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Group photo at the official opening of the cash disbursement to 2,674 Almajiri children, as part of the Street Children program in Kaduna state.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has pledged a continued partnership with the Kaduna State Government to reach vulnerable children across the state with quality child protection services.
Dr. Wilfred Mamah of UNICEF's Child Protection Services said this in Kaduna on Wednesday, at the official launch of the Children in Street Situation cash disbursement to 2,674 children in Almajiri.
Mamah added that the partnership would also ensure that all vulnerable children are protected from all forms of abuse, violence and neglect.
He explained that the Children in Street Situation Program was under the Grant of the National Committee of the United Kingdom.
He noted that COVID-19 has brought to the fore the heightened vulnerability of street children, especially Almajiri children who lack parental support and care.
He said the Almajiri system's long history of informal guardianship arrangements exposes children to violence, abuse and neglect, hindering their rights to life, survival and development.
According to him, the response of the State that saved the lives of these children in the midst of covid-19 will continue to be the point of reference for the human reunification of almajiros and street children with their families.
“UNICEF's alliance with the state through the Ministry of Human Services and Social Development (MHSSD), registered the highest number of successful reunifications of 10,817 Almajiri children, the highest in the country.
“This life-saving reunification of children was captured using the innovative Child Protection Information Management (CPIMS) tool.”
He explained that the Street Children and Adolescent Girls programs are being implemented in the state after the success of the reunification program.
The child protection specialist said that so far, a total of 209,950 street children, including adolescents, have been captured in the CPIMS, based on their vulnerability.
He said that the figure is made up of 105,726 almajiro children outside family care and 104,224 adolescent girls out of school.
According to him, the situation of the children of Almajiri and the scenario that characterizes it continue to be one of the critical drivers of the deschooling of children in the state.
“It is to reverse this trend that UNICEF is collaborating with the MHSSD and other stakeholders to provide critical services to the reunited Almajiri children and facilitate their full integration with their communities.
“So far, we have been able to provide key services to the 2,674 Almajiri children who were left at home after the reunifications.”
He identified the services as the creation of bank accounts for children for a monthly cash transfer of N5,000, and the registration and issuance of the National Identification Number.
The other services, he said, include the acquisition of legal identification and birth registration, enrollment in school, and the provision of school uniforms and teaching materials.
“We hope that these initial services will be a springboard for more targeted assistance to these children, including adolescent girls, that will enhance human capital development in the state,” he said.
Mamah appealed to Governor Nasir El-Rufai to consider urgently releasing a matching grant for the program as promised at the start of the project.
According to him, this will allow the state government to expand the intervention to fully integrate all children into communities to make the most of their potential.
Earlier, the Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, thanked UNICEF, other development partners and stakeholders for supporting the initiative.
Balarabe, who was represented by Kanyi, El-Rufai's deputy chief of staff, said that each of the 2,674 Almajiri would receive N5,000 per month as a cash transfer.
He added that there was already a plan to increase the amount to N10,000 in the following months, with a view to ensuring that children are enrolled and stay in school.
“Under the program, the National Population Commission is providing children with birth certificates; Kaduna SUBEB is providing reading materials, while Keystone Bank opened accounts for beneficiaries.
“Kaduna State Residents Identity Management Agency is registering and enrolling children with National Identification Number (NIN) while UNICEF is providing the funds for cash disbursement,” he said.
===========Edited
Source Credit: NAN
The Kaduna State Pilgrims Welfare Agency plans to upscale Christains pilgrimage to Jerusalem by introducing installment savings as part of arrangements to enable Christians to save at approved banks for flexible payment.
At a one-day sensitisation meeting on Jerusalem Pilgrims with Christian stakeholders on Thursday in Kaduna, Executive Secretary of the Agency, Dr. Yusuf Arrigasiyyu, said the event was aimed at addressing the low patronage of Christians to Jerusalem for pilgrimage.
Lamenting on the low patronage of such pligrims to Jerusalem, Rome, Vatican and Jordan, he said only eight Christains went for the 2022 pligrimage.
