TheCable

BY TARIQ IDRIS

Pursuant to the avowed resolve of his administration to remain open, transparent and consistently accountable to the people, Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State on Saturday 25 March, held a well-attended townhall meeting with citizens and residents of the State. It was, once again, a time for the Governor to render account of his stewardship, almost ten months after the people gave him their mandate to preside over the affairs of the state.

Typically, Governor Uba Sani was open, blunt and convivial as he interfaced with the people with utmost humility. It was open and participatory governance in full display and the attendees relished every moment of the very crucial meeting. It was therefore with shock that most persons who attended the townhall meeting, received snippets of false narratives that began making the rounds few hours after, especially to the effect that Governor Uba Sani castigated his predecessor in office, Mallam Nasir El Rufai, at the event. Nothing could be further from the truth. Anyone who was present at the townhall meeting will easily attest to the fact that Governor Uba Sani did not even mention the name of Mallam Nasir El Rufai at the meeting. I dare also repudiate in totality, insinuations that at the townhall meeting, subliminal attempts were made by the Governor to “expose” or disparage his predecessor. Nothing of such happened.

The general understanding was (and still is) that the townhall meeting was summoned by Governor Uba Sani to personally and compassionately communicate some inevitable policy and programme’s adjustments that his administration had resolved to make in the face of rapidly changing and challenging events. The Governor, being the custodian of the sacred mandate of the people, rightly called the meeting, in line with international best practice, to unveil the policy adjustments and to secure their buy-in and of course to take home immediate feedbacks that could further help guide the new direction of the administration.

For starters, it will not be far from the truth to assert that the townhall meeting was triggered by recent events in the state, particularly the unfortunate abduction of 137 school children from the Kuriga community in Chikun Local Government Area of the State. The sad occurrence momentarily placed Kaduna State on not just national but global spotlight. Thankfully the children have since been safely rescued and returned to the comfort of their respective homes.

Undoubtedly, for Governor Uba Sani and most other right-thinking citizens and residents of Kaduna State, the impetuous and even audacious abduction of such a sizable number of innocent children from their schools by rampaging bandits, among other things, completely changed the dynamics of the administration, going forward. The very discerning and sensitive Governor Uba Sani did not need any special prompting to understand that, for now, the overwhelming consensus is that sustainable safety and security across Kaduna State be accorded huge priority by the government, even as the Governor pursues other noble goals.

“The safety and security of our citizens is our topmost priority. The abduction of the Kuriga school children was hurtful and nightmarish. Their return has gladdened our hearts. All praises to Almighty God. The return of the Kuriga school children is a pointer to the fact that when we work collectively, success is guaranteed. The President, National Security Adviser and the Nigerian Army all stood up to be counted. I spent sleepless nights with the NSA finetuning strategies and directing operations. The good people of Kaduna State, and indeed Nigerians from all walks of life prayed ceaselessly for the safe return of the school children,” the Governor recalled at the townhall meeting.

Governor Uba Sani then proceeded to unveil a number of urgent measures his administration was putting in place to stave off future attacks, abductions and to generally downgrade the activities of criminal elements that have for so long terrorised the State. “Even as we continue to give the traumatised Kuriga school children all the medical, psychosocial and other support they need. We shall, without delay, commence the implementation of our Safe School Project. We shall merge schools in conflict prone areas with those in safe areas. We shall fence our schools, erect watch towers and draft security personnel to protect the schools and children,” he told the hundreds of attendees at the townhall meeting. The Governor was resolute about the urgency of reworking several dilapidated and insecure schools across communities in all the local government areas of the State.

Governor Uba Sani said his administration will be deploying formal and vocational education as potent weapons to curb poverty and insecurity in the state. Education, the Governor noted is a leveler and a tool for economic liberation. “We are determined to decisively address the skills deficits of our people with the construction of Vocational and Technology Skills City in Rigachikun, Samarun Kataf and Soba. We want to reposition our citizens to become competitive in a fast changing and complex world. We want our citizens to have the requisite skills to fill positions in the business concerns we have attracted to the state. We slashed the fees in our tertiary institutions to lessen the burden on parents and ensure that our children continue with their education uninterrupted,” he said

Aside massively rehabilitating and constructing classrooms in primary and secondary schools across the State, the administration, Gov. Uba Sani said, is raising the quality of the State’s teachers through sustained training and retraining. In partnership with Google, Kaduna State is training 5,000 women and girls in Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Applied Digital Technology, the Governor revealed.

