Breaking: CSOs Praise Uba Sani for 12 Pacesetter Policies as He Marks Third Anniversary

Four civil society groups on Monday hailed Governor Uba Sani’s administration for what they described as 12 pacesetter policies that have positioned Kaduna as a leading centre of governance innovation in Nigeria within three years.

The position was contained in a press conference jointly addressed at Arewa House, Kaduna, by the Uba Sani Back2Back (USB2B) Movement, Uba Sani Legacy Projects Solidarity Assembly, Progressive Policy Advocacy Forum (PPAF), and Renewed Hope Solidarity League (RNHoSL).

Addressing journalists, Director of Strategic Communications of USB2B and Convener of the coalition, Hadiza Mohammed, said the administration had distinguished itself through what she described as “first-of-their-kind interventions” in security, healthcare, education, agriculture, investment promotion and human capital development.

According to her, Kaduna became the first state in Nigeria to establish a formal Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) structure that combines security operations with rehabilitation and recovery efforts.

She said the initiative, implemented through collaboration between the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Kaduna Peace Committee, facilitated the release of more than 500 captives without payment of ransom and led to the recovery of over 500,000 hectares of farmland in Giwa, Birnin Gwari and Kauru Local Government Areas.

The coalition also highlighted healthcare reforms, noting that Kaduna became the first state to release its 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund for doctors while approving monthly hazard and training allowances ranging between ₦35,000 and ₦40,000.

In addition, the state approved the recruitment of 1,800 health workers to bridge staffing gaps in Primary Healthcare Centres.

The groups noted that the intervention was significant considering that Nigeria currently has fewer than 60,000 doctors serving a population estimated at over 220 million people.

On mental healthcare, the coalition said Kaduna became the first Northern state to integrate mental health services into Primary Healthcare Centres and General Hospitals on a wider scale.

It disclosed that the state launched the Kaduna Children Amplified Prevention System, a programme expected to reach 200,000 pupils across 253 schools in all 23 local government areas.

The speakers observed that the intervention was timely, given estimates that nearly 50 million Nigerians live with mental health conditions while fewer than 300 psychiatrists serve the entire country.

The coalition further stated that Kaduna had expanded community-based mental health and substance abuse intervention centres across the state.

According to the groups, the government now operates 23 Centres of Excellence—one in each local government area—with the Rigasa Centre graduating 200 children from its literacy programme, while the Kawo Centre is preparing to train 90 adolescents in jewellery production and hardware-related skills.

They also described Kaduna’s Alternative-to-Incarceration Programme as a groundbreaking initiative.

According to the coalition, Kaduna became the first state in Nigeria to operationalise a structured alternative-to-incarceration framework for mental health and substance abuse recovery.

The groups further claimed that Kaduna remains the first and only jurisdiction in Sub-Saharan Africa to establish a comprehensive Alternative-to-Incarceration framework in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

In the area of disease prevention, the coalition pointed to the state’s Hepatitis Elimination Programme, known as “Project 365.”

The initiative, they said, is targeting 620,000 residents across eight local government areas in Southern Kaduna for free screening, vaccination and treatment.

They noted that the programme addresses a major public health concern, as an estimated 20 million Nigerians are living with Hepatitis B and C while less than 10 per cent are aware of their health status.

On education, the groups commended the administration’s decision to reduce tuition fees across state-owned tertiary institutions by between 30 and 50 per cent.

They cited Kaduna State University, where fees reportedly dropped from ₦150,000 to ₦105,000, and Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, where tuition was reduced from ₦100,000 to ₦50,000.

According to the coalition, the policy has expanded access to higher education for students from low-income and disadvantaged families.

The groups also credited the government with becoming the first Northern state to institutionalise structured investor aftercare services aimed at supporting businesses already operating within Kaduna.

They said the initiative focuses on investment retention, regulatory coordination and job creation amid prevailing economic challenges.

On agricultural development, the coalition said Kaduna had fully activated the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ) framework under the African Development Bank-backed programme valued at $538 million in its first phase across eight states.

The groups noted that projections by the African Development Bank indicate the programme could increase agricultural productivity by over 60 per cent while significantly reducing post-harvest losses.

The coalition further stated that Kaduna became the first state in Northern Nigeria to establish an Agricultural Quality Assurance Framework.

As part of the initiative, they said the government is constructing an Agricultural Quality Assurance Centre on a five-hectare site in partnership with Afreximbank and Bureau Veritas.

They added that the state’s agriculture budget was increased to ₦74.2 billion in the 2025 fiscal year to improve export readiness and competitiveness.

The speakers also highlighted improvements in public health logistics, saying Kaduna had upgraded medicine distribution through coordinated warehousing, digitisation and last-mile delivery systems.

According to them, no fewer than 255 Primary Healthcare Centres were revitalised and upgraded to Level Two status to improve access to essential medicines and healthcare services.

On skills development and industrial training, the coalition said Kaduna became the first subnational government in Nigeria to embark on the construction of three Skills Acquisition Cities.

The facilities, they said, are expected to train 12,000 graduates during the first year and 24,000 during the second year across 13 vocational trades.

The groups also pointed to ongoing efforts to remodel Panteka Market—home to more than 38,000 artisans—into a modern industrial and skills development hub.

Concluding the briefing, the coalition described the listed initiatives as evidence of a governance model anchored on security stabilisation, healthcare reform, educational access, agricultural transformation, industrial growth and inclusive development.

The groups maintained that Governor Uba Sani’s administration had, within three years, positioned Kaduna as a reference point for policy innovation in Northern Nigeria and the country at large.

They called on citizens, development partners, stakeholders and the media to sustain support for what they described as the state’s ongoing reform agenda.

The press conference was jointly endorsed by Hadiza Mohammed, Director of Strategic Communications and Convener of the Uba Sani Back2Back Movement; Hajiya Bilkisu Surajo, Acting Coordinator of the Uba Sani Legacy Projects Solidarity Assembly; Comrade Maxwell Bako Dogara, National Coordinator of the Progressive Policy Advocacy Forum; and Dr. Amina Yusuf Kwarbai, Secretary-General of the Renewed Hope Solidarity League.