The Kaduna State Government says Tinubu administration interventions in infrastructure, education, healthcare, agriculture and security have significantly impacted the people of the state.
The Commissioner for Information and Culture, Ahmad Maiyaki made this known in an interview with newsmen in commemoration of the nation’s 66th anniversary.
Maiyaki said the interventions had contributed to improved transportation, expanded access to education, strengthened healthcare delivery and enhanced agricultural productivity.
On infrastructure, Maiyaki said the Abuja – Kaduna – Kano Federal Highway, initiated under former President Muhammadu Buhari, had recorded substantial progress.
He attributed the renewed progress to the re-awarding of the contract under President Bola Tinubu and improved security along the Kaduna – Abuja corridor.
He said work was also progressing on the 19 kilometre Western Bypass and Eastern Kaduna, Zaria Highway projects.
According to him, the 102 kilometre Kaduna,Birnin Gwari road, which had been dilapidated for about three decades, is also receiving attention.
Maiyaki said the road remained an important link between Kaduna and Niger, Kwara, Ogun and Lagos states.
He added that contractors were currently working on the road to ensure its completion within the scheduled period.
The commissioner said railway projects connecting Kaduna to Kano, Dala and Niger Republic had reached about 80 per cent completion.
He said work was ongoing on the projects, which were scheduled for completion by December.
Maiyaki also highlighted the Kaduna Light Rail project, describing it as a 50 kilometre network connecting major parts of the Kaduna metropolis.
He said the project would improve transportation and reduce traffic congestion across Kaduna North, Kaduna South and other metropolitan areas.
Maiyaki said the state had also benefited from major Federal Government interventions in tertiary education.
He said three institutions had been established or upgraded into universities across Kaduna’s three senatorial districts within the past three years.
These, he said, included the Federal University of Applied Sciences in Kachia and the Federal University of Petroleum in Rigachikun.
He added that the Federal College of Education, Zaria, had also been converted into a Federal University of Education.
According to him, the institutions would expand access to higher education across the southern, central and northern parts of Kaduna.
On healthcare, Maiyaki said the former Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa General Hospital in Kafanchan had been upgraded to a Federal Medical Centre.
He said the upgrade would provide tertiary healthcare services to residents of Southern Kaduna and surrounding communities.
The commissioner added that the Federal Government also supported the expansion of a 300-bed specialist hospital to strengthen cancer care services.
On transportation, Maiyaki said Federal Government support had strengthened Kaduna’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) bus initiative.
He said Kaduna remained the only state offering free CNG-powered public transportation, rather than a subsidised scheme.
According to him, the programme transported more than five million passengers within 15 months and saved commuters over N5.2 billion.
He said the state planned to introduce an additional 120 CNG buses, following the Federal Government’s new policy expected to take effect from October.
Maiyaki said agriculture had also received increased attention, with Kaduna’s allocation rising from N1.4 billion in 2023 to over N100 billion in 2026.
He said the increase reflected agriculture’s importance, noting that the sector contributed 43 per cent of the state’s GDP.
According to him, about 60 per cent of Kaduna residents depend on agriculture for their livelihoods.
He said the state distributed 400 trucks of fertiliser to 100,000 farmers in 2024 and 500 trucks to the same category in 2025.
Maiyaki added that more than 600 trucks of fertiliser were distributed to 150,000 smallholder farmers in 2026.
He said the interventions also included provision of tractors to promote mechanised agriculture and strengthen food security.
On security, Maiyaki said Federal Government support had strengthened the Kaduna Peace Model, particularly through intelligence gathering and increased security personnel.
He said President Tinubu approved 1,000 forest guards for Kaduna to complement the military, police and other security agencies.
According to him, improved security had enabled farmers to return to their farms and communities to regain access to essential services.
He said more than 500,000 hectares of farmland had been recovered, while over 200 schools and 150 health centres had reopened.
Maiyaki said Kaduna’s out-of-school children had also reduced from a baseline of about 550,000 to approximately 187,000.
He attributed the improvement partly to enhanced security, social investment and interventions supporting school enrolment and retention.
The commissioner said Kaduna had not recorded an ethno religious conflict in the past three years, attributing this to the state’s early warning mechanism.
He said the mechanism had received 75 early warning signals and responded to more than 70.
Maiyaki, however, said the state could not declare total victory because disagreements could still occur among communities.
He said the peace architecture had contributed to improved communal relations and reduced farmer-herder tensions across the state.
On youth development, Maiyaki said Federal Government support had strengthened vocational training and skills development programmes in Kaduna.
He said the Federal Ministry of Education, through relevant agencies, supported curriculum development, regulation and compliance with national standards.
According to him, Kaduna’s vocational training curriculum had been adopted by the Federal Government as a model for skills development nationwide.
Maiyaki said the state’s vocational centres currently trained youths in 14 different trades.
He added that Federal Government social investment programmes had also supported education, women’s empowerment and rural communities.
The commissioner said about 2.5 million people had been assisted to open functional bank accounts under the interventions.
He said school feeding programmes had encouraged parents to enrol their children and helped improve retention in schools.
Maiyaki also cited the partnership between the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and Kaduna State.
He said the partnership provided N1 billion for empowerment, including support for 4,050 graduates of the state’s vocational training programme.
According to him, N810 million was provided to the beneficiaries to enable them establish businesses and become economically productive.