He explained that the Kaduna State Government, which in its wisdom, merged the Muslim and Christian pligrimage Welfare Board together as an Agency, was aimed at making ease and efficient the discharge of the Agency’s duties.
Arrigasiyyu added that the Agency’s meeting with the Christain leaders was also to solicit advice on possible ways of upscaling the Christians participantion in the exercise.
He also said the meeting was for the Agency to educate the Christian leaders on the need to sensitise their followers to the need for pligrimage to Jerusalem and other holy cities.
“We want them to educate the people that visit holy places for worship to increase their faith and knowledge because one will understand and practically see some of the things he or she has been reading in the holy book.
“Even the Muslims are allowed to visit the holy Mosque (Baitul Mukaddas) in Jerusalem for them to also see and pray inside for some religious reasons.
“Jerusalem and the other holy cities are also visited for tourism, most importantly for religious rites, despite the two reasons, the cities have low patronage,”he said.
Also, Rev. Sunday Ibrahim said the Christian Pilgrims were ‘sleeping’ and they wanted to know why.
Speaking as a participant, he added that the meeting would sensitise them and unravel the problems behind the low participantion.
He commended the Agency for introducing installment payment for intending pilgrims, noting that it would solve one of the problems associated with complete payment at once where many intending pilgrims may not afford.
“Many of us have advocated for this in a very long time, it is a wellcome idea,” he said.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
The Kaduna State Government Thursday unveiled business initiative for talented youth aimed at boosting human capital development, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
NAN reports that the initiative called “Buy and Sell initiative for the talent, was a programme designed to boost human capital development in the state through Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
Declaring the programme open, the state Deputy Governor, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, said it was part the state government initiatives to boost human capital development.
She said that the government had established the Kaduna State Enterprise Development Agency and Kaduna State Women Empowerment Fund to build the capacity of small and medium enterprises and empower citizens, especially women and youths.
The deputy governor expressed the continued support of the government toward improving the MSMEs in the state.
She noted that MSMEs were recognised as one of the major contributors to the economies of most nations in the world.
In his goodwill message, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Niyi Adebayo, appreciated the organisers for the initiative, interest and passion for promoting trade through buying and selling.
Adebayo, who was represented by Mr Sadiq Bako, described trade as one of the key mandate of the ministry, which he said was largely supported by MSMEs.
He pledged support to the initiative in view of the big role MSMEs play in the growth of the Nigerian economy.
According to him, MSMEs are responsible for driving innovation and competition in many sectors of the country’s economy.
The minister said that the new initiative would go a long way in creating jobs at relatively low capital cost, especially in the fast-growing services.
Adebayo also said that it would reduce income disparities and provide opportunities for developing new technological approaches.
In her goodwill message, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, urged business owners to seeks for more opportunities to grow their businesses.
She said they should strive to grow the locally businesses to bigger visions, tapping opportunities in the supply chain at national and international levels.
The minister, who was represented by her Special Assistant, Hajiya Hauwa Yahaya, noted that no matter how small and insignificant the service related business appeared, it would go a long way in improving the economy.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
The Kaduna State Government has inaugurated the state Strategy Document on Justice Reforms, as part of efforts to build and nurture an efficient justice sector in the state.
Dr Hadiza Balarabe, the state Deputy Governor, unveiled the document on Wednesday in Kaduna.
According to her, the reform of the justice sector is necessary to ensure delivery of people-centred justice for citizens.
She noted that justice was a pillar of civilisation, a palladium of liberty and a guarantee of due process.
“The institutions of justice protect rules-based order, safeguard the sanctity and predictability that enable individuals, businesses and the wider society to function effectively.
“Therefore, every responsible government is investing in the imperative of a strong legal framework, with effective and efficient institutions,” she said.
The deputy governor disclosed that the present administration in the state had since 2015, anchored its reform agenda on many new laws and a few new agencies.
