KATSINA — Katsina State Governor Dikko Umaru Radda says his administration has invested more than ₦120 billion in education and committed over ₦10 billion to supporting young entrepreneurs as part of reforms under his Building Your Future Agenda.
Radda disclosed this on Tuesday while delivering the keynote address at the opening of the 4th Executive Leadership Dialogue at Hillside Hotel, Katsina.
The dialogue was organised by the Peace Building Development Consult (PBDC), in partnership with the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) and the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA).
The governor said his administration’s interventions covered security, healthcare, education, agriculture, infrastructure, youth and women empowerment, and digital governance, stressing that leadership must be measured by tangible improvements in citizens’ lives.
“Leadership is not a title; it is a trust. It is not about privilege; it is about responsibility,” he said, urging leaders to regularly reflect on their decisions and ensure their actions serve the public interest.
On security, Radda said the government had established the Community Watch Corps as a community-based approach to tackling insecurity, alongside investments in security equipment and initiatives involving community engagement, rehabilitation and poverty reduction.
He said the administration had also established and upgraded healthcare facilities, including primary healthcare centres across the state’s 361 wards, while expanding emergency medical services.
Other health-sector investments, according to him, include an international-standard imaging centre, pharmaceutical manufacturing and dialysis services.
On infrastructure, the governor cited the completion of the 24-kilometre Eastern Bypass Township Road, expansion of urban and rural road networks, urban renewal projects and solar street lighting.
He said the projects were intended to improve transportation, stimulate commerce and support socioeconomic activities across the state.
In education, Radda listed the development of model schools, construction and rehabilitation of junior and senior secondary schools, ICT centres, robotics and artificial intelligence laboratories, as well as expanded scholarship opportunities for students studying in Nigeria and abroad.
The governor also said thousands of young people and women had benefited from skills acquisition and entrepreneurship programmes in information and communication technology, agriculture and modern trades.
He added that the state had established an enterprise development agency to support businesses and young entrepreneurs.
On public-sector reforms, Radda disclosed that 118 ministries, departments and agencies had been digitalised, while the Treasury Single Account had been implemented.
He said the state’s monthly internally generated revenue had risen from more than ₦400 million to over ₦3 billion. He also cited investments in renewable energy and the introduction of compressed natural gas (CNG) hybrid vehicles as part of the administration’s sustainability efforts.
Radda described the leadership dialogue as an opportunity to develop practical responses to contemporary challenges, urging participants to focus on economic transformation, youth empowerment, human security, governance reforms, digital disruption and institutional strengthening.
“Let this dialogue be more than a deliberation. Let it be a catalyst for action,” he said.
Those at the event included Deputy Governor Faruk Lawal Jobe; former Chief of Defence Staff, General Martin Luther Agwai; former National Intelligence Agency Director-General, Ambassador Ahmed Rufa’i; Secretary to the State Government Abdullahi Garba Faskari; Head of Service Masudu Mustapha Banye; and Chief of Staff Abdulkadir Mamman Nasir.
Members of the State Executive Council, the state chairman of the All Progressives Congress, permanent secretaries and security agency representatives also attended.
