Kaduna Clears N18bn Pension Arrears as Tinubu-Era Revenue Boosts Infrastructure, Agriculture
The Kaduna State Government says increased allocations from the Federation Account under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu have enabled the administration of Governor Uba Sani to intensify infrastructure development, clear N18 billion in inherited pension and gratuity arrears, and significantly increase funding for agriculture.
The state Commissioner for Information and Culture, Ahmed Maiyaki, disclosed this in an interview with The Punch, explaining that the additional resources had also been deployed to education, healthcare, transportation, security and youth employment.
Maiyaki said the administration inherited about N24 billion in outstanding pension and gratuity liabilities, in addition to foreign and domestic debts, upon assuming office. According to him, about N18 billion of the inherited pension and gratuity arrears has now been cleared.
He said the financial burden initially placed considerable pressure on the state government, noting that the inherited liabilities could have made it difficult for the administration to sustain salary payments and other obligations.
On infrastructure, the commissioner said 115 road projects were currently ongoing across Kaduna’s 23 local government areas, with more than half already completed. The projects, he said, cover over 1,400 kilometres of roads across rural and urban communities.
Maiyaki explained that the road projects were designed not only to improve transportation but also to connect farming communities to markets, improve access to healthcare and strengthen security. He cited a 35-kilometre road linking about 76 communities as one of the projects with significant socio-economic impact.
Agriculture, according to the commissioner, has also received a major financial boost, with annual funding rising from N1.4 billion in 2023 to more than N100 billion in 2026. He said agriculture contributes about 42 per cent of Kaduna’s Gross Domestic Product and provides approximately 60 per cent of employment in the state.
He said the increased allocation had supported the distribution of fertiliser and other agricultural inputs to smallholder farmers, alongside investments in irrigation, mechanised agriculture and extension services. Kaduna distributed 400 trucks of NPK and urea fertiliser in 2024 and another 500 trucks in 2025, while 150,000 smallholder farmers are being targeted for fertiliser distribution in 2026.
Maiyaki also claimed that Kaduna currently ranks as Nigeria’s highest producer of maize, tomatoes and ginger, and the second-highest producer of soybeans.
In education, the commissioner said the state had maintained an allocation above the 25 per cent benchmark recommended by UNESCO, with more than N264 billion earmarked for the sector in the 2026 budget.
He said the funding had supported the construction and renovation of classrooms, teacher recruitment and infrastructure development in tertiary institutions. According to him, more than 75 secondary schools have been constructed, while thousands of classrooms have been renovated.
Maiyaki further said the interventions had contributed to reducing the estimated number of out-of-school children in Kaduna from about 550,000 in 2023 to approximately 187,000 in 2026.
The commissioner also highlighted the state’s transportation intervention, saying 100 compressed natural gas buses had been deployed to provide free transportation for civil servants, students, traders, artisans and other residents.
According to him, the CNG buses transported about four million passengers within one year and saved beneficiaries an estimated N4 billion in transportation costs.
On security, Maiyaki attributed what he described as improved security and freedom of movement to a combination of infrastructure development, social interventions and the Kaduna Peace Model.
He claimed that Kaduna had not experienced a religious conflict in the three years since Governor Uba Sani assumed office, describing peace and security as a major outcome of the administration’s investments.
The commissioner maintained that the combination of increased revenue, infrastructure development and targeted investments in key sectors was helping the state address inherited challenges while laying the foundation for broader economic and social development.
