The Kaduna state government said it has constituted the Institutional Development Council to ensure the sustenance of its reforms.
The deputy governor of the state, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe stated at the annual general meeting of the Kaduna state chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) in Kaduna.
She said the reforms which were introduced by the administration of Governor Nasir El-Rufai, cut across socio-economic, political, public service, revenue generation base, traditional institutions, education, health, social welfare and security, agriculture and land administration among others. The deputy governor who was the guest speaker at the event, spoke on the topic: “Politics in policy polarization: Implications ahead of 2023 and beyond”.
According to her, the surest way for policies to continue, is to ensure continuity in public or political offices.
She said, “The implications of policy polarization are adverse both to the government and the citizens.
“A lot of public funds are wasted on policy summersaults. With the general elections coming up in 2023, politicians should bear it in mind that government is a continuum and succeeding administrations must ensure the sustainability of policies already on ground to save monies.”
Balarabe maintained that, “the idea that a project by a previous administration is not the project of the new administration is misplaced and should not be the mantra”She argued that, “It is not all policies that are bad”, stressing that “some are good and should be sustained by succeeding governments.”
Balarabe who is the running mate to Senator Uba Sani, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the state, said El-Rufai’s administration in Kaduna state, has sustained some good policies and completed some projects of previous administrations.
She said, “For instance, this administration completed the Kawo-Lugard Hall Roundabout road expansion project; completed some road projects initiated by the Yakowa-led administration across the state, and also completed the Zaria Waterworks initiated by former Governor Namadi Sambo.”
Speaking further, the deputy governor, said the state government has also designed a State Development Plan (SDP) to guide short, medium and long-term development to create a knowledge-based economy in the state.
She said, “Added to these are State Industrial Development Master Plan and the State Infrastructure Master Plan, which will ensure the orderly expansion of Kaduna metropolis through a coordinated and purposeful long-term infrastructure development strategy for the state.
“The plan shows that the state government will require up to 65.5 billion dollars to address infrastructural challenges over the next 30 years”.
