Uba Sani to govs: Put politics aside, focus on governance to achieve lasting peace

Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani has urged state governments seeking to improve security and replicate Kaduna’s peace-building efforts to set aside politics and prioritise governance, stressing that peace and development cannot thrive where political, religious or ethnic interests take precedence.

Speaking while receiving members of the National Economic Council (NEC) Implementation Monitoring Committee at the Government House in Kaduna on Tuesday, Sani said the success of the Kaduna Peace Model was driven by inclusive governance and community participation rather than political considerations.

“Our advice is simple: put politics aside and focus on governance. Security and development should not be determined by political affiliation, religion or geography,” the governor said.

He noted that states interested in adopting the Kaduna Peace Model must first understand the unique causes of their security challenges before designing solutions, adding that communities must also take ownership of the process for it to succeed.

Sani disclosed that his administration inherited a deep trust deficit between government and the people when it assumed office in May 2023, saying this made the restoration of public confidence his administration’s first priority.

He said the government also addressed issues of justice, equity and fairness, noting that politicians and conflict merchants had previously exploited ethnic and religious divisions for selfish interests.

Sani recalled that Kaduna’s security challenges were driven by both ethno-religious violence and banditry, stressing that religious crises had claimed more lives than criminal attacks in the state.

Sani stated that Kaduna had not witnessed any ethno-religious conflict since he became governor, attributing the achievement to inclusive policies and balanced development across the state’s 23 local government areas.

Insecurity: Uba Sani urges states to adopt community-driven approach to replicate Kaduna peace model

The governor added that the community-driven peace model had significantly reduced incidents of kidnapping and banditry, leading several states to seek guidance on how to replicate it.

Highlighting the impact of improved security, Sani said more than 500,000 hectares of abandoned farmland had been reclaimed, while over 100 schools and more than 150 primary healthcare centres previously shut because of insecurity had resumed operations.

He also outlined his administration’s development priorities, including education, healthcare, agriculture and infrastructure.

Sani said the Kaduna State Government has enrolled about 300,000 out-of-school children back into classrooms, upgraded all 255 primary healthcare centres to Level 2 status, and increased agricultural funding from N1.4 billion in 2023 to about N123 billion.

Sani added that the state distributed free fertiliser to over 240,000 smallholder farmers in 2025 and plans another round of support, while also becoming the first state to establish a Special Agro-Processing Zone to strengthen agricultural production and value chains.