El-Rufai: Kaduna Governor Uba Sani Dismisses Distractions, Says Focus Is On Governance

Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has reaffirmed his commitment to governance, stressing that his priority remains delivering quality service to the people who elected him, rather than engaging in political distractions.

Speaking at an Iftar dinner with Kaduna Social Media Influencers at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House on Saturday, the governor maintained that his administration was focused on driving development and tackling key challenges facing the state.

Though he did not directly reference his predecessor, Nasir El-Rufai, his comments came just days after El-Rufai accused him of using security agencies to intimidate his loyalists.

Naija News reports that El-Rufai had last week alleged that Governor Sani was behind the arrest of his supporter, Jafaru Sani, a former Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources under his administration.

In what appeared to be a veiled response, Governor Sani remarked, “My preoccupation is to serve the people of Kaduna State, who elected me. I am not bothered by baseless and idle talks, which will add no value to governance.”

Highlighting his administration’s achievements over the past 22 months, Sani pointed to improvements in security, agriculture, and education, particularly in areas previously plagued by insecurity.

“We have made significant strides in addressing security challenges in Birnin Gwari and Giwa local governments. The Birnin Gwari cattle market, which had been closed for over 10 years due to security concerns, was reopened last November, and business is now thriving,” he stated.

He further assured that the government remains committed to ensuring peace and stability across the state to foster economic growth.

Governor Sani also addressed the long-standing issue of water scarcity in Kaduna, revealing that his administration declared a state of emergency in the sector upon assuming office.

“When we took over, the capacity utilisation of the water supply scheme was under 5%. Today, we have improved it to 30%, and by the end of the year, we aim to reach 100% capacity,” he assured.

He disclosed that his administration had cleared a salary backlog of N800 million owed to staff of the Kaduna State Water Corporation and settled ₦1.3 billion in outstanding electricity debts.

Additionally, he said efforts were underway to retrofit water supply schemes across all 23 local government areas in Kaduna State.

Governor Sani commended Kaduna social media influencers for promoting the activities of his administration and pledged to continue engaging with them to ensure government initiatives are well-communicated to the people.

“I want to thank you for highlighting the achievements of our administration. We will continue to support you in your efforts to promote the good works of our government,” he stated.

In response, the Chairman of Kaduna Social Media Influencers, Adam Garba, appreciated the governor for hosting them, describing it as a historic gesture.

“This is the first time any governor has hosted us for Iftar. We appreciate your support and look forward to continuing to work with you to promote the good works of your administration,” Garba said.