Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Uba Sani, has stated that politicians, including himself, who have been in power over the last 16 years are responsible for the problems plaguing northern Nigeria. He remarked that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu inherited a broken system from the previous administration.
Governor Sani made these comments as the Special Guest of Honour at the Students’ Development Summit, organized by his Senior Special Assistant on Students Affairs. The event, themed “Student-Centric Governance: Celebrating 365 Days of Senator Uba Sani’s Impactful Leadership,” saw speakers commend the administration’s commitment to improving the educational system and rural revitalization in Kaduna State.
Speakers at the event also discussed the dangers of protests instigated by faceless individuals. Governor Sani highlighted several achievements in the education sector, including:
Allocating 25% of the state budget to education
Reducing tuition fees for state-owned tertiary institutions
Constructing 62 new schools
Repositioning the scholarship board to better serve underprivileged students
Rehabilitating classrooms
Training and retraining teachers
He shared his experiences as the Northern Coordinator of the Gani Fawehinmi Scholarship Scheme, noting the success of the program in helping 200 brilliant but indigent students from Northern Nigeria complete their education. Many beneficiaries have become professionals contributing to national development.
Governor Sani assured students of President Tinubu’s commitment to improving the lives of Nigerians, particularly the youth, and urged them to avoid protests that could destabilize the peace in Kaduna State. The students, in turn, assured him of their commitment to peaceful dialogue on student-related issues.
He directed his Senior Special Assistant on Student Matters, Amina Sani Bello, to develop a blueprint for addressing student concerns and maintaining strategic engagements. He emphasized that education remains a top priority for his administration, calling it the best investment against poverty and insecurity.
Governor Sani called on elites, politicians, and businessmen to move beyond blame and take concrete steps to address the region’s challenges. He stressed the need for accountability, stating that all northern Nigerian politicians over the past 16 years should be held responsible for the region’s issues with poverty, unemployment, lack of education, and security. He noted that problems such as banditry, kidnappings, and insurgency were virtually unknown in Kaduna in 2016, questioning what went wrong since then.
