38th anniversary dinner and award night of Katsina State

It is with immense gratitude to Almighty Allah (SWT) that I stand before you today in commemoration of the 38thAnniversary of the creation of our beloved State. I wish to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all citizens—within and beyond our borders—on this historic occasion.

On the 23rd of September, 1987, our State was carved out of the defunct Kaduna State under the visionary leadership of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida Rtd. That moment marked the beginning of a new journey of self-determination, unity, and development. Today, we pay tribute to him, to our founding fathers, and to all past leaders whose sacrifices laid the foundation for the Katsina State we celebrate.

Katsina’s legacy stretches far beyond its administrative creation. It is a land of scholarship, commerce, and leadership. From the ancient Katsina Emirate renowned for Islamic learning and trade to its pivotal role in shaping Nigeria’s political and cultural identity, our State has always stood tall. We are proud of our heritage and excellence.

As we reflect on the past 38 years, we remember the struggles, the triumphs, and the sacrifices made by our forebears. We honor their legacy and reaffirm our dedication to building a brighter future for generations to come.

Over the last two years, our administration has pursued a bold and inclusive development agenda under the policy framework titled “Building Your Future.” This document has guided our efforts in human capital development, infrastructure renewal, and institutional reform. We have made significant strides in various sectors, and I am proud to highlight some of our notable achievements:

• PUBLIC SECTOR REFORMS
• Initiated a merit-based selection of Permanent Secretaries through exams and interviews;
• Engaged in training and retraining of staff for enhanced service delivery;
• The sum of ₦200 million added to staff refurbishing loan as morale booster;
• Granted wage awards, distributed Ramadan package and annual merit award to the best performing civil servants;
• Paid both life and death gratuity to about 5,200 workers of the Unified Local Government Service and Local Education Authorities amounting to about N13 Billion;
• Paid both life and death gratuity to about 2000 workers of the State amounting to about N9 Billion.
• SOCIAL INTERVENTION
• 167,000 bags of grains amounting to the sum of ₦10.6 billion were procured and distributed to the general public at a subsidized rate of ₦20,000:00 per bag;
• ₦9 billion worth of grains were procured this year for intervention and support to vulnerable and victims of disasters;
• 40,000 bags of rice and stipends worth ₦2.4 billion were distributed to vulnerable households;
• ₦3.85 billion was spent by SEMA on relief and flood control.
• 60 buses were procured by KTSTA to ease problem of transportation across the State.
• ₦3.4 billion was contributed to MSME support via KASEDA; and
• ₦8.04 billion was expended under KT-CARES, in which 24,800 citizens.
• Education

Basic Education

• 160 classrooms, 81 boreholes, 46 toilets, 20 staff quarters were constructed;
• 258 classrooms were rehabilitated;
• 18,000 teachers were trained; 7,325 were employed;
• 20,000 tablets were distributed.

SECONDARY EDUCATION

• 3 model schools were constructed;
• 152 new secondary schools were constructed under AGILE Phases I & II.
• 45 schools were rehabilitated;
• ₦2.05 billion was paid for WAEC, NECO, etc in respect of eligible Secondary Schools Students in the State.

HIGHER EDUCATION

• Department upgraded to full Ministry.
• 634 graduates were trained under Youth Craft Village.
• ₦6.18 billion was paid as scholarship allowances to 174,451 students including those studying medicine (41) in Egypt, Artificial Intelligence (34) and Bio-Technology (34) in China
• Health
• In line with the administration’s strategic focus to have one functional Primary Health Centre in each of the 361 wards across the State, 260 PHCs were constructed/rehabilitated across the State at the cost of ₦13.45 billion;
• 6 PHCs were upgraded to General Hospitals across the State at the cost of ₦7.1 billion;
• State-of-the-art Dialysis Center was constructed at the cost of ₦681 million and Diagnostic Imaging Center awarded at the cost of ₦13 billion.
• Pharmaceutical Production Unit was constructed at the cost of ₦1.7 billion, the first of its kind in Northern Nigeria.
• Drugs revolving scheme was upgraded and ₦3.3 billion worth of drugs were procured and distributed.
• ₦754 million was released as matching fund for nutrition commodities to strengthen food and nutritional security for children across the State.
• AGRICULTURE

Crop Cultivation

• In 2024 the sum of ₦36 billion was expended on procurement of 20 metric tons of fertilizer which was distributed to farmers at subsidized cost of N24,000/per bag.
• 700 motorcycles and sprayers were procured and distributed to the trained extension workers.
• ₦16.5 billion was spent in 2025 on the procurement of fertilizer which was distributed at the subsidized cost of N20,000/per bag to farmers in the State
• ₦8.6 billion was expended on the procurement of irrigation pumps and tillers which were distributed to farmers across the State.
• ₦21.7 billion was invested in tractors, planters, and harvesters to improve farming activities in the State.

