Governor Uba Sani has revealed that his administration's notable progress over the past two and a half years would not have been possible without the support of President Bola Tinubu.
He stated that Kaduna State is set to be the first state to take advantage of a $200 million Nigeria-China poultry initiative, described as the largest in Sub-Saharan Africa, thanks to the president’s dedication to the region.
‘’By God’s grace, we will commence the groundbreaking for the largest poultry project in Sub-Saharan Africa within the next two months,’’ he affirmed.
The Governor indicated that this development would lead to the creation of approximately 350 direct jobs and 150,000 indirect employment opportunities, additionally asserting that around 10,000 small businesses will benefit in Kaduna State.
Uba Sani made these comments during an Iftar event with social media influencers on Wednesday night, where he reiterated that Kaduna will be the first state to develop a light rail system outside Lagos State, attributing this to President Tinubu’s generosity.
He mentioned that the groundbreaking ceremony for this light rail project is anticipated for May and expressed gratitude to the influencers for their continual support.
The Governor acknowledged that these influencers, who are devoted to good governance, have actively promoted the achievements of Kaduna's government in the past months.
Highlighting the milestones achieved by his administration, he noted a collaborative endeavor with the Kuwait Development Fund, resulting in the construction of approximately 104 schools to tackle the issue of out-of-school children.
He detailed that 65 secondary schools have been built and over 2,300 classrooms revamped, with plans underway for an additional 55 secondary schools.
Sani noted the intention to recruit at least 2,000 teachers for primary education, starting next month, and to maintain this recruitment annually.
He reflected on the situation when he took office, when there were about 580,000 out-of-school children, and expressed pride in their significant reduction to roughly 182,000.
The Governor also emphasized that his administration has made strides in skills development by setting up vocational training institutions in Soba, Rigachukun, and Zangon Kataf.
He mentioned that these facilities are reportedly better equipped than any Federal University of Technology in Nigeria, and announced plans to certify 32,000 artisans annually through the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).
Furthermore, Uba Sani recalled that upon taking office, his administration had halved fees in state-owned tertiary institutions, resulting in over a 200% increase in student enrollment.
Moreover, he stated that Kaduna is currently the only state in Nigeria that has elevated its primary healthcare centers from level 1 to level 2, in addition to equipping at least 16 secondary healthcare facilities.
The Governor also assured that his government plans to recruit 1,800 medical professionals each year over the next five years, starting immediately.
He highlighted agricultural achievements, announcing that Kaduna State was the first to break ground for a Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone and also the second state to partner with Afreximbank in establishing the Africa Quality Assurance Center (AQAC) to aid farmers in certifying their produce for international export.
In terms of budgetary allocations, Uba Sani indicated that agriculture's share of the state budget had risen from 0.5% to over 11%, exceeding the Malabo declaration.
He concluded by emphasizing the administration's support for farmers, citing that Kaduna State was the only one to distribute 900 trucks of fertilizer at no cost to smallholder farmers.
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