Kano govt denies borrowing to execute projects

… allocates N432bn to education in 2026 budget

The Kano State Government has declared that Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has not borrowed any loans, either domestically or internationally, to execute projects since assuming office.

The State Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Musa Sulaiman Shanono, made the disclosure while briefing journalists on the breakdown of the state’s approved 2026 budget.

Shanono said that despite the scale of projects and empowerment programmes being executed across the state, they were all funded from internally available resources.

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“Going by the huge projects being executed across the nooks and crannies of the state, as well as various empowerment programmes, the fact is that all these were executed within the resources available to the state, with no funds sourced from within or outside as loans,” he said.

The commissioner added that governance is a continuous process, noting that the current administration has so far paid over N27 billion out of the N43 billion in pensions and gratuities inherited from previous administrations.

Shanono disclosed that the state government has earmarked N432.4 billion to transform the education sector in the 2026 fiscal year. The allocation represents 29.4 per cent of the state’s total N1.368 trillion budget for 2026.

According to him, the education allocation surpasses the 26 per cent benchmark recommended by UNESCO for national budgets. Providing a breakdown of the allocation, the commissioner said, “N50 billion will be spent on the construction of new secondary schools across the state. N15.2 billion has been set aside for the state’s Free Education Programme.

“N5 billion will fund the construction of 100 laboratories in 100 schools. Another N5 billion will be used to complete the construction of Schools of Islamic Studies and Technical Schools in the 44 local government areas.

“N25 billion has been allocated for the construction of duplex classroom blocks across the state. N2.5 billion will go toward completing the Bilingual Girls College in Zinder, the Niger Republic.

“N5 billion has been earmarked for the conduct of internal and external examinations, including NECO, UTME, BECE and SSCE.

“Another N5 billion will be used for the procurement of computers, computer tables and chairs for secondary schools.

“N3 billion has been allocated for wall fencing in selected boarding schools.

“N1 billion will fund the rehabilitation of mosques and toilets in various schools.

Shanono reiterated the state government’s commitment to revitalising the education sector, stressing that increased funding would enhance infrastructure, improve learning conditions and raise educational standards across Kano State.