Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has received the Distinguished Human Capital Development Champion Award for his administration’s investments in education, skills development, youth empowerment and sustainable development.
The award was presented by the Chartered Institute of Human Capital Development of Nigeria (CIHCDN) at its national conference held at Merit House, Maitama, Abuja.
The institute said the recognition was in honour of the governor’s people-centred policies and initiatives aimed at improving access to education, healthcare, vocational training, economic opportunities and better living conditions for residents of Kaduna State.
It said the award recognised exceptional leadership in education, healthcare, skills development, rural transformation, financial inclusion, youth empowerment and capacity building.
Speaking after receiving the award on behalf of the governor, Kaduna State Commissioner for Information and Culture, Ahmed Maiyaki, thanked the institute for recognising the state government’s commitment to human capital development.
Maiyaki said the recognition reflected Sani’s belief that investment in people, particularly young people, women and vulnerable groups, remained central to sustainable development.
He cited the establishment of three vocational training and skills development centres in Rigachikun, Soba and Saminaka, which he said were designed to equip about 32,000 young people annually with practical skills across 14 trades.
“These centres represent a deliberate shift towards building a productive, skilled and economically independent generation. Our objective is to transform young people from job seekers into skilled professionals, entrepreneurs and employers of labour,” he said.
The commissioner also said the administration had constructed 736 classrooms, renovated more than 1,200 others, recruited 10,000 teachers and trained over 33,000 teachers to improve access to quality education.
He added that the government had reduced tuition fees in state-owned tertiary institutions by up to 50 per cent and expanded scholarship and bursary programmes to remove financial barriers to education.
On agriculture, Maiyaki said the administration had distributed 1,400 truckloads of free fertiliser to 420,000 smallholder farmers as part of efforts to improve rural livelihoods, food security and economic empowerment.
He said the governor’s human capital development agenda extended beyond formal education to include agricultural productivity, vocational training, healthcare delivery and economic opportunities for families.
The commissioner further disclosed that the administration had revitalised 255 primary healthcare centres and improved the welfare of healthcare workers to expand access to medical services, particularly in underserved rural communities.
He said the government was committed to ensuring that its development programmes reached residents irrespective of their political, religious or ethnic affiliations.
“This award is not merely a recognition of achievements recorded; it is an encouragement to do even more. His Excellency remains resolute in building a Kaduna State where every child has access to quality education, every young person has an opportunity to acquire productive skills, and every citizen has a fair chance to prosper,” Maiyaki said.
He assured the institute that the recognition would encourage the administration to consolidate its ongoing reforms and increase investments in human capital development.