To the delight of the attendees, the Governor disclosed that the State is strengthening collaboration with security agencies and fashioning more effective strategies to checkmate and degrade the evil elements laying siege on communities in the State. He revealed that Kaduna is closely and intentionally engaging with neighbouring states to develop joint strategies and carry out joint operations against criminal elements that have been crisscrossing States in the northwest of the country, wreaking havoc and subjecting mostly rural communities to untold hardship. He announced that his administration is meticulously putting in place long-lasting and measurable kinetic and non-kinetic options that would deepen safety and security in all parts of Kaduna State.

The Governor also told the audience that with full support of the State Government, the nation’s Armed Forces are set up Forward Operation Bases in strategic locations across the State.

At the townhall meeting, Governor Uba Sani reiterated his often-held position that opening up the rural communities in the state and linking them to empowerment opportunities and urban economies, would drastically downgrade and possibly decimate banditry in Kaduna State. “We have embarked on massive infrastructural development in the rural areas, while carrying out infrastructure upgrades in the urban areas. I have performed the groundbreaking for the construction of 22 roads across the local governments of Kaduna State. About 832 kilometers of roads are currently under construction,” he said.

Considering the cost implications of the enormous and urgent tasks his administration must necessarily undertake, especially in the bid to secure the state for actual development to commence, Governor Uba Sani, was very open about the current financial standing of the State. Kaduna State, the Governor disclosed, was contending with huge debt burden, stemming largely from deductions from inherited loans. The financial situation, he said, has become so dire that the state is currently unable to pay salaries.

It could be recalled that in May 2023, while handing-over to Senator Uba Sani, the departing Governor, Mallam Nasir El Rufai openly revealed that he was bequeathing a domestic debt of N80.60 billion and a foreign debt of $577.32 million to his successor. El-Rufai was however quick to add that he left N5bn and $2.05m in the state’s treasury.

At the March 25th townhall meeting, Governor Uba Sani confirmed that the state is now deeply burdened by an inherited debt portfolio of $587 million, N85 billion and 115 contractual liabilities. The huge debt burden, the Governor said, was eating deep into the State’s monthly Federal Allocation of fund, hence the difficulty in paying salaries to the State’s workers in the month of March. He lamented that due to the rise in the exchange rate, Kaduna State is now paying back almost triple of the debts that were inherited.

He explained that N7billion out of the N10billion Federal Allocation due to the State in the month of March was deducted to service the debt. The state was left with N3billion, an amount which is not enough to pay salaries, as the state’s monthly salary bill stands at N5.2billion. Even Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) is not spared as a popular bank in Nigeria deducts N1 Billion every month from the State’s IGR.

In an emotion-laden voice, Governor Uba Sani told the townhall meeting attendees that in his bid to navigate round the debilitating effect of the debt on the smooth running of Kaduna State, he approached President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to help facilitate a reprieve of sorts. He said that a very sympathetic President Tinubu reminded him that Kaduna’s debt was a foreign loan and that there was little or nothing the Federal Government could do. Usually, the Federal Government only functions as guarantor of foreign loans procured by state governments.

Gov. Uba Sani however said that despite the humongous debt burden on the State government, he was yet to borrow a single kobo in the last nine months of his administration. He said that in almost 10 months he continued to meet all monetary obligations of the administrations with funds he inherited. Evidently, with the huge deductions and exchange rate differentials, it has been very difficult retaining funds in the coffers of the State Government.

The Governor assured that the debt burden not withstanding, his administration remained resolute in steering Kaduna State towards progress and sustainable development. “Despite the huge debt burden inherited from the previous administration, we remain resolute in steering Kaduna State towards progress and sustainable development. We have conducted a thorough assessment of our situation and are sharpening our focus accordingly. I am actually glad to inform you that, despite the huge inherited debts, till date, we have not borrowed a single kobo,” he said.

He also informed the people that on his part, he has been very prudent with the State’s funds. Gov. Uba Sani reminded the attendees that he announced that he was taking 50 per cent salary cut the very day he assumed office and that similarly all his commissioners and political aides have all taken huge salary cuts. He noted that most of his commissioners and aides are now much poorer than they were before they took up their respective appointments.

“No commissioner in my administration attends any government-funded foreign trip. The few that have had to travel out of compulsion, tavelled on Economy Class tickets. As Governor, I have not used government funds to buy First Class tickets when I travel. I travel on Business Class or on Economy Class on a number of times that I have had to travel out on official assignments. I have not procured new official cars for commissioners or any of my political aides since I assumed office,” Governor Uba Sani told the audience.

