Economic hardship: 4,000 Kaduna SMEs will benefit from N4.2bn palliative, says Uba Sani

Uba Sani, governor of Kaduna, says over 4,000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) will benefit from the N4.2 billion palliative intervention in the state.

Speaking on Tuesday during an interview on TVC, Sani said other vulnerable groups have also been targeted for the financial inclusion programme.

The governor said the palliative intervention would help ease the current economic hardship caused by the fuel subsidy removal.

The country is facing hardship as prices of food items and other commodities continue to rise, due to the removal of subsidy on petrol, and the floating of the naira.

President Bola Tinubu announced the removal of petrol subsidy upon assuming office in May 2023.

In recent weeks, many youths have taken to the streets to protest against the hardship and high cost of living in the country.

Sani said he had predicted the current economic realities, adding that it was the reason he signed an executive order on financial inclusion.

“There has not been any uprising in Kaduna state over this issue because we’ve been working with the organised labour, market women and even NGOs, especially with my antecedent as a civil rights activist,” he said.

“Prior to these latest agitations, I predicted that this situation may come up. That’s why I am the only governor that signed an executive order on financial inclusion, to bring about 2.5 million vulnerable, underserved people back into the financial services sector.

“We have also been able to organise about 4,200 SMEs in Kaduna state and in the next one week, we have decided to support them with palliatives worth about N4.2 billion, which will also go directly to vulnerable households and some small businesses that we have captured.

“Additionally, over 1.5 million people have been brought back into the financial sector since the signing of the executive order on financial inclusion in Kaduna state.”

The governor said the intervention programme is a collective effort from stakeholders comprising organised labour, people with disabilities, market women and religious and community leaders, among others.

“We are proactive in Kaduna state and that is why the labour unions are supportive of what we are doing because we run an open government,” he added.

“Even before the budget presentation to the Kaduna state house of assembly, we held town halls where I insisted that we cannot decide on what we will do for the people of Kaduna, without their direct input.

“At the townhalls, we emphasised the decision to run an open government and that’s the reason why we budgeted N22 billion for agriculture — the first in the history of Kaduna — and this was based on the input we received directly from our people and this is why we are on the same page with our people.”