By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini
Governor Uba Sani has presented a N985.9 billion budget estimate for the 2026 fiscal year to the Kaduna State House of Assembly, focusing on sustaining development across critical sectors.
Titled a budget of “renewal, resilience and long-term vision,” the proposal allocates 71% to capital expenditure and 29% to recurrent spending.
Key sectors like Education and Infrastructure each receive 25% of the total, while Health gets 15%, and Agriculture 11%.
Highlighting past achievements, Governor Sani stated that his administration has completed 64 of 140 initiated road projects, covering over 1,335 kilometers.
He also noted the introduction of Northern Nigeria’s first Bus Rapid Transit system in Kaduna, which has reportedly saved citizens over N500 million in transport costs.
In education, the government said it reopened 535 schools, returning over 300,000 children to classrooms, alongside massive construction and renovation of facilities.
The health sector is seeing upgrades to all 255 Primary Healthcare Centres and major work on 15 General Hospitals.
A significant highlight was the increase in agriculture investment from N1.4 billion in 2023 to N74.2 billion in 2025, which included the distribution of free fertilizer to farmers.
The Governor also emphasized fiscal prudence, stating that no new loans have been contracted since taking office, despite paying N114.9 billion in debt servicing.
Furthermore, the administration’s community development initiative saw N100 million allocated to each of the state’s 255 wards for participatory projects.
The 2026 budget now awaits the scrutiny and approval of the State House of Assembly.