Kano govt, ex-commissioner clash over 2025 budget performance

The Kano State Government and a former commissioner under ex-Governor Abdullahi Ganduje have exchanged strong words over how the 2025 budget has been implemented.

Former Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Comrade Muhammad Garba, accused Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s administration of what he called poor and unacceptable budget performance in the first nine months of 2025.

Garba, who also serves as Chief of Staff to the former APC national chairman, said an online budget review showed the state recorded less than 40% capital spending between January and September.

He claimed the figures showed “a big gap between the administration’s public promises and what it is actually doing.”

Garba criticised the water sector in particular, alleging that the Kano State Water Board received N5.6bn for capital projects but “did not spend a single Naira” within the period.

He said it was shocking that a government that declared a state of emergency on water had not invested even 1% of the allocation.

He further accused the government of abandoning the Tiga Hydropower Project and continuing to buy electricity from KEDCO, which he claimed costs the state millions monthly.

On education, Garba said the results were disappointing, noting that the Ministry of Education recorded 32.2% capital performance, while Higher Education achieved 7.7%.

He added that many schools remain overcrowded and poorly equipped, and described the state’s foreign scholarship programme as political.

He also alleged that only N7.9bn of the N65.7bn allocated to health had been spent, warning that neglecting health and water infrastructure was contributing to disease outbreaks.

Garba also dismissed ongoing road works as poorly executed and argued that proposing a N1trn budget while struggling to implement the current one is simply political theatre.

But the Commissioner for Water Resources, Umar Haruna Muhammad Doguwa, rejected Garba’s claims, describing them as selective and politically driven.

Doguwa said many capital projects only fully began in the third and fourth quarters of the year, and reminded the public that the NNPP government inherited over N2bn in unpaid electricity bills to KEDCO, which had weakened water pumping operations.

He said the Tiga Hydropower Project was left 70% complete without the infrastructure needed to distribute power, making it unusable.

According to him, the current administration has since started major repairs at key water facilities, bought new pumping equipment, and ensured timely payment for power and treatment chemicals.

On education, Doguwa said Garba failed to mention that more than 1,000 basic schools are being built or renovated and that over 12,000 teachers were recently hired. He said foreign scholarships are only one part of a bigger education plan.

Responding to the health sector criticism, he said more than 70 health facilities are undergoing upgrades and that budget utilisation depends on procurement timelines, not neglect.

Doguwa also defended the ongoing road projects, insisting they include full reconstruction with drainage, not just surface repairs. He added that traffic disruptions are temporary.

On the proposed N1trn budget, he said the government’s improved revenue, blocked leakages, and increased federal grants justify the size of the 2026 plan. He described Garba’s remarks as typical opposition talk and urged the public to wait for the full-year budget report before drawing conclusions.