Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani, has announced significant progress in reducing the number of out-of-school children in his state by approximately 300,000 over the past six months, following massive investments in educational infrastructure.
He also revealed that the cost of governance has been significantly reduced as he now earns half salary every month.
He disclosed this to State House correspondedents in Abuja on Friday after visiting President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa.
According to reports by the Kaduna State Bureau of Statistics, Kaduna is estimated to have 768,739 out-of-school children at the basic level of education (Basic 1 to 9)
Governor Sani detailed the state’s educational achievements, which include the construction of 62 new secondary schools and 2,340 primary school classrooms, alongside a strategic teacher recruitment drive.
Speaking on meeting with President Tinubu, the governor said, “I informed him that in the last six months, we have reduced the number of out-of-school children to the tune of about 300,000 because we built about 62 secondary schools in Kaduna, 2,340 classrooms in primary schools, we have employed teachers.
“We have also been able to reconstruct, remodel and equip about 12 secondary healthcare centers in Kaduna State.
“Not to talk about the 62 roads we are constructing, totalling about 700 kilometers across Kaduna state. Some of them have been completed and commissioned. Some are still in progress.”
The governor also noted that recent efforts to bolster security across Kaduna State were yielding results.
“In the last few months, we have not experienced any major security issue in Kaduna.
“This stability is due to close collaboration between state security agencies and local communities, which has been instrumental in intelligence gathering and maintaining peace,” he stated.
He added that regions historically troubled by insurgency and banditry, like Birnin Gwari, have seen a period of relative calm.
Governor Sani credited the administration’s cost-saving measures for funding the achievements.
“We made a firm decision to cut down the cost of governance. No new vehicles have been purchased for government officials, and my own salary has been reduced by half,” he noted.
The governor also revealed that 12 secondary healthcare centers have been reconstructed, remodelled, and equipped, while 62 road projects spanning approximately 700 kilometers are at various stages of completion across the state.
The governor also mentioned plans to inaugurate a fleet of 100 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses to enhance public transportation.
