Uba Sani Reveals How Kaduna Avoided New Loans Since 2023

(Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani. Photo by Kaduna State Government)

Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani says his government has not borrowed any money since he took office in May 2023.

He made the statement during an interview on Thursday, explaining that instead of taking new loans, his administration has been careful about how it spends money.

Sani said the state still pays about 6.7 billion naira every month to service debts left behind by previous governments.

Despite this heavy debt burden, he said his government has managed without borrowing by being prudent with resources and picking projects that have the biggest impact on people.

"Since I became governor, I've not borrowed one kobo. It's about being prudent.

It's about being very careful in where you invest the money," the governor said.

He attributed the success to increased revenue generation and tighter financial management.

Sani listed areas where his administration has made progress including agriculture, education, infrastructure, skills training and security.

On education, the governor said his administration found about 550,000 children not attending school across Kaduna State through a mapping exercise.

More than 300,000 of these children have been brought back to classrooms.

The mapping was done to get accurate numbers and locations of out-of-school children so the government could target its help more effectively.

The combination of better revenue collection and stricter money management has allowed Kaduna to fund projects without taking on new debt, according to Sani.