Kano Govt Defends 2025 Budget Performance, Says Education, Health and Water Sectors Show Significant Gains

The Kano State Government has defended its 2025 third-quarter budget performance, insisting that key social sectors — including water supply, health, and education — have recorded measurable improvements compared to outcomes under the previous administration.

Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, the Commissioner for Planning and Budget, Musa Suleiman Shanono, clarified that the 2025 Q3 Budget Performance Report recently published by Solacebase reflected only projects funded directly by the State Treasury. He explained that it did not capture donor-supported projects or cross-cutting interventions handled by other ministries, which also contribute significantly to the state’s development efforts.

Providing a sector-by-sector breakdown, Shanono revealed that between January and September 2025, the Ministry of Education achieved a 32.2% capital performance, Science and Technology reached 23.3%, Water Resources recorded 13.4%, Health posted 12%, while Higher Education stood at 7.7%.

Despite these numbers still falling short of desired targets, the commissioner stressed that they represent a substantial improvement compared to the third quarter of 2022 under the former administration. At that time, Education recorded just 15.1% capital performance, Health posted 2.5%, and Higher Education had no capital performance at all.

Shanono further noted that several ongoing development projects such as road rehabilitation under the Urban Renewal Programme and the construction or renovation of schools and hospitals by the Ministry of Works are yet to be fully reflected in the current budget review.

He was responding to recent criticism from a former government official who described the 2025 figures as “embarrassingly poor.” The commissioner maintained that the current administration remains committed to improving service delivery, particularly in sectors with direct impact on the public.

According to him, “improvements recorded in students’ performance during the 2024 and 2025 NECO examinations, stabilization of workers’ salaries and pensions, and ongoing recruitment of teachers and healthcare workers all point to active reforms in the education and health sectors.”

On water supply, Shanono disclosed that the state is investing in infrastructure upgrades, including procurement of new raw water pumps for the Challawa and Tamburawa treatment plants, as well as expansion of the power distribution network supporting the facilities.

He added that the administration is tackling persistent issues at the Tiga and Challawa hydro power plants, stating that it inherited debts and operational challenges which engineers are presently working to resolve.

While acknowledging existing gaps in capital releases, the commissioner insisted that the government’s performance in 2025 has already surpassed that of the previous administration within the same period. He assured residents that the state remains committed to transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement in public financial management.