Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani has said his administration has not taken any new loans since he assumed office, despite continuing to repay debts inherited from previous governments.
Sani made the claim during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Thursday, where he discussed Kaduna State’s finances, revenue and government spending.
The governor said the state currently spends about ₦6.7 billion every month servicing loans inherited by his administration.
According to Sani, his decision not to borrow was driven by what he described as prudent management of available resources and careful selection of projects and investments.
He said his administration had focused on determining where government funds could have the greatest impact rather than taking on additional debt.
Sani also defended the performance of his administration, pointing to activities in agriculture, education, infrastructure, skills development and security.
On education, the governor said his administration had identified approximately 550,000 out-of-school children through a household-mapping exercise conducted across Kaduna State.
He said more than 300,000 of the identified children had returned to school, while efforts to get the remaining children into classrooms were still ongoing.
The governor said the data gathered through the exercise had also enabled the state government to better identify children in need and direct interventions towards them.