From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna
The United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) World Congress has praised Governor Uba Sani’s dedication to transparency, citizen involvement, and democratic governance.
The praise was given in Tangiers, Morocco, after the Governor spoke at a high-level session titled “Human Capital and Democratic Transformation: What Future for the Global South?”
Represented by the Commissioner of Planning and Budget, Alhaji Mukhtar Ahmed Mohammed, the Governor highlighted Kaduna State’s reforms in open government, human capital development, and evidence-based planning.
Mukhtar Ahmed stated that the administration’s SUSTAIN Agenda has focused on security, infrastructure, agriculture, institutional strengthening, human capital, and citizen engagement, leading to significant investments in education, healthcare, vocational training, and agriculture.
He added that Governor Uba Sani’s government has built 736 classrooms and hired 10,000 teachers.
He also mentioned that the administration has revitalized 255 Primary Healthcare Centers, established 23 Centers of Excellence, restored over 500,000 hectares of farmland, and allocated more than 11 percent of the state’s 2026 budget to agriculture.
The Commissioner further noted that all 23 Local Government Areas have joined the Open Government Partnership initiative, with participatory budgeting, citizens’ audits, open contracting, and fiscal transparency enhancing accountability.
According to him, the Community Development Charter ensures community participation in budgeting, with at least 5 percent of capital expenditure dedicated to citizen-nominated projects.
He also shared that ₦100 million has been allocated to each of the 255 political wards in this year’s budget for community-centered development projects.
Mukhtar Ahmed added that Kaduna was the first subnational government in Nigeria to establish a Citizens’ Participatory Audit Framework and recently achieved a perfect score in BudgIT’s States Fiscal Transparency League.
He emphasized that Kaduna’s experience shows that democratic transformation involves more than just elections; it requires institutionalizing citizen participation in governance, budgeting, procurement, project monitoring, and public accountability.
He argued that governments that invest in people and empower citizens to influence public policy are better equipped to build trust, strengthen institutions, and achieve sustainable development.
The Commissioner also called for increased global support for subnational governments, stressing that states and local governments are key players in implementing development policies and should be recognized as strategic partners in reaching the post-2030 global development goals.
A statement from the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Malam Ahmed Maiyaki, said Kaduna State’s involvement in the UCLG World Congress highlights the growing international acknowledgment of Governor Uba Sani’s reforms.
He added that it also underscores the Governor’s efforts in promoting transparency, fiscal accountability, citizen participation, and inclusive development through the Open Government Partnership.
“Under the leadership of Governor Uba Sani, we have shown that transparency, citizen involvement, and targeted investments in human capital are not just governance ideals but practical tools for delivering sustainable development and rebuilding public trust,” he stated.
