By Paul Adams

It was in the news last week that Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, increased the minimum wage of workers in the state to Seventy Two Thousand Naira (N72, 000). He also provided 100 Compressed Natural Gas, CNG, buses to the state civil service staff to ameliorate their transportation hassles. I must say he is superhuman, efficiently running the state and even introducing novel ideas given that he inherited a Kaduna that was literally highly indebted.

Each time I think of Kaduna State, I mentally compare it with Nigeria. Well, ordinarily, the two were poised for posterity but different successive governments, especially the immediate past administrations, largely excelled in the negatives. Chief among the negatives was bad governance. While many Nigerians would relate with the inept administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari, many were truly surprised that former Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, equally failed to live up to expectations. Why? Only El-Rufai would be able to explain that but he has refused to. Not many people would have believed that underneath the posture of the man who claimed he was fighting for the masses was a mastermind who looted their common pot.

According to news reports,  a fact-finding mission of the Kaduna State House of Assembly found his administration wanting in respect of N432b that reportedly went missing. While El-Rufai has denied the allegations and even sued the Kaduna State House of Assembly to court, questions are still being asked, especially with regards to the Kaduna State coffers he handed over to Governor Sani who describes same as being in the red. 

So, how has Sani been managing the state? Well, he has been scrounging to run the state. He has been running Kaduna, to use the term, by living from hand to mouth. It is really sad that El-Rufai is even asking for N1 billion in damages from the state. How ludicrous. Till today, the former governor and his aides have not provided any meaningful explanation of the missing N432b. The most he said was he was going to swear on the Quran.

“I did not join politics to steal money or enrich myself,” El-Rufai said in September. “I was satisfied with what I had before becoming governor. I have always prayed for guidance in all I do, and I strive not to betray the trust of the people. Whenever the former governors of Kaduna State and other leaders are ready to swear with the Quran that they never misappropriated public funds, I will join them. I have no fear because I know I never took money that belonged to the people. I have left everything to God’s judgement. I have prayed and will remain silent on the issue. I have instructed my lawyers to take legal action against those tarnishing my name, but for now, I’m focused on my activities like reading and writing.”

However, it is still baffling how Governor Sani still performs magic by still efficiently running Kaduna. Earlier in his administration, he had appealed to his officers (lawmakers as well as members of his cabinet) not to use new vehicles as their offices demanded. This was simply because Kaduna’s finances were in a difficult place. In a little over a year, Sani began setting the blocks for a positive economic transformation. Since assuming office, he has touched the lives of residents across the state. It is clear that the governor prioritises thinking of and acting on behalf of the Kaduna people first.

In tandem with the Federal Government security officials, insecurity is being tackled and incidents of banditry and kidnapping are on the low. In the 2024 budget, Kaduna committed N22.54 billion to agriculture, recognising that the sector employs 42% of the residents and contributes 42.81% to the state’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP. The farmers, many of whom are smallholder farmers, have benefitted fertilisers, seedlings and inputs from the state’s government’s vision to get them back to the farms. 

The administration has also partnered with foreign companies to further develop the state’s agro-sector. His administration has improved upon education, road construction and in the area of healthcare, it repaired nine General Hospitals which had been abandoned for over 20 years. Also, under Governor Sani, Kaduna also renewed its drive to mine solid mineral resources, especially lithium. Partnerships with foreign companies like the $20 million plant in Igabi, a joint venture between the Kaduna State government and Ming Xin Mineral Separation Nigeria Ltd, will create over 3,000 jobs. Other resources the state is endowed with include gold, manganese, tin, columbite, tantalite, nickel and others.

It was in continuation of delivering good news that the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Sani, Malam Ibraheem Musa, recently announced the increase in minimum wage of Kaduna to N72,000 and the provision of 100 CNG-powered buses for staff’s transportation.

“This new wage increase is part of the governor’s efforts to uplift the lives of civil servants and improve living standards for vulnerable and underserved communities in Kaduna State,” said Musa, in a statement.

“Kaduna State Government will continue to implement measures that bring relief to our citizens. With the support of our people, we are determined to make Kaduna a model for social welfare interventions.”

Some analysts have begun arguing over what things N72, 000 would buy. Those critics are just those who want to argue for the sake of arguing. They are not worth responding to. Rather, the likes of Sani should just focus on strengthening the different aspects of their respective economy.

The fact is that in NIgeria today, Sani’s acts thus far as governor of Kaduna, deserve commendations. And many individuals and organisations have joined in. Even recently, the Arewa Think Tank, ATT, praised him for the approval of N72,000 as minimum wage for workers in the state and also for providing 100 Compressed Natural Gas, CNG, buses to transport the state civil servants.

“Governor Uba Sani’s approval of a new minimum wage and introduction of free transport for civil servants is highly commendable, reflecting his commitment to workers’ welfare and the betterment of the vulnerable in Kaduna State,” wrote the ATT Convener, Muhammad Alhaji Yakubu, in a statement.

In addition to increasing the minimum wage, Governor Sani should look into how he can continue growing the state. For instance, he has to look at how he can also begin to increase the Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, of his state. This might bring some backlash given people’s reluctance to increase taxation. But it seems that is just another unavoidable part of strong leadership. Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.