By HUSSAINA YAKUBU

Gov. Uba Sani of Kaduna State has proposed an allocation of N100 million to each of the state’s 255 political wards in the 2026 draft budget, in what he described as the most direct grassroots funding intervention in the state in decades.

Sani announced the provision on Friday at a Town Hall meeting for the public presentation of the 2026 budget, saying the initiative was informed by citizens’ feedback and complaints gathered from last year’s community consultations.

He said the consultations exposed significant developmental gaps, including the fact that 12 of the state’s 23 Local Government Areas had not benefitted from even one kilometre of road construction in 12 years.

According to him, this prompted the state to adopt a ward based development model that empowers communities to identify and prioritise their most urgent projects.

“The decisions on how each ward’s N100 million will be spent will no longer be taken by people on the high table.

“The money belongs to the communities, and their priorities will guide every project through structured citizen engagement,” he said.

Sani said the ward allocations would cover projects such as feeder roads, water schemes, health facilities, security infrastructure, farm to market links and community-driven economic programmes.

He noted that citizen participation had already informed budget decisions at the state level, citing the increase in the water sector budget from N10 million to N100 million after residents demanded greater investment.

The Governor said the renewed focus on rural infrastructure followed revelations from last year’s town hall meetings which showed deep neglect across communities.

This, he said, led to the rollout of a major road development programme now active in every LGA.

Sani listed several ongoing road projects, many between 90 and 95 per cent completion, including 24 km of inter-community links, a 35 km road in Sanga, 22.5 km in Soba, 24.7 km in Zangon Kataf and 14.2 km in Igabi, among others.

He said town hall feedback also shaped the state’s health sector investments, noting that Kaduna is the only state in Nigeria to upgrade 255 primary healthcare centres from level 1 to level 2.

He added that the renovation and equipping of 16 general hospitals was equally guided by ward level needs assessments, with nine already completed and commissioned.

On agriculture, Sani said wards with large farming populations would receive targeted interventions from their N100 million envelopes to complement ongoing state efforts, including the distribution of nearly 900 trucks of fertiliser to smallholder farmers.

The governor also referenced Kaduna’s recent $250 million agro-industrial investment deal, supported by the Federal Government, saying it would boost market access, value addition and rural incomes.

He explained that the state’s skill development system which currently enrolls 90,000 youths under the Federal Government’s TX training initiative would also benefit from ward-directed funding to support vocational and digital skills training.

Sani noted that large-scale transport projects such as the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system and the planned 44 km light rail would further improve mobility and strengthen ward economies across the state.

He said the philosophy of the N100 million-per-ward policy is rooted in fairness, equity and justice, emphasising that development must reach every part of the state regardless of political, ethnic or religious differences.

“No ward, no community, no LGA will be left behind.

“Kaduna must work for everyone. The 2026 budget is your budget, and the N100 million is for you to decide, not for government to dictate,” Sani added.

Stakeholders at the meeting, including civil society groups, religious and traditional leaders and youths representatives, commended the governor for what they described as exemplary citizens’ engagement and notable strides in security and development. (NAN)