Renewed Hope footprints manifest in rail, infrastructure, agric projects in Kano, Jigawa

By Ayorinde Oluokun

Members of the presidential team and journalists who recently visited Kafin Chiri Dam in the Southern senatorial district of Kano were met with a large, obviously excited crowd armed with posters with pictures of President Bola Tinubu, Governor Abba Yusuf and Senator Kawu Sumaila.

The journalists thought that they have run into a political event. But it soon became clear that the large crowd were excited to welcome visitors because for the first time in over 40 years, their community is getting attention from the Federal Government. This is with the approval of rehabilitation of the Dam which has been abandoned for over 40 years for rehabilitation by President Tinubu.

Over 6,000 farmers To Benefit From Irrigation Services

When the ongoing rehabilitation is expected, the dam is expected to aid dry and seasonal farming for over 6,000 farmers with construction of 6,000 units of tube wells across 16 local governments of the state when completed in actualization of Renewed Hope Agenda of food security and rural jobs and thereby improve the livelihood of farmers and the benefitting communities.
The rehabilitation also includes empowerment programmes targeting about 2,200 residents. Engineer Mansur Ibrahim overseeing the project told journalists that the total area expected to be irrigated by the ongoing intervention at the dam is 180 hectares of land.

“There was no time in the history of Kano South district where anybody after Audu Bako (first military governor of Kano state) came to our aid like President Tinubu and his team,” Kawu told journalists while confirming that the dam is now being rehabilitated at a cost of N15 billion. “Every farmer will have one tube well of at least 20 feet to 40 feet and one pump machine. This is what we call serious empowerment. The dam is about 5.4Km,” the Senator added.

For the journalists, the rehabilitation of the dam is evidence that the President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda aims of stimulating production, creating employment, and lifting millions from poverty is gradually manifesting in communities across the country.

The Tinubu’s administration reforms have triggered investments in infrastructure renewal, social services and agriculture development. The media national media tour led by the presidential team with the support of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors was to spotlight the major projects delivered in the past three years by the federal government and state governments.

The tour began with a focus on the North West with Kaduna as the first point of call. Journalists witnessed the ongoing work on Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Highway corridor, the Nnamdi Azikiwe–Kaduna Western Bypass and the Kaduna-Kano-Katsina rail projects with briefing from key officials on milestones and expected date of delivery of the projects.

They also visited health, education and road projects of the Kaduna State government and heard as from different officials, including Kaduna governor Uba Sani how increased allocation of funds from the federal government is enabling subnational governments to embark on big infrastructure projects.

Pushing Renewed Hope Agenda with Investments Infrastructure, Heath, Education

The journalists had in Kano city visited the 300-bed Bola Ahmed Tinubu Special Hospital, opened on June 19, 2025 and the cardiovascular center at Aminu Kano Specialist Hospital Constructed by Deputy President of the Senate, Jibrin Barau, as a constituency project. There is also a solar panel farm project facilitated by a House of Representatives member.

The state government is also undertaking two key flyover projects to tackle the problem of traffic congestion in Kano city. One of them is the Tal-Udu interchange flyover in Gwale Local Government Area of the State. There is also the three-layer Dan-Agundi Flyover being constructed to tackle over 80 per cent of traffic in Kano. “This was one of the most notorious junctions in Kano. With this design, we are confident that over 80 per cent of the congestion will be eliminated,” he said.

He also acknowledged that increased funding from the Federal Government has enabled the state to embark on such gigantic projects. The funding comes from the IGR by the state government and the allocation coming from the FG. “Since the people of Kano have seen where their money is going, they are not afraid to pay their tax. We also have additional funds from the FG is as a result of the removal of subsidy. This has helped us to get more allocation from the centre to put in this project,” he said.

Yet, another key intervention of the Tinubu’s administration in Kano was the Jakara–Kwarin Gogau–Zungeru drainage channelization project. Kano Commissioner for Environment and Climate Change, Nura Mohammed Hashim told journalists that the 6.7-kilometre drainage channel had constituted health hazards to residents living around for many years as it was clogged with waste.

