Kaduna wins int’l award for participatory governance

The Kaduna State Government, under the leadership of Gov. Uba Sani has received an International Award of Excellence for its participatory governance model.

The award was presented by the Sharjah International Government Forum in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in recognition of Kaduna’s innovative “Eyes and Ears” citizen participation platform.

The state emerged as the top performer among 40 other global entities, with over 4,000 participants attending the award ceremony in Sharjah.

During the presentation of the award to Sani, the Commissioner for Planning and Budget, Mukhtar Ahmed, highlighted that the “Eyes and Ears” platform was instrumental in securing this global recognition.

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“This award was won by Kaduna State because of the popular ‘Eyes and Ears’ program, a platform that actively involves citizens in governance.

“The initiative enables citizens to monitor and provide feedback on government projects, ensuring transparency and accountability,” Ahmed explained.

The “Eyes and Ears” program, which operates through the CITIFEED application, allows citizens to identify projects within a 2-kilometer radius, reports issues, and requests adjustments.

He said that the program launched in 2017 was upgraded under Sani’s administration, which led to its recognition by the international community.

“The governor approved the budgetary allocation for upgrading the platform, and this enhanced version has now earned Kaduna State this prestigious award,” Ahmed added.

In addition to this accolade, Sani also received two other awards for his administration’s efforts in education.

They included an award of excellence for the state’s School Feeding Program and the Noble African Icon Award.

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Mr. Fauziyah Ado, the Special Assistant on the School Feeding Program, presented the students’ award to the governor.

He commended his commitment to sustaining the initiative despite budgetary constraints and economic challenges.

She added that the school feeding program had significantly increased enrollment and retention in schools while improving the nutrition of students, enhancing their academic performance.

The governor expressed his gratitude for the awards and reaffirmed his administration’s dedication to providing good governance and improving the welfare of the people of the state.