By Umar Haruna Doguwa
It baffles me to read the recent press statement by one Muhammad Garba, chief of staff to the removed APC Acting National Chairman making several false allegations on the credible Abba-led administration’s 2025 budget performance. Generally, the claims are selective, politically motivated and a mere renting of a dismissed politician on exile that omit critical facts about the sad realities inherited by the current government from the disgraced Ganduje’s administration and the progress made within this short period under review.
1. Selective Interpretation of Budget Performance
It is misleading to evaluate capital budget performance for January–September without acknowledging the following realities:
• Budget releases are phased, not done in a single cycle.
• Many capital projects took off fully only in Q3 and Q4, so judging performance before the completion of the fiscal year presents a distorted picture.
2. Water Sector: Facts Ignored
While Garba points to a 13% capital performance in the water sector, he carefully avoids mentioning:
• Governor Abba led- government inherited massive power debts to KEDCO, from Ganduje’s administration of over 2 Billion Naira which forced KEDCO to repeatedly shut down water pumping stations.
• The “Tiga Hydropower Project” cited by Garba, which for records, was initiated by Kwankwaso’s administration and was left at 70 percent completion with enough funds for completion in the project account, was met in very bad situation had no completed evacuation line, and could not power any water infrastructure. The funds were also misappropriated by your administration.
• The first water works that was established in 1930, intake 6 and more than 12 semi-urban treatment plants that were all effectively working very well in 2015 supplying more than 30 million litres of water daily when your boss Ganduje took over the administration were intentionally vandalized and could not produce a single litre of water as at the time your boss was rejected by the good people of Kano state through ballot box.
Governor ABBA Lead-administration has since initiated:
• Rehabilitation of major water works at Tamburawa, Challawa and Watari.
• Procurement of 10 new high-capacity raw water pumps worth billions of Naira already undergoing installation
• Ensure steady and prompt payment of energy bill, fuel and water treatment chemicals to ensure steady and clean water supply
• You may wish to verify all these. These are practical solutions—not political statements.
3. Education Sector: Investment vs Propaganda
Garba’s description of education spending ignores documented progress:
• The current government is renovating/constructing over 1000 basic education facilities across the state.
• Teacher recruitment for basic and secondary schools has begun to address the long-standing shortage so far more than 12,000 teachers were recruited to address the mess inherited were more than 400 schools in Kano north alone were Ganduje came from having only one teacher par school
• Overseas scholarship is only one component of a broader education reform aimed at producing specialized manpower for Kano’s future industries.
Prompt payment of salaries to teachers, school uniform, improved school feeding, improved vehicle loan to teachers to mention but a few
4. Health Sector: Rebuilding a Neglected System
It is inaccurate to claim the government underfunded health:
• Over 70 health facilities are currently under upgrade or reconstruction.
Budget utilization naturally reflects planning and procurement process—not neglect.
5. Roads and Infrastructure: Quality Over Rush
The claim that His Excellency Engr. Abba K Yusuf road projects are “hurried and poorly coordinated” contradicts realities on ground:
• Road works follow standard procurement and supervision procedures, not cosmetic surface repairs.
• Major roads in Kano metropolis and key LGAs are under reconstruction, with drainage, culverts, and base-level preparations, not mere overlays.
• Traffic diversions, though inconvenient, are temporary measures required for quality road delivery.
6. The Trillion-Naira Budget: Confidence, Not Politics
A government proposing a trillion-naira budget does so based on:
• Expanded revenue projections through blocked leakages and stocking of Dollar notes in (Babbar riga), restored IGR channels, and federal grants.
• Reprioritisation of capital projects to ensure long-term impact.
• Improved fiscal discipline compared to the previous administration, which left behind heavy debts, stalled contracts, and liabilities.
The 2026 budget is a development strategy, not a political stunt.
Conclusion
Garba’s statement reflects the usual opposition rhetoric of jobless politician rejected by the electorate with no connection to realities that ignores context, exaggerates figures, and refuses to acknowledge ongoing reforms. Budget performance is a full-year assessment, not a nine-month snapshot used for political scoring.
Our administration remains committed to:
• Transparent budgeting
• Completion of abandoned projects
• Sustainable infrastructure development
• Strengthening education, health, and water systems for all Kano residents.
Kano citizens deserve accurate information—not selective narratives designed to score political points.
Signed;
UMAR HARUNA MUHAMMAD DOGUWA
COMMISSIONER FOR WATER RESOURCES, KANO STATE
3RD DECEMBER, 2025
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