While answering questions from the attendees, Governor Uba Sani bemoaned the actions of contractors engaged by the previous administration to undertake a number of urban renewal projects in the State. “It is a shame that many of the contractors who have been reasonably mobilized have abandoned the jobs they ought to be completing by now. Some of them are even coming to me to be paid more money. I don’t have problem with paying people but I will only pay those who have worked. They must return to site and complete the jobs that they were paid to do,” he said.

Interestingly, the Governor had lots of good news to share at the town hall meeting. Chief among these is the fact that his administration has been attracting Direct Foreign Investments and has also been firming up collaborations with reputable organisations and agencies. For one, the very remarkable Qatar Sanabil Project has in such a short period began helping to change the face of Kaduna for good.

According to the Governor, under the Qatar Sanabil Project, a Mass Housing Project for the Less Privileged is being undertaken. Apart from houses, there will also be clinics, shops, poultry farms, and farmlands for rainy season and irrigation farming. The flagship project under the Qatar Sanabil Project however is the Kaduna Economic City. When completed, the Economic City will provide world class infrastructure and make Kaduna a reference point in modern accommodation, adequate security and conducive atmosphere for business activities. Through a Public – Private Partnership. Nurus Siraj and Kaduna State Government are developing a 3319 hectares layout at Ungwan Dosa New Extension, Kaduna to provide houses for the people.

He further informed that the Qatar Charity recently carried out an extensive, state – wide Free Eye Surgery for Kaduna citizens; that Zipline has been delivering on-demand medical commodities via drones where needed in due time, saving lives, reducing cost of inventory and serving health facilities across Kaduna State; that the 300 – bed Kaduna ultra – modern Specialist Hospital, a Kaduna State – Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) joint project is nearing completion and that Pfizer is committing $1million into the Kaduna health sector to help in the distribution of health commodities, especially vaccines and blood.

“We have attracted and still attracting investors and partners. Kaduna State Government has a long standing partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). This relationship has over the years yielded positive outcomes in the State particularly in addressing the issues of maternal and child mortality, malnutrition, water and sanitation, amongst others. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation supported the Kaduna State Government in the development of the Kaduna Agricultural Sector Strategy for Achieving Food Systems and Improving Nutrition. We are currently pursuing a collaborative partnership with GAVI to eliminate Zero-vaccination dose children in the State,” Governor Uba Sani disclosed.

Still on education, Governor Sani said aside the establishment of several skills and vocational cities to address skill deficits in the state, his government in collaboration with Kuwait was working to reduce out-of-school children in Kaduna State by 200,000, adding that the four-year program, which will start in may or June 2024, is a $62 million project that will build 102 new schools in the State and renovate 170 existing ones within a span of four year.

At the Townhall meeting, prominent citizens of the State including former Chief of Defence Staff, General Martin Luther Agwai (rtd) and the Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmad Nuhu Bamali, among other persons, expressed optimism and confidence in the administration of Governor Uba Sani in spite of the challenging times. General Agwai, in particular applauded the decision of the Governor to make sustained safety and security of every part of the State a top priority.

It is a huge shame that some persons attempted to diminish the essence and beauty of the townhall meeting by resorting to the politicisation of some comments or revelations made by Governor Uba Sani at the event, in the very best interest of Kaduna State. There was really no basis for this cheap political shenanigan. Contrary to the false tale that some persons are trying to put out (but failing woefully at it) Governor Uba Sani never said he was not aware of the loans Kaduna State government obtained. He could not have. In fact, as a Senator, he played leading role in facilitating the loan from the World Bank. He did that in the best interest of the people of the State and he has never ever regretted doing this. However, for the sake of probity and accountability, especially in an era of open governance, the Governor needed to give the people an update on the status of the loan and other debts he inherited. Fortunately, Senator Uba Sani is well aware that Kaduna State is way bigger than himself and his predecessor. The people have the right to know and to be well-informed. No wonder the leadership of labour unions in the State, after listening very carefully to the Governor at the townhall meeting, resolved not to pressurise the administration any more to pay out wage award to workers.

Even more noteworthy is the fact that the townhall meeting served as a veritable platform for the Governor and all concerned citizens of Kaduna State to rob minds on ways to actualise and even accelerate the security, economic and over-all development agenda of Gov. Uba Sani’s administration.

Idris writes from Kurmin Mashi, Kaduna