Electricity not luxury, but right of every community — Kaduna gov

Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has said that the central aim of his electrification drive is to boost economic activities and strengthen small and medium enterprises across the state.

He made the remarks on Wednesday during the flag-off of Phase One of the distribution of 600 transformers and accessories to the 23 Local Government Areas, alongside the deployment of 10,000 solar-powered street lights.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Governor said, “We are enabling welders, tailors, cold-room operators, ICT hubs, and manufacturers to operate with dignity and predictability.

“We are sending a clear message that access to energy must no longer be the privilege of a few urban centres but the right of every community.”

He added that electricity is “not a luxury but the bloodstream of modern society.”

Governor Sani highlighted the impact of reliable power, noting that it “powers hospitals and preserves vaccines, lights classrooms and expands the horizons of children, drives our industries, irrigates our farms, and sustains the small businesses that form the backbone of our economy.”

He warned that without dependable electricity, “development is stunted, security is weakened, and opportunity is constrained.”

Since assuming office nearly three years ago, the Governor said his administration has completed previously stalled power projects and initiated new ones.

“In the health sector, under the previously stalled Indian-Exim Bank initiative, we completed solar mini-grid installations in 190 out of 225 Primary Health Care Centres, delivering 1.35 megawatts of clean energy.

“We restored 32 abandoned systems — 21 in PHCs and 11 in General Hospitals. The result has been tangible: improved service delivery and a measurable reduction in maternal and child mortality,” he said.

He also disclosed that the long-abandoned 2x60MVA, 132/33kV substation at the Green Economic Zone in Maraban Jos has been completed.

“This substation is more than infrastructure; it is an industrial catalyst that unlocks investment potential, stimulates manufacturing, and positions Kaduna as a competitive economic hub,” he said.

In Kubau Local Government Area, the Damau solar model, delivering 100 kilowatts, has ended a decade of darkness for 450 households. Additional distributed generation projects totalling 1,694 kilowatts are underway in Chara, Gidan Kundi, Gora, and Hawan Mai Mashi.

Governor Sani also outlined rehabilitation works across the state’s three senatorial districts. In Zone One, distribution networks from Maraban Kubau to Kubau, Makarfi, through Tashan Icce and Tashan Yari, and Lere to Saminaka and Unguwan Bawa have been strengthened, with multiple transformer installations in Zaria, Sabon-Gari, and Kudan towns.

Zone Two saw similar network improvements, while in Zone Three, critical lines from Kagarko Junction to Manchok and high- and low-tension networks in Unguwan Magata and Unguwan Doh were restored, including major works along the Tafa–Jere–Kagarko high-tension line.

The Governor also disclosed that a landmark Memorandum of Understanding with the Rural Electrification Agency, signed on October 22, 2025, is advancing a 1.5-megawatt project for Kaduna Polytechnic and an 8-megawatt allocation for Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

Urban generation initiatives include 2 megawatts in the TRAPCO community, with plans for 2 megawatts in Shika and 4 megawatts in Makarfi to further boost local manufacturing.

Culled from punch