“While many legislations have been extensively and painstaking reviewed and outmoded laws repealed, new laws have been enacted to reflect current realities, contemporary concerns and best practices.
“These laws effectively regulate several subject matters such as crime, corruption, land use and taxation, among others.
“The laws also help to enhance the capacity of various agencies to improve service delivery,” Balarabe said.
She said that the government’s desire to pursue a vibrant and functional justice system made it to domesticate the Justice Policy in 2018, which served as its roadmap for ongoing reforms.
According to her, in 2017, Kaduna became the first state in the North to domesticate the Administration of Criminal Justice Law which repealed the Criminal Procedure Code used throughout the region.
“We also enacted a model Penal Code Law in furtherance of agreements among the northern states regarding the desirability of such a step.
“Under our watch, the Kaduna state government has taken several steps to strengthen key institutions across the justice sector.
“These included the employment of 70 State Counsel, creation of more magistrate courts and employment of additional magistrates, increasing the jurisdictions of magistrates in monetary claims from N500,000 to N5 million.
“Others are the creation of Small Claims Court to expedite adjudication on financial claims and speedy resolution for debt and disputes involving recovery of monies.
“Creation of Mediation Center in the Ministry of Justice and in the three Senatorial zones in the state which offer free legal services to the indigent.
”
She revealed that the government had also set up Sexual Assault Referral Centres to cater for victims of sexual related offences, providing psycho social counselling, forensic examination, medical treatment and legal services for victims of sexual assault.
“All these reform interventions are designed to improve the quality of justice and reduce the barriers to service delivery.
“The Kaduna state Justice Policy and the reforms undertaken so far reflect the ideals the Hague Institute for Innovation of Law promotes, especially people centred justice,” the deputy governor added.
In his remarks, the state Acting Chief Judge, Justice Mu`azu Aliyu said the state had conducted a Justice need survey in 2018.
He said the strategy document on transformation justice will make justice accessible and affordable for the people.
“I believe that his excellency will facilitate the effective implementation of the justice transformation strategy document as a sure way to people centred justice in the state” he said.
On her part, Maryam Abba, Operations Officer, Hague Institute for Innovation of Law, said the strategy document was the outcome of interaction with various stakeholders.
She said that the document addressed concerns with respect to police, crime and money.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
The Kaduna State Government on Tuesday announced the reintroduction of school fees in senior secondary schools across the state.
The Commissioner for Education, Hajiya Halima Lawal, made this known in a letter to the Principals of Secondary Schools, obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria in Kaduna.
The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the state government had in 2019, abolished the payment of fees in schools from primary to senior secondary for all students with effect from 2020.
The move, according to the government, was to reduce the burden on parents and to facilitate free access to education by children of school age.
Lawal, however, said that the reintroduction of the fees at senior secondary school level was due to the dwindling resources at the disposal of the state government.
She blamed the development on the current harsh economic conditions, which compelled the government to rescind the decision.
“The increase in population of school children in the state necessitates the expansion and renovation of existing structures, provision of teaching and learning materials to provide a functional and conducive learning environment.
“However, the dwindling resources at the disposal of the state due to the harsh economic conditions of the times, have made it compelling to reintroduce school fees in our secondary schools.
She said that consequently, every student at Senior Secondary level in the state would now be required to pay a nominal fee of N2,000 for an academic session.
She explained that each student was expected to pay N1000 for first term and N500 each for second and third term.
“Students have the option to make full payment at the beginning of the session or in three instalments over the three terms.
“All Principals are requested to note that the payment of the fee is with effect from the second term of 20222023 session.
“Modalities of payment would be communicated in due course,” she said.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
The Kaduna State Government has spent N181.6 billion from January to September, representing 64 per cent budget performance of the N279.6 billion revised budget for 2022.
This is contained in the Third Quarter2022 Budget Performance Report produced by the Office of Accountant-General with support of the Planning and Budget Commission.
The report, obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria in Kaduna on Tuesday shows that of the amount, N117.5 billion was spent on capital projects.
