Kaduna's Uba Sani gets human capital award as aide lists skills, school projects

Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani has received a Distinguished Human Capital Development Champion Award from the Chartered Institute of Human Capital Development of Nigeria (CIHCDN). The institute presented the award at its National Conference at Merit House, Maitama, Abuja, according to the state government.

The institute said the award recognises the governor's people-centred policies and his investments in education, healthcare, skills development, youth empowerment and rural transformation. It described his initiatives as a model of governance that can deliver sustainable development for Kaduna residents.

Speaking after the presentation, the Commissioner of Information and Culture, Malam Ahmed Maiyaki, said the recognition showed the governor's commitment to putting people at the centre of governance. "The greatest investment any government can make is in its people," Maiyaki said, quoting the governor's view.

What the state says it has done

Maiyaki listed projects he said the administration has carried out in Kaduna:

• Three Vocational Training and Skills Development Centres in Rigachikun, Soba and Samarun Kataf, meant to train about 32,000 young people each year in 14 trades.
• Construction of 736 new classrooms and renovation of more than 1,200 others.
• Recruitment of 10,000 teachers and training of over 33,000 teachers.
• A cut of up to 50 per cent in tuition fees at state-owned tertiary institutions, with more scholarships and bursaries.
• 1,400 trucks of free fertiliser given to 420,000 smallholder farmers.
• Revitalisation of 255 Primary Healthcare Centres and better welfare for health workers.

The commissioner said the skills centres are meant to turn young people from job seekers into skilled professionals and employers of labour. He added that the free fertiliser was aimed at supporting rural livelihoods and food security.

On health, he said the government is working to expand access to quality medical services, especially in rural communities that have had little. He said opportunities and interventions are meant to reach communities regardless of political, religious or ethnic affiliation.

Maiyaki said the award would push the governor to do more, and assured the institute that Kaduna would keep expanding its investments in people.

What happens next

The state says it will continue its reforms in education, skills training, healthcare and agriculture. For ordinary residents, the test will be whether the classrooms, training places, clinics and fertiliser reach the people they are meant for.