Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, has said there are 3.9 million vulnerable and poor persons and over one million vulnerable households across the 23 local councils of the state.

The Deputy Governor, who was Guest of Honour at the Close Out Ceremony of ActionAid Nigeria (AAN)’s Local Right Programme (LRP), said the state government, in demonstration of its commitment to social justice, promotion of equal opportunities and protection of citizens’ rights sustained budgetary investment in the social sector.

Represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor, James Kanyip, the Deputy Governor commended AAN for the project, saying its interests and specific interventions were complementary to the priorities of the state government, especially in the areas of economic and human capital development, as clearly enunciated in the SUSTAIN programme of Governor Uba Sani’s administration.

Balarabe also lauded AAN for its efforts over the years in support of vulnerable individuals and households, advocating women’s rights, improving access to education and healthcare, and promoting sustainable agriculture, among other interventions in Kaduna. 

She noted that Kaduna believes in partnerships and collaborations towards achieving its development agenda and would remain open and receptive to working with organisations like AAN to achieve its shared objectives.

In her address, Country Director of AAN, Ene Obi, said before the commencement of the programme, Southern Kaduna, which was the operational zone of the LRP, faced numerous socio-economic challenges, ranging from lack of basic social amenities, denying girls education, child labour, teenage pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, drug abuse, wife inheritance and food insecurity.

Obi, who was represented by the Programme Director, Suweba Dankabo, said it was against the background of those negative vices that LRP was brought to 23 Southern Kaduna communities to create a tide of transformation, advocating empowerment and fostering community-driven initiatives to uplift the zone from despair to prosperity.