Livestock Development

• ₦5.77 billion was spent on Goat Rearing Initiative.
• ₦796 million was spent on livestock vaccination.
• WATER RESOURCES
• ₦5.88 billion was spent on the improvement of dams and water schemes.
• Danja Dam was completed; Musawa and Yashe Dams were rehabilitated.
• Ajiwa Water Scheme was upgraded;
• ₦14.6 billion was expended on urban water supply projects.
• Solar-powered boreholes were upgraded across all the 34LGAs of the State.
• ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE
• Eastern Bypass Phase I was completed (₦34.6 billion out of ₦74.9 billion).
• Central Mosque–Kofar Marusa–WTC Road was dualized (₦4.6 billion).
• Kadanya–Radda–Tsakatsa–Ganuwa with a Spur at Majen Wayya Road was about to be completed (₦36.2 billion).
• Shargalle–Dutsi–Ingawa Road was rehabilitated (₦13.8 billion).
• Multiple roads were dualized or upgraded across Funtua, Katsina, and other LGAs.
• Land & Physical Planning
• ₦859 million was spent on the establishment of KATGIS.
• Master plans of Katsina, Funtua, and Daura were being reviewed
• ₦775 million was spent on the procurement of machinery for urban planning.
• ₦3.17 billion was paid as land compensation in respect of various projects across the State.
• Power & Energy
• Mini-grid solar projects were completed at key government establishments (₦3.8 billion).
• ₦7.6 billion was spent on solar street lighting and electrification.
• Power was restored in Charanchi, some part of Rimi and other LGAs.
• Digital mapping of power lines was initiated.
• Infrastructure were upgraded across so many communities.
• Security & Job Creation
• Kinetic and non-kinetic strategies deployed in addressing insecurity in the State.
• Thousands of jobs were created in one year:
• Engagement of 6,652 ward heads
• Engagement of2,016 Community Watch Corps
• Engagement of1,500 vigilantes
• Engagement of200 civilian hunters
• Engagement of7,545 religious leaders
• Engagement of10,665 security group members

These and so many others were successfully implemented by present Administration from May, 2023 to date. Insha Allah we will continue to do more for the development of our dear State.

As we celebrate this milestone, I want to express my gratitude to everyone who has contributed to our success. Your hard work, dedication, and commitment to our shared vision have been instrumental in bringing us to where we are today.

I must at this juncture reaffirm our commitment to run a people-oriented Government. That is why we have recently conducted a stakeholders’ engagement at the 361 Wards of the State where we articulated the various aspirations of people at grassroots in respect of projects and programs desired at the Community level. We have equally convened a high-level meeting with distinguished personalities of the State, where they were requested to proffer recommendations on how to improve security and governance and their inputs are still being compiled by the State Government to ensure proper implementation.

It is to be noted that as part of the ceremonies to mark this historic event, we have made it a tradition to identify some civil servants who have excelled in their area of assignments and honor them with awards so as to encourage excellent performances among the State and Local Government workers. This year we have extended the gesture to include philanthropists, members of the State Executive Council, Permanent Secretaries, award winners at National Competitions, Security Personnel, etc.

Let us use this occasion to renew our pledge for the development of our dear State. Let us continue to work together, unite in our pursuit of excellence and our quest for a better tomorrow. Together, we will build a State where every citizen thrives.

On behalf of the Government and people of Katsina State, I extend our deepest appreciation to all those who find time to attend this important event where we reflect our achievements and challenges in order to plan for the future.

Katsina State a land of hospitality, scholarship, and greatness is worth celebrating. Let us continue to nurture her, protect her, and elevate her.

I wish all of you a safe trip back to your respective destinations.

Happy 38th Anniversary, Katsina State.

Long live Katsina State.

Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.