The Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, says his administration has entered a new phase of consolidating ongoing reforms and completing projects aimed at improving the lives of residents across the state.
He stated this in his Independence Day address to the people of Kano State as Nigeria marked its 66th Independence Anniversary.
The governor said his administration’s development agenda had focused on education, healthcare, security, agriculture, infrastructure, water supply, social welfare, housing and economic opportunities since assuming office in May 2023.
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He identified education as a major priority, noting that more than 15,000 teachers had been recruited, including 2,000 volunteer instructors absorbed into permanent service.
Governor Yusuf also disclosed that Kano students emerged as the best-performing candidates in the National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations for two consecutive years.
On healthcare, the Governor said the state had upgraded several primary healthcare facilities to secondary-level facilities and renovated more than 300 primary healthcare centres.
He revealed that appointment letters had been issued to more than 2,000 health workers, including doctors, pharmacists, nurses, midwives and community health extension workers.
Highlighting achievements in water infrastructure, Governor Yusuf said the state had rehabilitated the Challawa and Tamburawa water treatment plants and restored the Goron Dutse Reservoir, which had been out of operation for about three decades.
According to him, the Goron Dutse project includes the rehabilitation of three reservoirs with a combined storage capacity of about 40.4 million litres and a 15.6-kilometre transmission line linking the Challawa system to the reservoir.
On security, the Governor said the state government had strengthened collaboration with security agencies while providing additional operational support to vulnerable and frontline communities.
He disclosed that the Kano State Multi-Agency Task Force on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking recorded more than 380 arrests and secured over 230 convictions within its first two months of operation.
Governor Yusuf further stated that his administration had settled about 32 billion naira out of the 48 billion naira backlog of inherited gratuities and related liabilities.
He noted that the state had maintained regular pension payments and increased the minimum monthly pension from 5,000 naira to 20,000 naira.
The Governor said the state’s 2026 budget of about 1.47 trillion naira was designed to consolidate investments in infrastructure, education, healthcare, social welfare and inclusive development.
He, however, stressed that development should be measured by implementation, value for money, accountability and visible impact rather than budget figures alone.
As the 2027 general elections approach, Governor Yusuf urged citizens to reject violence, division and intolerance and to promote peace, unity and responsible citizenship.
He also called on residents to pray for peaceful, free, fair and credible elections while exercising their civic responsibilities responsibly.
Governor Yusuf reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to consolidating gains in education, healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure, water supply, security and human capital development as Kano joined the rest of the country in celebrating Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary.
