Governor Uba Sani’s inclusive and reconciliatory style of governance has been welcomed by residents who have described his government as one for all the people of Kaduna State. For championing massive rural and urban development, peace, unity and security of his state, Governor Sani is LEADERSHIP Governor of the Year.
Even before he became the governor of Kaduna State in 2023, Senator Uba Sani was a renowned civil rights activist, a philanthropist and an accomplished businessman. As governor, he has waged a war against division, insecurity and underdevelopment. He has turned urban and rural communities into construction sites.
In the last two years of his administration, Governor Sani has recorded astounding achievements. Among his numerous projects are 225 primary healthcare centres (PHCs) upgraded to Level 2 status — and 174 of the centres have attained the status. Out of the 33 general hospitals in Kaduna State, 13 are being rehabilitated, remodeled and equipped across the three senatorial districts.
Governor Sani has also completed a 300-bed Specialist Hospital which was started in 2009; it was recently commissioned by President Bola Tinubu, thus breaking a 16-year-old jinx.
It is on record that, for the first time in the history of the state, Governor Sani distributed 400 truckloads of fertilizer free of charge to 100,000 smallholder farmers in order to boost food security.
Taking a radical decision to depart from decades of rural neglect, the governor rolled out massive road projects across all 23 local government areas to reposition both rural and urban communities for development. Rural communities now feel a renewed sense of inclusion. This approach is accelerating Kaduna’s progress and rekindling public trust in governance.
Supporters and well-wishers have described Governor Sani as a champion of women’s empowerment, a proponent of gender-friendly governance, and a leading advocate for inclusive politics across Nigeria.
A Tri-Sector Leader
Before his election as governor, Sani served as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the 9th National Assembly. He chaired the strategic Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions.
The Senator who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District is a tri-sector leader. His tentacles are in business, government and civil society. He is a leading civil rights activist, development worker, social entrepreneur, philanthropist, politician and accomplished businessman.
He was formerly a special adviser (political and intergovernmental affairs) to the governor of Kaduna State. He also served as a senior special assistant to the president on public affairs, and special adviser (political) to the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). He worked with the Kaduna State Ministry of Works and Housing before moving to the federal level.
Born on December 31, 1970, in Zaria, he holds a Master of Science degree in Finance from the University of Calabar, a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration from the University of Abuja, and a Higher National Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from Kaduna Polytechnic.
Senator Uba Sani played a leading role in the struggle against military authoritarianism in Nigeria. He deployed his organizational and networking skills in creating a strategic base for the pro-democracy movement in northern Nigeria. He was the national vice chairman (North) of the Campaign for Democracy (CD) and deputy national chairman (North) of the Joint Action Committee (JACON) led by the legendary Chief Gani Fawehinmi. He founded the Uba Sani Foundation devoted to entrepreneurship and skills acquisition for youths, women and the underprivileged.
An entrepreneur of repute, he established and successfully built businesses in telecommunications and estate management.
He has attended many courses and conferences (both in the country and overseas) in the areas of human rights, development and democracy. He is an alumnus of the United States Government’s International Visitors and Leadership Program (IVLP). The programme which focused on “Volunteerism and NGO Management” enriched Senator Uba Sani’s knowledge on development issues and impacted on his career goals as a politician and community leader.
Senator Uba Sani left an indelible mark in the 9th Senate. He was rated as one of the best performing senators. He had many bills to his credit and had the singular distinction of having three of his bills assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The versatile parliamentarian and political strategist was honoured with the “Most Valuable Parliamentarian (MVP) of the 9th Senate” and “Overall Best Parliamentarian of the 9th National Assembly” by Nigeria’s leading Legislative Monitoring and Advocacy Group, Order Paper Nigeria. He was also among a select group of distinguished parliamentarians that were inducted into the organization’s Hall of Fame.
Governor Uba Sani is the vice chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF). He was recently appointed the coordinating governor of the North-West by the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Sani holds the traditional title of Ezi-Enyi Ndigbo (True Friend of the Igbos). He is married and has children.
