By Nasir Dambatta

Governor Uba Sani has again detonated a development manifesto that resets the standards for subnational governance in Nigeria. The 2026 Budget of Kaduna State, weighing in at ₦985.9 billion, is nothing short of a political and economic statement: Kaduna is not slowing down. With 71% of the budget dedicated to capital development and zero new borrowing, the message is clear—this is leadership with backbone.

Let us maize through the eight knockout punches that define this audacious blueprint.

The first knockout punch is the unprecedented 71% capital expenditure—an uppercut to the culture of consumption. In a country where recurrent spending often eats entire budgets, Uba Sani flipped the script. Capital spending of ₦699.6 billion signals a government obsessed with infrastructure, human capital, and long-term growth—not bureaucracy. By dedicating only 29% to recurrent expenditure, Kaduna has declared war on waste, setting a model other states would need to imitate. This single ratio alone sends a message: Kaduna is building, not talking.

The second knockout punch is the bold refusal to take a single new loan since assuming office.
At a time many states survive on overdrafts, Uba Sani is paying down debts—₦114.9 billion already settled—while still expanding projects. This is governance with fiscal spine. No excuses, no external dependencies, no mortgaging the future. Kaduna is proving that transformational governance does not require reckless borrowing—just discipline, creativity, and integrity.

The third one is the sweeping infrastructure renewal that covers 1,335 km of road projects across 140 sites. Sixty-four roads already completed, dozens more in progress, and road presence in LGAs that hadn’t seen a single new kilometer in over a decade. This is not just construction—it is economic re-engineering. Roads are opening markets, shutting down insecurity blind spots, boosting transport efficiency, and altering the physical map of Kaduna. I dare say few governments in Northern Nigeria have rolled out infrastructural expansion at this scale and pace.

The fourth punch is the historic transformation of Kaduna’s transport system. The Kaduna Bus Rapid Transit (KBRT), the first in Northern Nigeria, backed by AFD; the 24km dedicated corridor; CNG-powered buses; digital ticketing; and the near-completion of the massive Kakuri Interstate Terminal. Add the ongoing Kaduna Light Rail project and over 200 new bus stops, and Kaduna is witnessing a mobility revolution. This is a government that is thinking 10 years ahead, not one year at a time.

The fifth knockout is the human capital tsunami—unprecedented investments in schools, teachers, and learning.
From reopening 535 schools to bringing 300,000 out-of-school children back to class, reducing tertiary fees by 40%, constructing 736 classrooms, renovating over 1,200 more, and training 33,000 teachers—Kaduna is tearing down the barriers to education. Add vocational hubs, bilingual schools, and the Kaduna Best Teacher Award, and the picture becomes clearer: this administration is not managing education; it is reinventing it.

The sixth knockout punch is the massive healthcare overhaul—arguably the biggest in the state’s history. All 255 Primary Healthcare Centres are being upgraded to Level 2 standard. 15 General Hospitals are under reconstruction, five already completed. The newly completed 300-bed Bola Ahmed Tinubu Specialist Hospital stands as a medical landmark. With CONMESS/CONHESS implemented, emergency services strengthened, medical warehouses upgraded, and N1 billion set aside for vulnerable healthcare insurance, Uba Sani is building a system that will outlive his tenure.

The seventh knockout punch is the agricultural revolution backed by real numbers, not rhetoric.
From a meagre N1.4 billion in 2023, agriculture spending soared to N74.2 billion in 2025, one of the highest in Nigeria. Over 900 trucks of free fertilizer, mechanisation support, improved seeds, livestock interventions, irrigation systems, and massive market revitalisation efforts have repositioned farmers for prosperity. The $510 million SAPZ project and the African Quality Assurance Centre are turning Kaduna into a continental agro-industrial force.

The eighth knockout punch? It is the deep commitment to inclusive, data-driven, and community-led development that leaves no ward behind.

Every one of Kaduna’s 255 Wards received ₦100 million for projects chosen directly by the communities—one of the largest participatory budgeting programmes in the country. Financial inclusion initiatives brought 2.5 million previously unbanked residents into the formal system. The Kaduna Peace Model continues to restore trust in fractured communities. And as a global leader in the Open Government Partnership, Kaduna has become the gold standard for transparency on the continent.

It is also inspiring to note sectoral shares include 25% each for Education and Infrastructure, 15% for Health, 11% for Agriculture and Food Security, 6% for Security, 5% each for Social Development and Governance/Administration, and 4% for Environment and Climate Action.

The broader fiscal and development figures include 140 road projects covering 1,335km, with 64 completed; a 24km BRT corridor with CNG buses; over N500 million saved by citizens through subsidised transport; 535 schools reopened; over 300,000 out-of-school children returned; 736 classrooms built, 1,220 renovated, 39 schools fenced, 165 boreholes drilled, and 595 VIP toilets installed. In health, 255 PHCs are being upgraded, 15 General Hospitals undergoing major works with five completed, and a 300-bed specialist hospital delivered. Agriculture funding rose from N1.4 billion in 2023 to N74.2 billion in 2025, with over 900 fertilizer trucks distributed. The government secured no new loans while paying N114.9 billion in debt servicing, and all 255 wards received N100 million each for community-selected projects.

These figures capture a budget culture calibrated for impact, discipline and statewide transformation.
Together, they paint a clear picture of a government delivering results, not rhetoric.

In sum, the numbers speak for themselves: Kaduna is on a decisive path of renewal. Ultimately, these figures underscore one fact—Kaduna is building, expanding and rising with purpose.

In the end, the data tells a simple story: progress in Kaduna is not promised, it is proven.

Signficantly, the 2026 Budget is not politics—it is policy courage and a bold statement. It is not a promise—it is a pathway. Uba Sani has laid out not just numbers but a vision: a Kaduna that is safer, more productive, more connected, more educated, more equitable, and more globally competitive.

This is what it looks like when a government chooses development over drama, results over rhetoric, and people over politics.

In eight knockout punches, Uba Sani has shown that Kaduna’s future is not just planned—it is already unfolding.

*Dambatta is Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Print Media

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