‘Kaduna is now better than I met it,’ says Governor Sani

Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has declared that he inherited a state which has immense potential, but was bedevilled with security challenges, infrastructure gaps and social indicators that required urgent attention.

The governor who spoke at a workshop for senior Government officials organised by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations(NIPR), as part of the ongoing Nigeria Public Relations Week, Croc City 2026, holding in Kaduna, said the state is now better than he met it in 2023.

Themed ‘’From Policy To Public Trust: Strategic Communication For Vision Alignment And Governance Delivery For Renewed Hope,’’ participants at the workshop included Commissioners, Special Advisers, Counsellors and Permanent Secretaries as well as other senior Government officials.

Speaking at the event, Governor Sani said that ‘’Kaduna is not where it was. Kaduna is by far a better place today and even more exciting is the fact that Kaduna is on the move and set to do even greater things and attain higher heights.’’

He emphasised that his administration understood from the outset that incremental adjustments would not take the State to the desired heights, adding that what was required is a disciplined reorientation of governance itself.

According to him, his Government then vowed that vision must translate into measurable impact or else it will remain an aspiration.

‘’We institutionalised a performance framework built around Key Performance Indicators, ensuring that every ministry, department, and agency operates with clarity of purpose and accountability of outcome,’’ he added.

The governor said that he also structured his agenda around seven strategic pillars upon assuming office in 2023 and the results have started manifesting positively in the last two and half years.

He said the seven pillars include safety and security; infrastructure development; strengthening of institutions; trade and investment; agriculture; human capital development; and citizens engagement.

Governor Sani pointed out that these pillars are not isolated priorities but ‘’interconnected levers, designed to function as a coherent system; each reinforcing the other, each contributing to a broader objective: the transformation of Kaduna State into a secure, prosperous, and inclusive society.’’

He argued that security is the foundation upon which all progress rests, adding that without it, ‘’ farmers cannot cultivate their land, businesses cannot invest, and communities cannot thrive.’’

The governor disclosed that he worked closely with the Office of the National Security Adviser and the military high command, to establish new military bases in high-risk areas, including Giwa, Birnin Gwari, and Southern Kaduna.

‘’We strengthened mobility and response through the deployment of over 150 operational vehicles and 500 motorcycles to security agencies. In our urban centres, we constituted a Joint Task Force that has significantly reduced incidents of street crime and banditry generally,’’ he added.

Governor Sani further said that his Government also focused on structural outcomes.

‘’We have reclaimed over 20,000 hectares of previously inaccessible farmland, enabling farmers to return to productive activity, especially in places like Birnin Gwari, Giwa and Kargarko.

‘’We have facilitated the resettlement of over 1,000 displaced persons and continue to provide targeted support to more than 117,000 internally displaced persons, with particular attention to women and children,’’ he added.

The governor also disclosed that his administration has established the first forensic laboratory in Northern Nigeria, which has strengthened investigative capacity.

‘’The Kaduna Incident Report Centre— KAD-IR, now provides a 24-hour platform for real-time emergency response. Early warning systems are in place to detect and defuse tensions before they escalate,’’ he revealed.

According to him, Kaduna State has institutionalised peace dialogues, established local peace councils, and implemented a rehabilitation and reintegration framework that prioritises skills acquisition over financial inducement as part of its non-kinetic strategy.

He argued that although the result is not perfect but ‘’security is improving, confidence is returning, and economic activity is gradually expanding in areas that were once considered inaccessible. All of this is encapsulated in what we now call the Kaduna Peace Model.’’

Governor Sani also said that his administration has made giant strides in the education sector, by making deliberate investments to expand access and improve quality.

‘’We have constructed 736 new classrooms and renovated over 1,200 existing ones. We have recruited 10,000 teachers and trained more than 33,000 education personnel in modern teaching methodologies and digital skills,’’ he said.

He stressed that ‘’one of our most significant achievements has been the reduction in the number of out-of-school children: from approximately 550,000 to 187,720 within two years.

‘’This progress reflects not only investment, but also coordination, data-driven interventions, and sustained engagement with communities,’’ he further said.

Governor Sani also said that his Government is aligning education with the demands of a modern economy. ‘’The establishment of the Institute of Vocational Training and Skills Development marks a decisive step toward bridging the gap between education and employment.

‘’Through training in ICT, mechatronics, renewable energy, and other high-demand sectors, we are preparing our youth not just for jobs, but for productivity and innovation,’’ he said.

The governor also said that he has expanded access to healthcare and improved the quality of health facilities and strengthen systems in the last two and half years.

‘’We have upgraded 255 Primary Healthcare Centres to Level-2 facilities and established 23 Centres of Excellence; one in each Local Government Area. We have delivered a 300-bed specialist hospital to provide advanced medical services within the state, reducing the need for costly medical travel,’’ he said.

In terms of infrastructure development, he said that his Government has initiated approximately 150 road projects, covering over 1,300 kilometres across all 23 Local Government Areas.

He argued that the projects ‘’ are part of a deliberate strategy to connect rural production centres to urban markets, to reduce travel time, and to stimulate commerce.’’

The governor said that he has increased the agricultural budget from ₦1.48 billion in 2023 to over ₦74 billion this year, distributed over 900 trucks of fertiliser to farmers and enrolled more than 100,000 smallholders into crop insurance schemes to protect them against risk.