He also revealed that the state government had struggled to undertake the channelization project before the intervention of the President.

According to him, the intervention of the president has now resulted in expansion of the project beyond the initial scope: “This drainage has been filled with refuse for years, exposing communities to malaria and other diseases,” he said. “Mr President approved about N47 billion from ecological funds to ensure full delivery of the project. Mr President approved about N47 billion from ecological funds to ensure full delivery of the project,” he said.

In the health sector, the Kano State Government has also embarked on renovation of some of the key healthcare facilities in the state while expanding access to healthcare for the people of the state. For one, the 230-bed Muhammad Abdullahi Wase Specialist Hospital is undergoing a major upgrade.

Also, the 80-bed Hasiya Bayero Pediatric facility has undergone two phases of renovation. “All services here are free, including drugs and laboratory services. The goal is to ensure that no child is denied care,” Kano Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abubakar Labaran Yusuf told journalists during visit to the facility.

Kano Commissioner for Education, Ali Haruna Abubakar Makoda, said the state has also increased its investment in education with allocation of between 29 and 31 per cent of its budget to the sector.

The intervention in the sector, he said, involved extensive renovation schools and employment of teachers.He also said the state is working on initiatives to reduce the number of out of school children in the state. Makoda revealed that in 2026, the state paid N4.4 billion to sponsor over 153,000 students for NECO, JAMB and NABTEB examinations. He said more than 18,000 teachers have been recruited since the inception of the Abba Yusuf administration in the state.

“When the governor came in he declared a state of emergency in the education sector. Education received 29.75 per cent of the state budget in 2024, 31.5 per cent in 2025, and about 30 per cent of the N1.4 trillion 2026 budget amounting to over N430 billion. Kano government is renovating schools providing, distribution of instructional materials, and the recruitment of more than 18,000 teachers. Kano government has identified over 13,600 registered Arabic and Islamic schools for integration with our school system to take children out of streets,” Makoda said.

Kaduna–Kano–Jigawa–Katsina–Maradi Rail Line 60% Completed

In Dundubus, Dutse Local Government Area of Jigawa State, journalists and the presidential media team have another opportunity of seeing the ongoing work on the Kaduna–Kano–Jigawa–Katsina–Maradi rail line. Journalists on the tour had earlier visited and saw ongoing construction of the rail project that analysts have said is crucial to efforts to stimulate economic growth, enhancing regional trade, and creation of jobs in the Northern region in Kaduna.

Ali Bukar, the project’s Resident Engineer told journalists in Dundubus that construction of the Kano–Dutse axis has already reached 60 per cent completion as a resulted of more commitment and increased funding by the Tinubu’s administration.

“The project has attained 60% completion progress. It is being funded by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. So, the project is originally conceived to boost socioeconomic activities for people of the Republic and Nigeria,” he said.

He also revealed that the Kano, Jigawa, and Katsina section of the rail line is scheduled for completion by December 2026, while the extension to Dundubus in Dutse Local Government Area of Jigawa State is projected for delivery in 2027. He added that the extension to Maradi in the Niger Republic is also expected as there are ongoing efforts to resolve diplomatic issue that has stalled work on the section.

“Now, we have about nine sections. Work is ongoing in all the sections except one section. That is between Katsina, Jibia, and Maradi due to some diplomatic problem, and our permanent secretary is on it.”

He further revealed that work is ongoing on the rail line stations, including three along the Kano–Dutse branch located in Kano, Wudil, and Dutse, which are expected to serve as key transit and commercial hubs upon completion.

The Site Coordinator of the section, Engineer Muhammad Ali, also told journalists that the rail project is being constructed to the best standard: “We are following the European standard for this project. This bridge is piling; it’s ongoing, and we have completed more than 95% of the piling.

