Uba Sani: I only receive half salary | I’m yet to buy a new vehicle

Uba Sani, the governor of Kaduna, says he is receiving half of his salary as part of measures to cut the cost of governance.

Sani spoke to State House correspondents in Abuja on Friday after meeting President Bola Tinubu at the presidential villa.

“We made it clear that we need to reduce the cost of governance in Kaduna state. To date, we have not bought a single vehicle for any government official in Kaduna state,” he said.

“That has really helped us. We’ve reduced the allowances of all our commissioners, advisers, and even myself—I receive half of my salary. Since I became governor of Kaduna state, I have not acquired a single new vehicle as governor.

“So we’ve significantly reduced the cost of governance, and that’s the way forward if we truly want to address our challenges and improve key areas like education, healthcare, and infrastructure.”

He told journalists that the government has purchased 100 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses to enhance public transportation in the state.

“We’ve bought about 100 CNG buses in Kaduna state, and we’re calling on Mr. President to come to Kaduna to commission them for us. All this is in line with the renewed hope agenda of Mr. President,” the governor said.

Sani said the number of out-of-school children in the state has been reduced by 300,000 in the past six months.

He cited data from the Kaduna State Bureau of Statistics, which indicates that 768,739 children are out of school at the basic level (basic 1 to 9).

“I informed President Tinubu that in the last six months, we have reduced the number of out-of-school children by about 300,000 because we built around 62 secondary schools in Kaduna, added 2,340 classrooms in primary schools, and employed teachers,” he said.

Sani noted that 12 secondary healthcare centres have been reconstructed, remodelled, and equipped, while 62 road projects spanning approximately 700 kilometres are at various stages of completion across the state.

The governor said recent efforts to bolster security across Kaduna are yielding results, noting that there has been peace in historically volatile areas like Birnin Gwari, which have been affected by insurgency and banditry.

“In the last few months, we have not experienced any major security issues in Kaduna. This stability is due to close collaboration between state security agencies and local communities, which has been instrumental in intelligence gathering and maintaining peace,” he said.