Sani to northern elite: forget federal power, focus on development

Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani has urged the northern political elite to stop focusing primarily on the quest for political power at the centre and instead develop a comprehensive blueprint to address the region’s pressing socio-economic challenges.

Sani said the North was confronted with serious challenges, including the high number of out-of-school children, inadequate skills-based education, unemployment, and poor healthcare delivery, particularly maternal and child healthcare.

The governor spoke on Wednesday when the leadership of the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation paid him a courtesy visit at the Council Chambers of the Kaduna State Government House.

He expressed appreciation to the foundation for drawing the attention of political leaders in the North to the need to prioritise human capital development and other critical issues affecting the region.

According to him, the North currently lacks a common development agenda capable of addressing its challenges in a coordinated and sustainable manner.

Sani described the forthcoming Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation Summit as timely, noting that its theme, “Good Governance, Industry and Creativity, as well as Sustainable Development,” was relevant to the current realities confronting the region.

“And I’m happy Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation is leading in this direction, because we need to sit down, look at our problems and address them holistically,” the governor said.

He lamented the high rates of maternal and child mortality in Northern Nigeria, as well as the large population of children who are out of school and the shortage of skills-based educational opportunities.

Quoting UNICEF statistics, Sani said Nigeria had about 18 million out-of-school children, with approximately 70 per cent of them living in the northern part of the country.

He recalled that more than 500,000 children were roaming the streets of Kaduna State when his administration assumed office, saying government interventions had so far returned about 360,000 of them to school.

The governor said Kaduna’s household-mapping initiative, which was used to identify out-of-school children across communities, had subsequently been adopted by the Federal Ministry of Education as a model for tackling the national out-of-school children crisis.

Sani also highlighted his administration’s investment in primary healthcare, stressing that the government was particularly concerned about providing access to healthcare for poor and rural residents while continuing to strengthen secondary healthcare services.

“For us, healthcare in Kaduna is the fundamental right of everyone, particularly the less privileged and the vulnerable within our society,” he said.

On skills development, the governor disclosed that Kaduna State had established an Institute of Vocational Training and Skills Development, with campuses in Soba, Rigachikun and Sanga/Kataf, covering the northern, central and southern senatorial districts of the state.

He said the institute was designed to provide practical training in areas such as information and communication technology, mechatronics and renewable energy, with the aim of linking education to employment, entrepreneurship and emerging industries.

“The Institute has graduated more than 4,000 artisans and tradespeople, a bold step toward reducing unemployment and enhancing human capital development,” Sani said.

He added that the state was expanding the programme, with plans to admit about 32,000 youths.

“Now, we’re looking at admitting about 32,000, and that means in a year, we have the capacity to train at least over 30,000 youths, who will be given certification at the end of their training, that will enable them to work anywhere in the world,” he said.

Sani further disclosed that Vice President Kashim Shettima had written to him about three months ago requesting permission for the Federal Government to adopt Kaduna State’s approach to skills-based training.

Earlier, former Niger State Governor, Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, who led the foundation’s delegation, thanked Governor Sani for allocating 50 hectares of land to the organisation for the establishment of the Arewa Unity University.

Aliyu recalled that the late Governor Patrick Yakowa had also allocated a plot of land to the foundation adjacent to Murtala Mohammed Square, Kaduna, where its office was subsequently constructed.

He disclosed that the forthcoming Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation Summit would hold on October 28, 2026, with Governor Uba Sani serving as Chief Host and Special Guest of Honour.