Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani has declared that access to electricity will no longer be a privilege in Kaduna State as he flagged off the distribution of 600 transformers and accessories across the 23 local government areas, alongside the deployment of 10,000 solar-powered streetlights.
Speaking at the ceremony marking the commencement of Phase One of the electrification programme, the governor said the initiative is aimed at boosting economic activities and strengthening small and medium enterprises across the state.
“We are enabling welders, tailors, cold-room operators, ICT hubs and manufacturers to operate with dignity and predictability,” he said.
“We are sending a clear message that access to energy must no longer be the privilege of a few urban centres but the right of every community.”
He described electricity as the “bloodstream of modern society,” stressing that it powers hospitals, preserves vaccines, lights classrooms and expands opportunities for children, while also driving industries, irrigating farms and sustaining small businesses.
According to him, without reliable power supply, development is stunted, security is weakened and opportunities are constrained.
The governor disclosed that since assuming office nearly three years ago, his administration has completed several abandoned projects and initiated new ones in the power sector.
In the health sector, he said that under the previously stalled Indian-Exim Bank initiative, the government completed solar mini-grid installations in 190 out of 225 Primary Health Care Centres, delivering 1.35 megawatts of clean energy.
He added that 32 abandoned systems — 21 in primary health centres and 11 in general hospitals — were restored, resulting in improved service delivery and a measurable reduction in maternal and child mortality.
Governor Sani further announced the completion of the long-abandoned 2x60MVA, 132/33kV substation at the Green Economic Zone in Maraban Jos, describing it as an industrial catalyst capable of unlocking investment potential and positioning Kaduna as a competitive economic hub.
He cited the Damau solar model in Kubau Local Government Area, which delivers 100 kilowatts and has restored electricity to 450 households after a decade of darkness. Additional distributed generation projects totalling 1,694 kilowatts are ongoing in Chara, Gidan Kundi, Gora and Hawan Mai Mashi.
Detailing interventions across the three senatorial districts, the governor said distribution networks were rehabilitated in several communities in Zone One, including Maraban Kubau to Kubau, Makarfi through Tashan Icce and Tashan Yari, and Lere to Saminaka and Unguwan Bawa. Zaria, Sabon-Gari and Kudan towns also benefited from multiple transformer installations.
In Zone Two, he said several transformer installations and network rehabilitations have strengthened supply resilience in various communities.
In Zone Three, the administration rehabilitated critical lines from Kagarko Junction to Manchok, restored high and low-tension networks in Unguwan Magata and Unguwan Doh, and intervened in Ramai Gida and Jaba Local Government Area. Rehabilitation was also extended from Jagindi Junction to Gwado-Gwado, including the 69-kilometre Gada-Biyu to Kogun River corridor.
The governor added that major works along the Tafa–Jere–Kagarko high-tension line with associated transformers and accessories have been completed.
He also disclosed that on October 22, 2025, the state government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Rural Electrification Agency to advance new projects, including a 1.5-megawatt initiative for Kaduna Polytechnic and an eight-megawatt allocation for Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
“We are developing urban generation projects, including a two-megawatt initiative in the TRAPCO community. We are also planning two megawatts for Shika and four megawatts in Makarfi to boost local manufacturing,” he said.
