By Divine Sam

Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has revealed that he played a significant role in the appointment of retired General Christopher Musa as Minister of Defence by President Bola Tinubu.

The governor made the disclosure during an interview on Trust TV’s Daily Politics on Tuesday, explaining why he has continued to support Tinubu despite criticism of his political position.

According to Sani, Musa’s appointment is one of several instances in which Kaduna State has benefited from representation in the Federal Government.

“The Minister of Defence is from Kaduna, Christopher Musa, and I was instrumental in him getting the ministerial position,” the governor said.

He also pointed to the appointment of Balarabe Abbas Lawal as Minister of Environment and Shehu Dikko’s leadership of the National Sports Commission as examples of Kaduna indigenes occupying important positions at the federal level.

Sani maintained that his support for Tinubu was driven by what he considered the President’s contributions to Kaduna State rather than any personal benefits.

“The favour he has done is not to me, it’s to the state. So, for me, my interest is the interest of the state,” he said.

The governor explained that he had approached Tinubu to request two additional federal universities for Kaduna, arguing that the state’s educational importance in Northern Nigeria justified the establishment of more higher institutions.

He said the President subsequently approved four university projects for the state. They include the Federal University of Applied Sciences in Kachia, the Federal University of Education in Zaria, the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University of Petroleum Resources in Rigachikun, and the conversion of Kaduna Polytechnic into a Federal University of Technology.

Beyond education, Sani highlighted several federal road projects, including the Kaduna-Birnin Gwari road, which he said had remained abandoned for about 45 years.

According to him, he reminded Tinubu of a campaign promise made in 2022, prompting the approval of the road’s reconstruction.

He also cited the ongoing 81-kilometre Zaria-Soba-Pambegua road project, which he said had not undergone major reconstruction since it was built in the 1970s. The Jama’a-Wai-Jere road was another project he attributed to his intervention.

On transportation, the governor said he persuaded Tinubu to include Kaduna in the proposed light rail programme alongside Lagos and Kano.

Sani disclosed that funding had been released for a 50-kilometre rail corridor linking Rigachikun and Sabon Tasha, putting the project’s cost at $865 million, equivalent to more than N1.2 trillion.

He also spoke about the Federal Government’s intervention in the state’s public transportation programme, which enabled his administration to increase its planned purchase of compressed natural gas (CNG) buses from 50 to 100.

“Immediately, he gave us intervention to add 50 more CNG buses instead of 50 to make it 100,” Sani said.

The governor claimed that the 100 buses recorded 5.2 million passenger trips within 18 months, helping commuters save approximately N5 billion in transportation costs.

Sani said the federal appointments, university projects, road construction and transportation initiatives were among the reasons he had continued to support Tinubu.

He maintained that his political position was guided by his desire to attract more federal projects and development opportunities to Kaduna State, insisting that the interests of the state remained his priority.