Spotlighting Gov. Uba Sani’s Giant Strides in Roads Network, Education
By Aliyu Modibbo
The essence of any democratic government is to serve the citizens to the best of its capacity. In so doing, to provide good and citizen-oriented leadership that shall improve living standards and provide basi services and critical infrastructure in a given society.
When Kaduna state Governor Uba Sani took over the mantle of leadership from his predecessor, Nasir El-Rufai, he set out to continue from he stopped and initiate new life-changing projects that would put the state on a national and global map, and change the narratives.
So far, in the last one and a half years, the Uba Sani administration has articulated a template upon which democratic dividends would be provided, almost contrary to the imaginations of cynics and skeptics in within and without.
Recently, Gov. Sani has done what alluded many state governments in the North and the country at large. Education – as the most significance sector of development, the Uba Sani administration has for the first time accorded highest percentage of annual budget to education, as the cornerstone of all progress and development. In 2025 budget, education has been allocated the lion share of the budget, N206.6 billion (26.14%) above other sectors. It is a welcome and praiseworthy development.
This bold step underscores his perchance to make the state’s economy knowledge-based in the near future. No one underrates the leading role of education in all facets of development. What remains to be seen, is the political will of the administration to make it work, which hopefully it would.
Similarly, it’s on this premise that, the administration has commenced establishment of vocational straining centres in the three senatorial zones of the State, for the teeming youths. Its multi-dimensional benefits could better be imagined. The projects have gone far, some near completion. If completed, hundreds of thousands of youths would learn skills that will make them productive citizens, opposed to the mindset of going to conventional schools to obtain paper qualifications that more often makes them unemployable in the job markets.
In addition, the Uba Sani administration has made significant strides in promoting girl-child education. One notable policy is the abolition of fees for female students in post-primary schools, which is expected to cost around N500 million in the first year and N50 million more in subsequent years due to anticipated enrollment increases. This move aims to address the historical disparity in education access for girls.
The significance of roads network in any state cannot be overstressed. Road networks is a sector in which the administration has taken bigger credits. It’s on record that, the immediate past El-Rufai administration has left over some viable roads and other project uncompleted. And since governance is a continuous process, the Uba Sani administration has without any delay, embarked upon their completions to it’s best ability. It may interest one to know that, the completion of these projects has caught public attention and applause in the state. In fact, for a new administration to continue abandoned projects is a good thing in a nation imbued with culture of abandoning viable multi million naira contracts and initiating new ones, which stagnant rapid progress and development. So, Gov. Sani’s giant conducts in continuing El-Rufai abandoned projects in roads networks is in itself a credit worthy of praises and emulation in this democratic polity.
Such roads are Surami-Isa Kaita Road; Ohinoyi-Kinshasa Road; Raba Road along Unguwar Shanu – Rigasa Train station Roads; fully renovated Zangon Kataf bridge, among others.
It’s no doubt that, road users within Kaduna metropolis would be glad to have these important routes completed, despite funds crunch being faced by the Uba Sani administration.
In that light, the feats of the Managing Director of Kaduna State Roads Agency (KADRA) under whose leadership Kaduna state witnesses massive completion as well as initiation of good roads constructions. He is no other personality than Dr Abdullahi Baba Ahmed, who is adjudged to be gallant, consummate and professional so far, whose accomplishments are being noticed, appreciated and rewarded in both government and public circles. This is so because ever since his assumption in office, he hits the ground running in the Agency, identifying hundreds of abandoned roads as well as using GPS to initiate new road networks in line with Uba Sani administration agenda.
It is on record that, so far that his stewardship at KADRA has completed and initiated over 500 roads constructions across the state, especially in rural areas to provide farmers and rural-dwellers accessibility to nearby markets to sell their farm produce, and still counting. This is commendable, really. That is why many nongovernmental organizations and groups in the state are proud to associate and work with KADRA under his leadership.
The Uba Sani administration has also initiated some new roads in Kaduna metropolis, hence NGOs like ours found it expedient and gratifying to associate with Gov. Uba Sani administration. Among them are Dr Muktar Lamaran Yero Road Millennium city-Mallam Madori Road, Lemu Road, Enugu Road alongside old Panteka Market, and others.
This, according to statistics are few among the network of roads to be provided by the Uba Sani administration in the near future, hence the public calls him, madugun raya karkara, meaning a captain of developing rural areas. This is a single sector so far.
Without any iota of doubt, other critical sectors of the State economy are not abandoned neither they are ignored. The Uba Sani administration has been doing it’s best to write it’s name in gold, and make a resounding history, all geared towards cushioning the prevailing economic predicaments that bedevilled the populace in line with his government agenda as well as APC manifesto despite daunting security and economic challenges in the state and the nation as a whole. So far, so good.
Comrade Modibbo is the Chairman, Kaduna Youths for Good Governance (KYGG)