This represents 63.5 per cent of the N185.1 billion allocated for capital projects in the 2022 budget, leaving a variance of N67.6 billion.
Similarly, N64.3 billion was spent on recurrent expenditure, representing 67.8 per cent performance of the total N94.5 billion recurrent budget for the year, with a variance of N30.4 billion.
On revenue, the report shows that N188.4 billion was realised as revenue within the period, representing 67.3 per cent revenue performance for the year, leaving a variance of N91.3 billion.
Of the N188.4 billion revenues, N38.9 billion was Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) with N7.4 billion collected in first quarter, N16.7 billion in second quarter and N14.8 billion in third quarter.
The N38.9 billion IGR represents 55.2 per cent of the N70.5 billion IGR target for the year, leaving a variance of N31.6 billion.
The report blamed low IGR collection to non-full implementation of new law on Development Levies, and noncompletion of shops in most of the markets.
It added that there was equally a low collection of tuition fees in the state’s tertiary institutions due to a hike in fees and prolonged strike action by Academic Staff Union of Universities.
It also blamed the low performance on pending approvals for regularisation of several undocumented layouts, and high cost of land re-certification among other economic factors.
Also, a total of N64.2 billion was received as the government share of the Federation Allocation Account Committee, representing 77.1 per cent performance of the N83.2 billion targeted for the year.
A total of N42.6 billion was received as Capital Receipts, representing 51.1 per cent performance of the N83.6 billion target for the years.
The N42.6 billion was made up of N21.9 billion aids and grants, representing 44.7 per cent performance against the 49.1 billion target and N20.7 billion representing 60.3 per cent against the N34.3 billion target.
The report indicates that the low performance resulted from the global economic recession which has affected both external and domestic donor partner funded programmes.
A further analysis of the budget shows that the Ministry for Finance has the highest budget performance of N34.1 billion representing 94 per cent of the n36.3 billion allocated leaving a variance of N2.2 billion.
This was followed by the Ministry for Public Works and Infrastructure which spent N28.1 billion within the period, representing 86.8 per cent of the N32.5 billion total allocation to the sector.
It was followed by the health sector, where a total of N22 billion was spent out of the N38 billion allocated for the year representing 57.8 per cent performance leaving a variance of N16 billion.
Education sector trailed behind with 53.4 per cent performance after spending N35.4 billion of the N66.4 billion allocation, leaving a variance of N30.9 billion.
Commenting on the development, Mr Yusuf Goje, Coalition of Association for Leadership Peace Empowerment and Development (CALPED), observed that most of the revenue targets were lagging the 75 per cent benchmark at the third quarter.
Goje, the Head of Leadership, Governance and Advocacy of the organisation.
pointed out that the poor revenue generation has affected both the capital and recurrent expenditure, which stood at 63.5 and 67.8 per cents respectively.
“This brought to the fore the issue of budget realism, which has remained an issue in Kaduna state where the annual budget is always above the recommendation of the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework.
“This is very unfortunate because we are not expecting a dramatic increase in spending in the 4th quarter because of the 2023 political activities that would distract the governance processes.
“This is a cause for concern because if we are not sure of generating the needed revenues to fully implement a N279.6 billion 2022 budget, how do we expect the 2023 budget of N370.3 billion will fare?
he asked.
Describing revenues as a “critical component” of the budget circle, Goje advised the government to increase its taxpayers net and find creative ways to increase its revenue performance.
He explained that the government can leverage on the political campaigns and economic activities within this period to increase its revenue generation.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
A Pan-African Nongovernmental Organisation, Connected Development (CODE) is to mobilise communities to support the Kaduna State Government to improve service delivery in health facilities.
CODE Team Lead in the state, Mr Abubakar Mohammed, made this known during a town hall meeting with community members of Unguwan , Kaduna metropolis.
Mohammed said that the goal was to involve community members on improving primary healthcare services across the 23 local government areas of the state.
He said that community mobilisation was under the COVID-19 Transparency and Accountability Project (CTAP) to generates information on how COVID-19 funds were being used by governments.
