Uba Sani’s budget of the people

By IBRAHEEM MUSA

Entirely, it drives the SUSTAIN manifesto, serves as its fulcrum and dictates the policy direction as well as the programmes of Kaduna State Government. However, in chronology, it is listed down below but in the real sense, Nurturing Community Engagement tops the bucket list. Largely, the people’s views, observations and critique, were collated before the manifesto was hammer out. Similarly, the 2024 Appropriation Act, aptly dubbed “Budget of Rural Transformation and Inclusive Development,” followed the same trajectory.

Indeed, the Kaduna State APC Campaign Council, over a year ago, held series of rendezvous, focal group engagements and Town Hall meetings in the three senatorial zones. In zone 1, a Town Hall meeting held at Congo Conference Hotel on December 18, 2022, where partymen, religious groups and sundry others, jaw-jawed on the way forward. Likewise, on December 19, a similar event was held in Kaduna, where zone 2 stakeholders made input to the draft document. Similarly, the next day, the same event was slated for zone 3 but unfortunately, it was postponed owing to bandits attack in Kaura local government.

However, on January 9, 2023, the people of Southern Kaduna converged at Kafanchan, rubbed minds with Senator Uba Sani, put their views across and listed out their preferences, in the run up to the election. Afterwards, the SUSTAIN Manifesto was cobbled together, distilling diverse views, with a common purpose of moving Kaduna State forward. SUSTAIN, the seven-letter acronym, stands for Safety and Security, Upgrading Infrastructure, Strengthening Institutions, Trade and Investment, as well as Agriculture, Investment in Human Capital and Nurturing Citizens Engagement.

In summary, this document is the compass, metering device and the covenant between the government and the people of Kaduna State. Projects, from concept to execution, are guided by the document and likewise, policy enactments flow from the SUSTAIN Manifesto. Indeed, the 2024 Budget also reflected the tenets of this policy magnum opus.

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Specifically, on December 12, 2023, Governor Uba Sani presented a draft budget, 19 days before end of year, to the good people of Kaduna State, at the Umaru Musa Yarádua Conference Centre. Expectedly, Civil Society Organisations, representatives of professional bodies, delegates from the 23 local governments and religious organisations, as well as tribal associations, made inputs to the document. Agriculture, regional, rural and economic development, including security, infrastructure and human capital development, topped the draft Appropriation Bill. Broadly, the themes reflected the spirit and letter of the SUSTAIN Manifesto and it was presented to Kaduna State House of Assembly six days later.

Actually, the total Appropriation Bill was N458,271,299,477.66, out of which N318,836,576,588.28 was earmarked for capital expenditure and N139,434,722,889.38 was for recurrent expenditure, representing a capital to recurrent ratio of 69.57% : 30.43%. The Bill, according to the Governor, prioritises capital spending, delivering inclusive development, through the provision of critical infrastructure, social protection and human capital development. The Bill, he pointed out, will reinvigorate the people’s productivity, create jobs and boost the economy of Kaduna State.

Significantly, in record time, Governor Uba Sani signed the 2024 Budget on December 22, 2023, four days after it was presented to the legislature, a first in the history of Kaduna State. Indeed, when projects and policies are planned from bottom up, carrying people along, through continuous community engagement, a lot of mileage will be achieved in governance because both the government and the governed will be in lockstep, walking in tandem towards development.

The Star