Seven Wrongs, Seven Corrections: Uba Sani’s Three Years of Restoration

By Nasir Abdulkadir, PhD

A government’s performance is best measured by the problems it inherits, the actions it takes and the improvements it delivers to citizens. Since assuming office on May 29, 2023, Governor Uba Sani has confronted longstanding, unfinished challenges across various sectors of Kaduna State.

Pension liabilities, inadequate agricultural funding, weak primary healthcare infrastructure, poor and abandoned roads, stalled teachers’ promotions, disputed worker disengagement and inadequate compensation for citizens whose properties were demolished in the name of urban renewal were among the issues requiring urgent attention.

The first major governance challenge inherited by the Uba Sani administration was the enormous pension burden facing retirees. Kaduna State inherited approximately ₦24 billion in pension and gratuity liabilities. The administration has confirmed clearing about ₦18 billion in inherited arrears, while cumulative pension-related payments, including gratuities and death benefits, reached ₦21.455 billion for 9,683 beneficiaries as of September 2026. The latest disclosed approval was ₦3.659 billion for 1,339 beneficiaries.

The second major policy disconnect under the immediate past administration was the inadequate funding of agriculture, despite Kaduna State’s enormous agricultural potential. Annual agricultural funding rose from approximately ₦1.4 billion in 2023 to over ₦100 billion in the 2026 budget. The state distributed 400 truckloads of fertiliser in 2024 and 500 in 2025, supported 69,000 smallholder farmers through the Tallafin Noma programme and expanded mechanisation and agricultural insurance. Its 2026 programme targets 150,000 farmers.

The third serious governance challenge was the neglect of primary healthcare, which left many communities with inadequate access to essential medical services. The Uba Sani administration responded by upgrading 255 primary healthcare centres to Level 2 standards. It also commissioned several projects involving investments in hospital facilities and medical equipment.

The fourth major shortcoming of the previous administration was the deficit in road infrastructure, which restricted economic activities and isolated rural communities. Governor Uba Sani has disclosed that approximately 150 road projects, covering more than 1,300 kilometres across Kaduna State’s 23 local government areas, are being undertaken to improve connectivity and access to markets and essential services.

Another damaging oversight was the stagnation of teachers’ career progression. The present administration has commenced a promotion exercise involving approximately 24,000 teaching and non-teaching personnel under the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), covering outstanding promotion years from 2021 to 2026. The issuance of promotion letters and the corresponding financial benefits, which are essential to completing the exercise, have also attracted widespread attention in the national media.

The sixth troubling labour-related issue was the disengagement of workers whose cases were subsequently found to be unjustified. In August 2026, Governor Uba Sani approved the reinstatement of 37 Unified Local Government Service workers following the recommendation of an investigative committee that they be reinstated.

The seventh governance failure concerned property owners whose homes, shops and other properties were affected by public infrastructure projects. In October 2026, the governor disclosed that over ₦7 billion had been paid to approximately 4,865 affected households across Kaduna State’s three senatorial districts since May 2023. A further compensation exercise involving approximately ₦2 billion was announced for 865 property owners affected by township road projects in Zaria, Giwa and Shika.

Taken together, the figures present a substantial record: ₦21.455 billion in pension-related payments, agricultural funding exceeding ₦100 billion, 255 upgraded primary healthcare centres, more than 1,300 kilometres of roads, 24,000 education personnel covered by a promotion exercise, 37 workers reinstated and over ₦7 billion paid in property compensation.

Significantly, leadership should be judged by the problems confronted, injustices corrected and lives improved. Seven corrections may not be enough to rebuild an entire state, but they offer measurable evidence of an administration seeking to change Kaduna State’s development story.

Dr. Nasir Abdulkadir, a teacher, wrote from Sabon Gari, Zaria, Kaduna State.