Kaduna State Government said it has recovered more than 500,000 hectares of farmland over the last three years following improved security measures that enabled farmers to return to their fields.

The state’s Commissioner for Information and Culture, Ahmed Maiyaki, disclosed this on Sunday at a Gala Night organised by the Kano Correspondents’ Chapel as part of its annual retreat in Kaduna.

He said the government’s deliberate approach to tackling insecurity had yielded tangible results across multiple sectors.

Maiyaki recalled that bandits once controlled rural communities, imposing taxes, dictating farming activities and even collecting dowries.

“It was so bad that farmers could not go to their farms. But today, with community-led security and early warning systems, peace has returned, and our farmers are back on the land,” he said.

He explained that the administration had combined kinetic measures with non-kinetic approaches by empowering traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth groups and other stakeholders to play active roles in the fight against insecurity.

Maiyaki said that between 2023 and early 2026, 75 potential threats were detected, with 70 successfully addressed, thereby preventing communal or religious clashes.

The Commissioner said improved security had also enabled the government to increase investment in agriculture, with budgetary allocation rising from ₦1.4 billion in 2023 to over ₦100 billion in 2026.

According to him, the increased investment had facilitated the free distribution of fertiliser to farmers, helping to improve yields from three bags per hectare to as many as 22 bags of maize.

He said the government’s focus on outcomes rather than processes was helping to reduce food insecurity and restore dignity to rural communities.

Maiyaki also highlighted infrastructure projects across 12 local government areas, saying the construction and rehabilitation of roads had reduced travel time, minimised post-harvest losses and improved emergency response.

He explained that improved road access had enabled farmers to transport their produce to markets more easily, allowed children to get to school and helped security agencies respond more effectively to distress calls.

In education, he said the number of out-of-school children had dropped from 550,000 to 187,000, while tuition fees had been reduced by 50 per cent and scholarships worth ₦1.3 billion introduced.

In the health sector, the Commissioner said maternal deaths had declined by nearly 20 per cent, while 205 primary healthcare centres had been upgraded and 1,800 health workers recruited annually.

Maiyaki further highlighted the introduction of free CNG buses, which he said transported 3.6 million people within one year and saved residents about ₦3.8 billion in transportation costs.

He said the initiative had also improved the productivity of civil servants, who were able to arrive at work on time while saving a significant portion of their income.

Maiyaki stressed that the government’s interventions were being assessed based on their impact on the lives of residents.

“Security is the foundation. Without it, we cannot achieve anything in health, education, or agriculture. Today, Kaduna is setting benchmarks for others to follow,” he said.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Kano Correspondents’ Chapel, Murtala Adewale, said the journalists were in the state for their annual retreat, themed, “2027 General Elections: Navigating Legal, Security and Ethical Challenges in the Media.” (Daily Trust)