Food Security, Job Creation, Economic Empowerment In Jigawa

Aminu Kano Triangle, in Dutse, the Jigawa State capital like the Eagle Square in Abuja was built to host important ceremonies and events. But what a team of journalists and presidential media team on tour of states and federal projects saw at the facility testified to the huge ambition of the Jigawa to be the leader in food production for over 200 million Nigerians. Jigawa is already the leader in production of hibiscus, sesame, wheat, sorghum and rice on the country.

But the Umar Namadi administration has set for itself the big task of leveraging on agriculture for social-economic development of the agrarian state in line with the President Bola Tinubu Renewed Hope Agenda. This can only be achieved with aggressive mechanization of the agriculture production. Hence, the first step by the government was the creation of the Jigawa Agriculture Mechanisation Company. On display at the Aminu Kano Triangle are the 300 new tractors complete with their implements, 80 boom sprayers, 60 combined harvesters, 150 rice seeders, 150 maize seeders and other equipment waiting to be deployed for actualization of the ambitious agriculture venture.

The Managing Director of the Mechanization Agency, Dr. Ado Nasiru told journalists that elaborate plan have been executed to ensure that the equipment delivers to expectations in a sustainable manner.

According to him, while the headquarters of the company is in Dutse, service centre manned by a manager has been established across the 30 political constituencies in the state. He also revealed that 30 technicians- one for each political constituency- were taken to China for training on the assembling, operations and, maintenance of the equipment and when they came back, they also trained another 30 technicians for maintenance of the equipment.

“We’ve trained 360 operators to take care of the machines. Sixty service centres are now being constructed. In each of the service centers, 10 hectares of land are set aside for demonstration and then, research purpose for farmers to come around and see the technologies in real sense and also adopt the technology. We also have other equipment based on our needs assessments of the farmers’ wants,” Nasiru said.

He added that the state government has developed an app in which a farmer can book for operation and pay to take advantage of the equipment, “The service will be provided at subsidized rate. For sustainability, we have three years’ spare parts already in stock. We’ve trained our technicians in China, and they are even the ones who assembled the machines here to demonstrate they they learn what we want them to learn,” Nasiru said.

The state is also actualizing Renewed Hope Agenda objectives of job creation and poverty eradication especially for the youths. For one, there is the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Multi-Purpose Skill Acquisition Centres where youths have the opportunity of learning over 14 different trades to be self-reliant, earn a living and contribute their quota to the development of the state for free. The Jigawa State Government has established 18 of such centres with capacity to train 1500 youths per year in the different vocations. Habib Muhammad Wase Ubale, DG, Jigawa Economic Empowerment and Youth Employment Agency said the establishment of the centers was in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President.

“The President is always talking about the youths, so also is the governor. This in line with Mr President’s Renewed Hope Agenda. We have modern equipment which we use to train the students. We have accommodation for the trainees, and the selection process is very open. It’s in line with Mr President’s Renewed Hope Agenda – it is absolutely tuition free and we are giving them allowances,” Ubale said.

He added that such initiatives have turned Jigawa into one of the safest states in Nigeria. “With this, we are able to reduce insecurity in the country as idle young are mostly behind these things. With the support of President Bola Tinubu, definitely, the insecurity will be over.”

Aside the Skills Acquisition Centre, there is also the fabrication workshop where youths are being trained in skills like welding to prepare them for employment as well as to construct items and equipment needed by the state.

“We can feed the oil companies with young people, working on the ships, in the oil companies and all related activities that are going on. At the same time, we are able to construct what we required in the state – port cabins, bunk beds and so on. We are going to make it a source of income by selling equipment produced here, ” said Ubale.

He added that the centre is already attracting attention outside the country because of its facilities.  We are also able to open this place to trainees coming from within or outside the country. Last three weeks, when we travelled with his Excellency to Liberia, when we explained some projects that we are doing in Jigawa, they assured me that they are sending people to train with use because outside here is an hostel, restaurant, five-aside football field, gym, feeding and on,” Ubale said.