The Katsina State Government has stated that it has created more than 35,900 jobs within the last two years, spanning various sectors, including the recruitment of security operatives, classroom teachers, and traditional community leaders.
Deputy Governor of the state, Farouk Lawal Jobe, who stated this, also said the state expended over N74.9 billion under its urban renewal project in Daura, Katsina and Funtua senatorial districts within the same period.
Jobe was speaking at the Government House chambers late Sunday evening, during a consultative meeting aimed at “assessing achievements, reviewing challenges, and charting strategies for lasting peace and progress” in the state.
The meeting, convened by Governor Dikko Radda, brought together prominent sons and daughters of the state, as well as representatives of religious and civil society groups, among others.
Jobe said under the state government’s “Build Your Future” policy, the administration “has created over 35,903 jobs spanning diverse sectors, including teacher recruitment, ward head appointments, and the engagement of community watch members, vigilantes, hunters, and religious leaders actively driving peacebuilding initiatives.”
He further said the Katsina State Urban Renewal project covering Daura, Funtua and Katsina senatorial districts has gulped ₦74.9 billion, adding, “major infrastructure developments include the 24-kilometre Eastern Bypass construction, eight other dualisation roads in Katsina town and reconstruction across other ones in Daura and Funtua, plus completion of key rural roads.”
He also said the state was undergoing what he described as a revolotion in the education sector through various government interventions.
He said, “The education revolution is real: 160 new classrooms built, 258 rehabilitated, 18,000 teachers trained, three model schools established, 152 schools upgraded under AGILE projects, exam fees fully settled, and a whopping ₦6.18 billion awarded in scholarships to 174,451 students, including overseas sponsorships.”
He noted that agriculture hasn’t been left behind either as the administration “distributed 400,000 bags of subsidised fertiliser annually, procured 400 tractors, provided 4,000 irrigation pumps, and launched the Goat Rearing Initiative empowering women and herders.”
Regarding workers’ welfare, Jobe stated that ₦24 billion was allocated for gratuities, wage awards, Ramadan packages, civil service reforms, and large-scale food distributions.
“The healthcare transformation is equally impressive: 260 ward-level primary health centres built or upgraded, general hospital renovations, dialysis and diagnostic centre establishments, pharmaceutical production unit creation, and international medical equipment donations secured.
“Water projects received ₦14.6 billion investment, major dams and irrigation schemes completed and rehabilitated, while rural hand pumps were converted to solar-powered boreholes.
“Land administration modernisation through KATGIS, new masterplan preparations, heavy machinery procurement, and ₦3.17 billion compensation payments to affected landowners show the government means business,” he said.
He also stated that the energy sector completed ₦3.84 billion worth of solar mini-grids, installed 74 km of solar streetlights, restored high-tension power lines, and carried out community-level transformer upgrades.
