POLITICS TODAY

By Nasir Dambatta

Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani has added yet another feather to his increasingly decorated cap as the NTA Kaduna Network Centre honoured him yesterday with the prestigious Best Performing Governor Award for 2025, a recognition that cements his standing as one of Nigeria’s most impactful, reform-driven and people-focused leaders of the decade. The award, coming from the nation’s foremost broadcast institution, is a resounding endorsement of the Governor’s unwavering commitment to stabilising Kaduna, strengthening its security architecture, and promoting an inclusive leadership culture that continues to resonate across communities and demographics.

Represented by the Honourable Commissioner for Information, Malam Ahmed Maiyaki, Governor Uba Sani was celebrated for transforming Kaduna into a national reference point for peace-building, development, and responsive governance.

In a year marked by complex national challenges, Kaduna has emerged as a shining exception—experiencing a steady restoration of peace, renewed investor confidence, and a new sense of belonging among citizens, courtesy of the Governor’s hands-on leadership and unrelenting focus on security-sector reforms. NTA officials described him as a “pillar of stability” whose inclusive policies have widened political participation, strengthened social cohesion, and projected Kaduna as a model for subnational governance excellence.

The award ceremony—rich in colour, symbolism, and high-profile attendance—was chaired by Rt. Hon. Aminu Sani Jaji, PhD, who extolled Governor Sani’s leadership style as courageous, visionary, and deeply connected to the realities of the people. Also present were prominent national figures including Senator Shehu Sani, members of the National Assembly, NBTE’s Prof. Idris Bugaje, top media executives, and influential stakeholders from across the state—many of whom testified to the Governor’s transformative governance trajectory.

They noted that Kaduna’s progress in peace-building, infrastructure revival, educational reforms, healthcare expansion, and social welfare interventions stands unmatched among Nigeria’s subnational leaders in 2025.

Speakers at the event described Governor Uba Sani’s administration as one that inherited enormous challenges but responded with clarity, conviction, and tangible solutions. From driving security partnerships that reduced rural banditry and restored stability, to expanding opportunities through skills development, mass transit relief, housing rejuvenation, MSME support, and historic capital projects, the Governor has repositioned Kaduna as a state on the rise. His inclusive leadership—offering unprecedented representation to women, youth, minority communities, and professionals—was hailed as a groundbreaking model that has galvanized trust and healed long-standing fault lines.

Receiving the award on behalf of the Governor, Malam Ahmed Maiyaki reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to sustaining the momentum of reforms, deepening grassroots engagement, and accelerating development across all 23 local government areas. He dedicated the honour to the resilient people of Kaduna State, noting that their support has been the bedrock of the Governor’s success. Maiyaki added that the recognition would further energise the Governor to push harder in delivering the transformative blueprint already underway.

The NTA award marks yet another national validation of Governor Uba Sani’s soaring profile as a bridge-builder and reform champion. Coming at a time when Kaduna’s development narrative is drawing attention across Nigeria, it signals that the state’s steady progress—anchored on security, peace, inclusiveness, and people-first governance—is not only being felt on the ground but also being recognised at the highest levels of public leadership assessment. In 2025, Kaduna has become a story of renewal, stability, and visionary leadership—and yesterday’s honour simply placed a golden stamp on that undeniable reality.