Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani has claimed that he played a significant role in the appointment of retired General Christopher Musa as Minister of Defence by President Bola Tinubu.
Sani made the disclosure during an interview on Trust TV’s Daily Politics on Tuesday, while explaining why he continued to support the President despite criticism.
The governor said Musa’s appointment, alongside other federal positions occupied by people from Kaduna State, reflected the benefits he believed the state had received under the Tinubu administration.
He also mentioned Balarabe Abbas Lawal, who serves as Minister of Environment, and Shehu Dikko, who heads the National Sports Commission, as examples of Kaduna’s representation at the federal level.
Sani maintained that his support for Tinubu was based on the President’s contributions to Kaduna State rather than personal benefits, stressing that his priority was the state’s development.
He disclosed that he had approached the President to request two additional federal universities for Kaduna, arguing that the state’s educational importance in Northern Nigeria justified more higher institutions. According to him, Tinubu subsequently approved four university projects for the state.
The projects include the Federal University of Applied Sciences in Kachia, the Federal University of Education in Zaria, the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University of Petroleum Resources in Rigachikun, and the conversion of Kaduna Polytechnic into a Federal University of Technology.
The governor also highlighted federal road projects, including the Kaduna-Birnin Gwari road, which he said had been abandoned for approximately 45 years.
According to Sani, he reminded Tinubu of a campaign promise made in 2022, after which the reconstruction of the road was approved.
He further stated that work had commenced on the 81-kilometre Zaria-Soba-Pambegua road, which he said had not undergone major reconstruction since it was constructed in the 1970s. The Jama’a-Wai-Jere road was also listed among the projects approved following his intervention.
On transportation, Sani said he persuaded Tinubu to include Kaduna in the proposed light rail programme alongside Lagos and Kano.
He disclosed that funding had been released for a 50-kilometre rail corridor connecting Rigachikun and Sabon Tasha. The governor put the project’s funding at $865m, equivalent to more than N1.2tn.
Sani also said a Federal Government intervention enabled his administration to double its planned procurement of compressed natural gas buses from 50 to 100.
According to him, the 100 buses recorded 5.2 million passenger trips within 18 months and helped commuters save approximately N5bn in transportation costs.
The governor maintained that federal appointments, university approvals, road construction and transport investments were among the reasons for his continued support for Tinubu, adding that his main objective was to secure development opportunities for Kaduna State.
Source: Punch
