Governor Nasir El-Rufai has pledged the vigorous implementation of Kaduna State’s 2021 budget to deliver on the government’s promises. The governor alao said 98% of capital budget implementation was recorded in the 2019 budget of the state El-Rufai said: “It is my privilege today to sign the 2021 Budget of the Kaduna State Government into law as passed by the Kaduna State House of Assembly. I thank the House of Assembly for consistently passing the next year’s budget way ahead of the end of the preceding financial year,’’ he said.

As part of the steps to address the current security situation in Kaduna State and neighbouring states in the North-West and North-Central regions, KDSG has held several meetings with security agencies to adopt critical measures towards crushing bandits in their identified hideouts. The military and other security forces have been carrying out assaults on the identified locations. The state government is advised that certain measures are now necessary to assist the spirited efforts of these security agencies. The following measures become effective from Thursday, 30 September 2021: 1. The complete ban on the use of motorcycles (Okada), for commercial or personal purposes, for three months in the first instance. 2. Ban on possession of or wielding of dangerous weapons. 3. Tricycles are allowed to operate only from 6am to 7pm. All tricycles must remove all curtains. Movement of all tricycles are restricted from dusk till dawn (7PM to 6AM). 4. All vehicles used for commercial transport must be painted in yellow and black within 30 days. Vehicles that are part of ride hailing services are to carry yellow and black stripes. 5. Ban on the sale of petrol in jerry-cans or other containers in Birnin Gwari, Giwa, Chikun, Igabi, Kachia, Kagarko and Kajuru LGAs. Other containment measures previously communicated by the Kaduna State Government remain in place. These include: a. Ban on felling of trees and forestry activities in Birnin Gwari, Giwa Igabi, Chikun, Kachia, Kagarko and Kajuru LGAs. b. Ban on firewood and charcoal transportation. c. Ban on the transportation of livestock into and out of the State. d. Cessation of weekly markets in the frontline local government areas of Birnin Gwari, Giwa, Chikun, Igabi, Kajuru and Kawo weekly market of Kaduna North local government. The Kaduna State Government regrets the severe strain and inconvenience these measures will place on peaceful and law abiding citizens. The Government therefore appeals for the understanding and cooperation of all residents of the affected areas, and indeed across the State. These difficult times have demand that difficult decisions be made. The measures have been adopted purely in the interest of our collective safety and security, and to aid our brave forces in their fight against these mindless criminals. Too many lives have been lost, and too many families have been shattered. Small groups of wicked persons cannot continue to hold us to ransom, and force us to live in perpetual fear. Once again, the government craves the understanding of all citizens. The hardship we face will be temporary, and we are confident that in the end, it will pay off. Good will prevail over evil. Thank you.

3. Therefore, constant attention to public service reform is a non-negotiable requirement for the progress of any country.The public service requires investments in the skills, training, work tools and welfare of its personnel, along with careful attention to its size and its efficient adoption of technology. Nigeria does not need an endless profusion of new agencies in the public sector, but a more efficient deployment of what already exists, strengthening those are actually needed as part of the effective deployment of public resources. 4. In Kaduna State, we have created new agencies where needed and restructured ministries, departments and agencies. We inherited 19 ministries in 2015, and we reduced them to 14. We have fewer commissioners than previous governments. Where our immediate predecessors had 24 commissioners, we are operating with only 14, six of whom are women.

5. The Kaduna State Legislative Service Commission is responsible for the appointment, promotion and discipline of the public servants that support the work of the elected legislators in the Kaduna State House of Assembly. As you are aware, public servants in the legislative and judicial branches have been agitating for autonomy. I am pleased to inform you that just yesterday, after weeks of deliberation, the Kaduna State Executive Council approved three draft bills for transmission to the State House of Assembly to enact laws for the autonomy of the legislature and judiciary. These are:

1. State Account Allocation Committee Law

2. Funds Management (Judiciary) Law, 2021

3. Funds Management (Legislature) Law, 2021

6. I wish to put on record the fact that the executive branch of the Kaduna State Government has enjoyed a smooth partnership for progress with our State House of Assembly since 2015, working together to enact laws to advance public welfare and development in the state. In six years, I have had the privilege of signing more than 100 new laws to improve governance and promote public welfare in our state. I therefore pay tribute to the honorable members for this feat of cooperation in the service of our people.

7. It is this spirit of partnership in the public interest that has enabled us to pursue the necessary reforms in governance. We have drafted many executive bills which the Kaduna State House of Assembly has enacted, including laws to introduce electronic voting, modernise tax administration, create a digital land registry, establish contributory health insurance scheme, promote a contributory pension scheme, engage in investment promotion,reform local government administration and fund various initiatives to advance social protection and human capital development.From 2015, the annual state budget has been passed and signed in the previous year, ensuring alignment between the fiscal year and the calendar year.

8. The concrete results of this cooperation include the unprecedented urban renewal programmes we are implementing in the three main cities of the state: Kaduna, Kafanchan and Zaria. Unrelenting tax reforms have helped quadruple our internally generated revenue to N50.7bn in 2020, from N13bn in 2015.

9. In six years, Kaduna State has attracted over $2.8bn in new business and investment pledges. These investments have been in sectors as diverse as iron mining and steel production, chicken hatchery and feed mills, tomato farming and processing, ranching, vehicle assembly, fertiliser production, housing, renewable energy and retail. Investors have validated our determined implementation of our Ease of Doing Business Charter, helping us emerge as the number one state for doing business in the World Bank’s Doing Business in Nigeria report for 2018.

10. We have taken decisive steps to translate Kaduna’s potentials into economic opportunity. We have anchored our drive for economic growth and development on attracting private sector investments. We have invested considerable efforts in establishing our credentials as a friendly state for business. We have established a digital land registry and automated land administration, made it easier to acquire land and secure title, automated business licensing and issuance of permits. We passed a new tax law, removed multiple taxation and appointed only one collector of all government revenues. With good governance, policy clarity and enabling laws, the Kaduna State Government is a champion of business.

11. Our industrial parks offer investors dedicated spaces and facilities to ease set up costs. The Green Economic Zone (GEZ) is being developed to house businesses engaged in light manufacturing. The Green Agro Allied Industrial Zone (GAAIZ) is already hosting businesses like Olam and OCP Fertiliser, and has been selected as one of the locations for the AfdB-financed Special Agro-Processing Zones.

12. All these initiatives are being undertaken while paying attention to the welfare of public servants. In September 2019, Kaduna State became the first to pay the new minimum wage, with consequential adjustment of up to 66% for most workers. We raised minimum pension to N30,000 for retirees on the old defined benefits system.We have been robustly implementing and religiously funding the contributory pension scheme since 1st January 2017. Civil servants bought more than 80% of the government residential houses sold from 2017, with the state government working with a bank to support them with mortgages at single-digit interest rates.

13. We appreciate you all for choosing to hold this conference in Kaduna. It is important not only for the state economy, but is also a validation of the safety and security of our urban areas. We hope you will utilise the opportunity to reconnect with a city many of you have known, and see the efforts we are making to make our state a haven for business, a safe space for every Nigerian citizen and a hub for young entrepreneurs to grow and prosper. We trust that you will return here again and again.

14. I wish you successful deliberations. I invite you to please find time to enjoy Kaduna.