How Kaduna Is Taking Shape Under Uba Sani, by Bashir Aliyu

For a long time, Kaduna was spoken of with a worried tone, as a state defined by its divisions. Since Governor Uba Sani took office in May 2023, that conversation has been changing. It is no longer only about what went wrong. People now talk about roads, clinics, classrooms and, above all, a peace that many once thought was out of reach.

On Peace

Everything else in Kaduna rests on peace, so it is the right place to start. The governor says the state has gone more than two and a half years without an ethno-religious crisis, which he credits to inclusive governance, engagement with traditional rulers and an Interfaith Council set up to encourage dialogue across religious and ethnic lines. The improvement has even been noticed abroad. The United Kingdom downgraded its travel advisory for Kaduna from red to amber.

The symbolism has mattered as much as the policy. In December 2025, the governor attended the Kaduna Unity Christmas Carol organised by the Christian Association of Nigeria, bringing his whole cabinet with him. A Muslim governor sitting with Christian leaders and his entire government sends a message that no speech could match. Religious leaders have noticed. At a recent interfaith dialogue, leaders from both faiths praised the improved relations between Christians and Muslims, and the governor recalled swearing on the Qur’an to govern fairly regardless of ethnic or religious affiliation. Even residents who are not indigenes of the state have spoken up. Their association said Kaduna belongs to everyone who lives and works there. [Nigeria: How UBA Sani’s Inclusive Leadership Is Steadying Kaduna

On Roads and Infrastructure

Infrastructure is where the change is easiest to see. The administration is delivering 140 road projects covering 1,335 kilometres, and 66 of them have been completed. This work is not limited to the state capital. One 35-kilometre road, described as the longest built in two decades, links more than 76 farming communities. The governor describes the effect plainly: new filling stations, markets and small businesses are appearing along the corridor.

For some communities, the wait was very long. People along the Pambeguwa-Kahutu-Kauru road had waited nearly 50 years for a reliable road. A farmer who can get his harvest to market before it spoils will tell you what a road is worth.

The government is also looking ahead. The Kaduna Bus Rapid Transit system will be the first of its kind in the north, with CNG-powered buses, digital ticketing and a 24-kilometre dedicated corridor.

On Healthcare System

In health, the most striking achievement is in primary care, where most ordinary families first meet the health system. All 255 primary healthcare centres have been upgraded to Level II status, which made Kaduna the first state in the federation to reach that milestone. The governor adds that 23 centres of excellence have been established, one in each local government area. The effort has drawn recognition, as Kaduna was named the 2024 Primary Healthcare Leadership Challenge Champion for the North-West.

The people who staff these facilities have not been forgotten either. The state has kept up the CONMESS and CONHESS salary structures for doctors and eligible health professionals. A well-equipped clinic still needs motivated staff to run it.

Investing in the next generation

Education has received similar attention. According to the governor, the administration has built 736 new classrooms, renovated more than 1,200, recruited 10,000 teachers and trained over 33,000 education personnel in modern teaching methods and digital skills. At the tertiary level, his first Executive Order cut tuition fees by 50 percent in all state-owned tertiary institutions, which has eased the burden on many families.

There is also a clear effort to prepare young people for work. Three vocational and technology skills acquisition cities have been built in Soba, Rigachikun and Samarun Kataf. Not every young person will go to university, and these centres offer another route to a livelihood.

Governor Sani has begun to describe what Kaduna has done as the “Kaduna Peace Model.” It is built on the idea that peace must be cultivated rather than imposed, and that lasting peace requires social justice, inclusion and opportunity. The thinking is practical. Peace holds when people have roads, schools, clinics and a fair share of attention from their government.

No honest assessment would say every problem is solved. Banditry and kidnapping remain real concerns in parts of the North-West, and the governor himself admits the work continues. But direction matters, and Kaduna is moving in a hopeful one.

Governments are judged by whether ordinary people can see the difference in their daily lives. A mother who can reach a functioning clinic, a student whose fees were halved, a farmer on a new road and neighbours of different faiths who share the same streets in peace can all point to something real. For that, Governor Uba Sani deserves recognition, and the state deserves the chance to keep building on it.

As we look forward to the 2027 election, Kaduna voters are contented and ready to support our amiable governor for another term.

Bashir Aliyu Limanci writes from Sultan Road, Kaduna.