I Have Released Over N114bn To Service Inherited Debt-Kaduna Governor

Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State on Monday presented a N985.9bn budget proposal for the 2026 fiscal year to the State House of Assembly, unveiling a spending plan designed to accelerate growth and development across the state.

He said, the proposed budget is anchored on the goals of renewing, rebuilding, and repositioning Kaduna, with a strong emphasis on capital investments, transparency, and community-driven projects that reflect the priorities of both urban and rural residents.

According to the governor, the budget is built on a projected recurrent revenue of N734.29bn and capital receipts of N251.62bn including grants and loans that will support strategic projects and reforms.

The governor said his administration has strengthened evidence-based governance through new surveys on agriculture, health, poverty levels, GDP, and malaria prevalence, all of which now inform resource allocation and programme planning.

He said “Kaduna remains Nigeria’s leading sub-national performer in the Open Government Partnership, having fully implemented infrastructure transparency standards, including the OC4IDS”

A breakdown of the spending plan shows that N286.23bn, representing 29 percent, is allocated for recurrent expenditure, while N699.69bn, or 71 percent, is designated for capital projects, reflecting the government’s long-term development priorities.

Under sectoral allocations, educational infrastructure and rural transformation each received 25 percent, while health was assigned 50 percent, underscoring the administration’s commitment to human capital development. Other allocations include agriculture and food security (11 percent), security (six percent), social development (five percent), environment and climate action (four percent), and governance and administration (five percent).

The governor further revealed that his administration has maintained prudent debt management, contracting “almost no new loans” since assuming office, while paying N114bn, to service inherited debts without compromising essential public services.

He added that each of the state’s 285 wards received N100n for community-chosen projects under the World Development Priorities and Community Charter Programme, describing the initiative as one of the country’s largest participatory budgeting efforts.

In his response, Speaker Dahiru Liman commended the governor for reviving old initiatives and introducing new projects that benefit both rural and urban communities.

He assured that lawmakers would thoroughly review the budget and work closely with the executive to promote inclusive development, infrastructure expansion, and improved service delivery across the state.