According to him, the information generated from tracking activities are being used to advocate to government and relevant stakeholders for social accountability and change.
“The goal is to improve infrastructural development in health centres, personnel, Water Sanitation and Hygiene, service delivery and COVID-19 vaccines administration, across all health facilities.
”
He said that CODE was working to improve public governance in Nigeria and across Africa by empowering marginalised communities to demand high levels of accountability and transparency from the government.
He said that the CSO, through the Community Monitoring Teams, has tracked 24 health facilities in six local government areas of the state to assess the functionalities of the PHCs based on the aforementioned key indicators.
On infrastructure, he said, 17 out of the 24 facilities tracked have electricity supply; only six have ambulances representing 25 per cent, while 13 of the 24 PHCs have detached buildings.
“On vaccine storage, the tracking report shows that 18 of the 24 facilities have a fridge, 19 have temperature logs, and only eight have a cooling van, with a total of 234,065 vaccines administered.
“For service delivery, 92 per cent of the 24 facilities provide antenatal care services, 54 per cent have delivery rooms, 88 per cent maternity rooms, 92 per cent have Ward Development Communities (WDC).
“Also, 96 per cent have laboratories while 88 per cent have an in-patient ward,” he said.
Mohammed also said 38 per cent of the 24 facilities have medical officers, 63 per cent have community health officers, 67 per cent have pharmacy technicians.
He added that only 13 per cent of the 24 facilities have the required number of nurses and midwives, only 29 per cent have health attendants, while none of the facilities have junior community health extension workers.
“On WASH, 83 per cent have separate toilets for male and females, 54 per cent have visible signposts, and 88 per cent have access to water.
“Similarly, 97 per cent of the facilities have colour coded waste bins while 88 per cent have waste collection points and only 50 per cent have incinerators,” he said.
Responding, the Village Head of Unguwan , Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim thanked CODE for mobilising community members to support the improvement of service delivery in health centres.
Ibrahim pledged the support of the traditional leaders in mobilising the needed resources and advocacies to government agencies to address the gaps in service delivery in the health facilities in the community.
Earlier, the Ward Development Committee Chairman of the community, Mr Garba Mohammed, who equally thanked CODE for the support said that the data would support evidence-based advocacy to relevant stakeholders.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
The Empowering Women for Excellence Initiative (EWEI), has sensitised members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Kaduna State Chapter and commercial tricycle operators, to the dangers of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).
EWEI’s Programme Officer, Mr Mendie Jerimiah, said during the orientation seminar for members of the two associations on Saturday in Kaduna that the sensitisation was under the “We for Them Project”.
Jeremiah said that the project, being Implemented with support from the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF), was to mobilise 4,500 critical stakeholders to curb SGBV in public places in Kaduna state.
Jeremiah, who is also the Secondary Focal Person of the project, said the goal was to mobilise men to stand in the gap and speak out against sexual and gender-based violence.
He said that EWEI was working with NURTW and the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Kaduna Polytechnic Chapter in implementing the two-year project, 2022 to 2024.
“NURTW and ASUP were selected because they are all male-dominated unions that will play a critical role in ending SGBV in public places in the state.
“We will work with the two unions for the next two years to raise awareness on sexual harassment in motor parks marketplaces and other places and build a network of male advocates against SGBV.
“We will also build their capacity to respond adequately to cases of sexual harassment and violence in motor parks and the polytechnic environment,” he said.
He expressed optimism that at the end of the project, there would be an increased number of men speaking against SGBV.
He also said that at the end of the project, many people would be aware of EWE’s toll-free help line and use it to report SGBV cases or make referrals.
“We also hope to strengthen the SGBV response and reporting mechanism in the unions to ensure adequate health, psychosocial and legal support for survivors of SGBV,” he said.
Jeremiah congratulated the Kaduna State Government for launching the “HeForShe” Campaign, which he said had similar goals with “We For Them project”.
