Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani on Thursday highlighted President Bola Tinubu’s role in supporting his administration’s developmental achievements while hosting social media influencers for an “Iftar” event in Kaduna.
Sani revealed that Kaduna would be the first subnational government to benefit from the $200 million Nigeria-China Poultry Project, described as the largest poultry initiative in Sub-Saharan Africa. The project is expected to generate 350 direct jobs, 150,000 indirect jobs, and support about 10,000 small businesses, with the groundbreaking scheduled for May.
He also announced that Kaduna would be among the first states, alongside Lagos State, to host a light rail system, crediting Tinubu’s support for the development.
On education, Sani noted that in partnership with the Kuwait Development Fund, the state had built 104 schools, 65 secondary schools, and renovated over 2,300 classrooms. Plans include constructing 55 additional secondary schools and recruiting 2,000 primary school teachers monthly. The number of out-of-school children has reportedly dropped from 580,000 in 2023 to 182,000.
Kaduna is also focusing on skills development through vocational institutions in Soba, Rigachikun, and Zangon Kataf, which are expected to graduate 32,000 certified artisans annually under the supervision of the National Board for Technical Education.
In healthcare, 255 primary healthcare centres have been upgraded from Level 1 to Level 2, while 16 secondary facilities were enhanced. The government aims to recruit 1,800 medical personnel annually over the next five years.
Agricultural initiatives include the Special Agro Industrial Processing Zone and, in collaboration with Afreximbank, the establishment of an Africa Quality Assurance Centre (AQAC) to certify farmers’ produce for export. The agriculture budget has risen from 0.5% in 2023 to over 11%, surpassing the Malabo Declaration target. Additionally, 900 truckloads of fertiliser were distributed free to smallholder farmers.
Governor Sani commended social media influencers for promoting government initiatives, describing them as key partners in publicising Kaduna’s developmental strides.
