By Adegboyega Adeleye
Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has declared his readiness to defend President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, saying he can take a bullet for the President and will support him until the last minute.
Sani said his support was informed by the benefits Kaduna State had received under the Tinubu administration, including federal appointments, infrastructure projects and funding for transportation and education.
Speaking in an interview with Trust TV’s Daily Politics, the governor said his loyalty to Tinubu was driven by the interests of Kaduna State rather than personal favours.
Asked whether he could take a political bullet for Tinubu, Sani replied, “I can take it.”
He added: “I have no apology for supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and I will continue to support him till last minute and I will tell you why, because many people do not know President Tinubu, I know him, and I’ve been with him for 32 years and I cannot pretend.”
According to the governor, Tinubu’s support had helped Kaduna secure key federal appointments and major development projects.
Sani cited the appointment of three Kaduna indigenes to strategic federal positions: Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.); Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal; and Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko.
He said he had engaged the President on the appointments, which he described as important to the state’s representation in the Federal Government.
“The minister of defence is from Kaduna, Christopher Musa, and I was instrumental in getting him the portfolio. The minister of environment, Balarabe Abbas, is from Kaduna, and recently, when the ministry of sports was collapsed into the national sports commission, Shehu Dikko is from Kaduna,” he said.
“Now we have three ministers, and I was instrumental in talking to Mr President. What do I need more than this?”
On education, Sani said he had initially requested two additional federal universities for Kaduna, but Tinubu approved four university initiatives.
They include the Federal University of Applied Sciences in Kachia, the Federal University of Education in Zaria, the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University of Petroleum Resources in Rigachikun, and a proposed conversion of Kaduna Polytechnic into a federal university of technology.
The governor also credited Tinubu with facilitating funding for the 123-kilometre Kaduna-Birnin Gwari road, which he said had been abandoned for 45 years.
He said the President had promised to reconstruct the road during a campaign visit to Kaduna in 2022. Sani said he later reminded Tinubu of the pledge by showing him a video of the commitment, after which N178 billion was released for the project.
He added that funding had also been approved for the reconstruction of the road linking Jama’a, Kwoi and Jere, which he said had been in poor condition for nearly four decades.
Sani further said Tinubu approved funding for a proposed light rail project in Kaduna after he requested support for a transportation system similar to Lagos State’s.
According to him, the project would cover a 50-kilometre corridor from Rigachikun to Sabon Tasha, with $865 million, which he put at more than N1.2 trillion, already released.
The governor also said the Federal Government supported Kaduna’s mass transportation programme by providing funding for an additional 50 compressed natural gas buses after the state initially planned to acquire 50.
He said Kaduna subsequently purchased 100 buses, which had recorded 5.2 million passenger trips over the preceding 18 months.
Sani said the scheme had reduced transportation costs for residents, including workers, traders, artisans and low-income earners.
“It saves our workers, downtrodden, market women, artisans about N5 billion that they are supposed to pay. This is Asiwaju’s effort,” he said.
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