIT, a research and training institute of the United Nations University and Maastricht University, based in the South of the Netherlands, has been closely involved in research for a variety of UN agencies.

Such agencies include the International Labour Organisation, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, and the World Bank.

The institution ranked sixth among the world best universities.

There had been wide speculations especially on various social media platforms that el-Rufai was flown abroad for medical attention.

But an online post by the United Nations University-Merit dated March 7, 2017 at 8:23pm noted that the university had received a new intake and among them was el-Rufai.

The university said, “Yesterday a new batch of students started our Dual Career Training Programme to obtain a PhD in governance and Policy Analysis (GPAC2). Good luck to all!”

Also, a tweet by one of the lecturers of the university, read, “I’m looking forward to teaching H.E.@elrufai in November, student at UNU Merit/Maastricht University.”

Also, a top government official, who would not want his names in print because he was not permitted to speak on the matter, said “the governor is not sick but he is attending a programme abroad.”

He added “That is why the Deputy Governor, Mr. Barnabas Yusuf-Bala, is presently acting Governor pending the return of the governor after the programme.”

El-Rufai, a first-class Quantity Surveyor graduate from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, is also an alumini of Harvard University.

Punchng