Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani
Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani has attributed the major achievements recorded by his administration in the last two and a half years to the support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Sani said Kaduna State would not have made significant progress across critical sectors without the backing and goodwill of the president.
The governor disclosed that Kaduna will be the first subnational government in Nigeria to benefit from the proposed $200 million Nigeria–China poultry project, described as the largest poultry initiative in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“By the grace of God, in the next two months we will carry out the groundbreaking for the construction of the biggest poultry project in Sub-Saharan Africa,” he said.
According to him, the project is expected to create about 350 direct jobs and over 150,000 indirect employment opportunities, while supporting about 10,000 small businesses across the state.
Sani spoke on Wednesday night when he hosted social media influencers to an Iftar, the breaking of the Ramadan fast, at the Government House in Kaduna.
The governor also revealed that Kaduna State would become the first state outside Lagos to develop a Light Rail system, noting that the project was made possible through the support of President Tinubu.
He said the groundbreaking ceremony for the rail project is expected to take place in May.
Sani thanked the influencers for their continued support, describing them as professionals who voluntarily promote the activities of the Kaduna State Government out of their passion for good governance.
The governor said his administration has recorded measurable progress across several sectors, including education, healthcare, agriculture and skills development.
In the education sector, he said the state government, in partnership with the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, has constructed 104 schools to tackle the challenge of out-of-school children.
He added that 65 secondary schools have been built while over 2,300 classrooms have been renovated, with plans underway to construct an additional 55 secondary schools.
Sani further disclosed that the state government will begin the recruitment of 2,000 primary school teachers from next month, noting that the exercise will be conducted annually.
“When we assumed office, Kaduna had about 580,000 out-of-school children, but today, by the grace of God, we have reduced the figure to about 182,000,” he said.
On skills development, the governor said the state government has established vocational institutions in Soba, Rigachikun and Zangon Kataf, adding that the facilities are among the best-equipped technical institutions in the country.
He said the institutions will graduate 32,000 artisans annually, who will be certified by the National Board for Technical Education and will be able to work anywhere in the world.
The governor also recalled that his administration reduced tuition fees in Kaduna State-owned tertiary institutions shortly after assuming office.
He said the move has led to over 200 per cent increase in enrolment across the state’s higher institutions.
In the health sector, Sani said Kaduna is the only state in Nigeria that has upgraded 255 primary healthcare centres from Level One to Level Two.
He added that the state has also upgraded and renovated 16 secondary healthcare facilities.
According to him, the government has commenced the recruitment of 1,800 medical personnel annually, including doctors and nurses, over the next five years.
Speaking on agriculture, the governor said Kaduna State was the first in Nigeria to perform the groundbreaking for a Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone.
He added that the state is also the second in Nigeria to partner with the African Export‑Import Bank to establish an Africa Quality Assurance Centre (AQAC), which will enable farmers to have their produce certified for export to international markets.
Sani said his administration has significantly increased investment in agriculture.
“When we assumed office in 2023, the budget for agriculture was only 0.5 per cent, but today it has risen to over 11 per cent, surpassing the Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth,” he said.
The governor further stated that the state government has distributed 900 trucks of fertiliser free of charge to smallholder farmers as part of efforts to boost food production.