He said that EWEI expected to partner with the HeForShe Campaign, adding that both initiatives involved working with male dominated groups and would make them advocates against sexual harassment and abuse in the state.
The Clerk of the NURTW, Mrs Maryam Bawa, said that the project would support ongoing efforts to curb SGBV in the state.
Bawa acknowledged the incidence of SGBV in motor parks which she said had defied all efforts and expressed optimism that the ” We for Them Project” would make a difference.
Also, Mr Shehu Maiyaki, Child Protection Desk Officer, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), said the rate of gender-based violence was on the increase in the state.
Maiyaki, a Deputy Superintendent Corps of the NSCDC, said stakeholders had been working to curb the trend in motor packs, schools, and other public places.
According to him, the We for Them Project would help significantly in creating the needed awareness among the targeted groups and how they could respond and report GBV cases, using appropriate channels.
Hajiya Sa’adatu Mahmud, Director, Gender Affairs, Ministry for Human Services and Social Development, commended EWEI for the initiative, which she said was timely, considering the rate of SGBV in the state.
“We welcome the partnership and will provide all the needed support to ensure the success of the project,” she said.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
Kaduna State is gradually emerging as a new business destination of choice in Nigeria, attracting major investments in the last seven years. So far, the state has generated investment portfolio of about $4.3 billion spanning areas of agriculture, solid minerals, manufacturing and retail services. Already, more than 100,000 direct and indirect jobs have been created. This feat was achieved by deliberate planning through the creation of a one-stop-shop and operationalizing of the ease of doing business charter to break barriers to investments and expansion of the fiscal space. The state, in 2018, was ranked first in the country by the World Bank in the ease of doing business. This is a quantum leap from the 24th position it occupied in 2014. According to Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, the government’s cardinal agenda is anchored on providing enabling environment for the private sector to drive the economy while government provides the enabling environment. “This is driven by numerous policy actions and reforms that are geared towards revamping our competitive edge by making Kaduna the state of choice for investments decisions. He said that the government vision was driven by the recognition that the private sector provides the fastest way to create jobs and global competitiveness for the bulging youthful population. “Kaduna State Government has attracted a total investment portfolio of $4,488,000,000, comprising actualized and announced investments, and has created 75,750 direct and indirect jobs, in the last seven years,” according to El-Rufai. The journey began in 2016 when the state held its first Economic and Investment Summit, tagged KadInvest 1.0, which attracted 25 local and foreign investments worth $500 million. Subsequently, the Kaduna Investment Promotion Agency developed an investment regulation framework to drive Public Private Partnership to facilitate investment across multiple sectors. During the KadInvest 2.0 in 2017, Kaduna state government unveiled its 2016-2020 Development Plan and SIP as vehicles for achieving SDGs through the annual budgetary framework. Thus, the state’s annual budget had since then, largely funded infrastructure development Some of the key investments attracted to the state in 2017 include Olam Poultry and Feed Mill, Mass Housing at Millennium City, KADICT, etc. A 3-year MoU was also signed with USAID to help drive economic development in the state and also launch of the Eyes and Ears Citizen Engagement Platform. Also, the KadInvest 3.0 in 2018 was used to unveil the state Infrastructure Master Plan (2018-2050). A total of 14+ investments were solidified through foreign and domestic investments. The state attracted 79 per cent Foreign Direct Investment and 21 per cent Domestic Investment, including the new flagship Dangote Peugeot Automobile Plant while more focus was made to building human capital. KadInvest 4.0 in 2019 brought about the operationalisation of the Kaduna Industrial Master Plan and improved the investment portfolio by 300 per cent. It was during the event that the state launched into the Industry 4.0 phase focusing on developing knowledge-driven economy while revamping industries. KadInvest 5.0 in 2020 was on “Infrastructure, industrialisation and innovation” and had the first Sub-National Virtual Economic and Investment Summit in Nigeria. It launched the Oxford Business Group Kaduna Report and the Public Private Partnership Policy and Manual. In spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, the