The Kaduna State Government has said increased allocations from the Federation Account under President Bola Tinubu have enabled it to intensify infrastructure development, clear N18bn in pension and gratuity arrears, and increase annual agricultural funding from N1.4bn in 2023 to more than N100bn in 2026.
The state Commissioner for Information and Culture, Ahmed Maiyaki, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with PUNCH Online on Saturday, saying the additional resources had also been channelled into education, healthcare, transportation, security and youth employment.
Maiyaki said the administration of Governor Uba Sani inherited about N24bn in outstanding pension and gratuity liabilities, alongside foreign and domestic debts, which he said had placed considerable pressure on the state’s finances.
According to him, the government has so far cleared about N18bn of the inherited pension and gratuity arrears.
He said, “When the governor assumed office, we inherited a backlog of debts, both foreign and domestic, which would have made it very difficult for the state to even pay salaries.”
He added that infrastructure development had expanded significantly across the state, with 115 road projects currently ongoing in the 23 local government areas.
Maiyaki said more than half of the projects had been completed, covering over 1,400 kilometres of roads in rural and urban communities.
“Before now, 12 local government areas in Kaduna State had not seen even half a kilometre of road projects. But today, with the infrastructural development taking place in Kaduna State, 115 road projects are ongoing across the state,” he said.
The commissioner explained that the roads were designed not only to improve transportation but also to connect farmers and rural communities to markets, facilitate access to healthcare and strengthen security.
He cited a 35-kilometre road linking about 76 communities as one of the projects with significant socio-economic impact.
“We have a 35-kilometre road that has connected about 76 communities, particularly farming communities. This is one significant project that has helped provide farmers with access to markets and their farms,” Maiyaki stated.
The commissioner also said agriculture had received one of the biggest boosts from the increased revenue available to the state, noting that the sector accounted for about 42 per cent of Kaduna’s Gross Domestic Product and provided approximately 60 per cent of employment.
He said the state’s agricultural budget rose from N1.4bn in 2023 to more than N100bn in 2026.
“This represents an increase in agricultural funding from 0.4 per cent to 11.6 per cent over the last three years,” he said.
Maiyaki said the increased funding had enabled the government to provide fertiliser and other inputs to smallholder farmers, as well as invest in irrigation, mechanised agriculture and extension services.
According to him, the state distributed 400 trucks of NPK and urea fertiliser to farmers in 2024 and another 500 trucks in 2025, while 150,000 smallholder farmers are being targeted for fertiliser distribution in 2026.
He claimed that the interventions had strengthened Kaduna’s position as a major agricultural hub in the country.
“Today, Kaduna State is the highest producer of maize, the highest producer of tomatoes, the second-highest producer of soybeans, and the highest producer of ginger in the country,” Maiyaki said.
Speaking further, the commissioner also said the government had sustained increased funding for education, keeping its allocation above the 25 per cent benchmark recommended by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.
He disclosed that more than N264bn was allocated to the sector in the 2026 budget. Maiyaki said the funds had been used to construct and renovate classrooms, recruit teachers and improve infrastructure in tertiary institutions.
“Over 75 secondary schools, including junior and senior secondary schools, have been constructed, while thousands of classrooms have been renovated,” he said.
According to him, the investments had contributed to a reduction in the estimated number of out-of-school children in the state from about 550,000 in 2023 to approximately 187,000 in 2026.
Maiyaki further disclosed that the state government had deployed 100 compressed natural gas buses to provide free transportation for civil servants, students, traders, artisans and other residents.
He said the buses had transported about four million passengers in one year, saving beneficiaries an estimated N4bn.
“Over the last one year, the introduction of the CNG buses has transported about four million people, saving them about N4bn at no cost to our people,” he stated.
On security, Maiyaki said the combination of road construction, social interventions and the Kaduna Peace Model had contributed to improved security and freedom of movement across the state.
He claimed that the state had not recorded a religious conflict in the three years since the Uba Sani administration assumed office.
“One of the key outcomes of our investment in peace and security is that, over the last three years since the assumption of office of His Excellency, the Governor of Kaduna State, we have not witnessed a single religious conflict in Kaduna State,” he said.