state grew its investment portfolio by over $500 million. In 2021, the government focus was on promotion of knowledge-based economy through its 5-year Development Plan (2021-2025), which carries the blueprint showcasing where the state wants to be by 2025. According to El-Rufai, the plan contains a “tourism catalogue to proactively showcase our tourist sites and investment opportunities to the international market. ”It also has the Skills for Prosperity plan, a demand driven Skills and Education Programme that will equip youths with high quality skills needed by industries,” he said. In the last investment summit held from Oct. 13- Oct. 17, President Muhammadu Buhari commended the state for emerging the investment destination of choice in Nigeria. He said it was a recognition of the state’s policy drive and consistency which made the business community to continue to bring more investments. During the 7th edition of Kaduna Economic and Investment Summit, various projects were opened to full business. Some of the companies include Falgates Foods and Rice Mill, AFEX Aggregation and Processing Centre, the KASTLEA Vehicle Inspection Centre, Kaduna Galaxy Mall, and COP Fertilizer Company. Others include a film village, three housing estates: Muwaffaq Estate, Nuru Siraj Estate, and Rheyno Estate, and Amsco Neighbourhood Centre. The event was rounded up with the launch of the new Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) Charter 2022. There was also the declaration of the state’s Green Economic Zone as a Special Economic Zone with Free Trade Zone Status and Operational License by the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA). The state is angling to attract more investors by touting its population and infrastructure. “Kaduna state is the third biggest consumer market in Nigeria, the third most populous state in Nigeria and has 52 per cent of Nigeria’s consumer market. ‘’Besides, Kaduna state is rich in mineral resources as it has over 25 non-oil mineral deposits, including gold, iron ore and marble,’’ the governor said during the KadInvest 7.0. He also listed some of the major achievements of his administration, which include raking in N52 billion as Internally Generated Revenue in 2021 as against N11 billion in 2015. These also include completion of roads and recreational facilities, construction and expansion of schools, launch of aerial services for drugs supply and completion of an additional 300-bed hospital in Kaduna. According to El-Rufai, what the state has been doing is to become more innovative and resilient against global economic shocks by harnessing its comparative advantages to build the confidence of investors. As part of its future plans, the state is eyeing N20 trillion investments by 2050, raise investment in agriculture to contribute 40 per cent of overall state GDP by 2025. It also wants at least 10 percent share of electronics sector; 10 per cent in Motor Vehicle Assembly sector; 20 per cent penetration of renewables, and increase electricity grid by at least 400 MW. The government also plans to formalize artisanal mining to capture unaccounted mining activities in the state and their corresponding revenue generation. It also wants to revive brownfield textile industries and improve support services provided to cotton farmers. Other areas are innovation via ICT in the areas of Agriculture, Manufacturing, and Education. Expanding road network and provision of inter and intra transportation scheme, and exploring opportunities in rail freight transport between major industrial sites in the state. NewsSourceCredit: NAN
The Kaduna State Government has appointed a new governing board for the State Geographic Information Service (KADGIS), an official has said.
Mr Muyiwa Adekeye, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication, made the disclosure in a statement in Kaduna on Friday.
He said that new board of KADGIS, the body in charge of digital land registry and administration in the state, would be headed by the Deputy Governor, Dr Hadiza Balarabe.
The media aide listed other members of the board to include, Malam Lawal Mayere, representing Kaduna North, Hajiya Hauwa Yahaya and Mr Bulus Audu, representing Kaduna Central and South.
Adekeye also listed Dr Zaid Abubakar, the Executive Chairman of Kaduna Internal Revenue Service, and the Accountant- General of the state, Shizzer Bada as members.
”Also on the board are Altine Jibrin, Director-General, KADGIS and Alhaji Mahmood Aminu, an official of KADGIS.
”Representatives of the Ministries of Justice, Environment, Local Government, Agriculture and the Kaduna Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture are also on the board,” he said.
KADGIS is one of the first agencies established in 2015 by the El-Rufai government, with the mandate to digitise the land registry and administration in the state.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
