DIGGING DEEP FOR HUMAN CAPITAL

Uba Sani is honoured with CIHCDN award, writes ISMAIL MUHAMMED

The true wealth of a society is not measured exclusively by the size of its budget, the number of roads constructed or the volume of physical infrastructure delivered. Its greatest asset lies in the knowledge, skills, health, productivity and opportunities available to its people. Governments that understand this fundamental truth do not merely build structures; they build human capacity, empower communities and prepare successive generations to create wealth and sustain development.

This philosophy appears to be at the heart of Governor Uba Sani’s approach to governance in Kaduna State. His emergence as the recipient of the Distinguished Human Capital Development Champion Award from the Chartered Institute of Human Capital Development of Nigeria (CIHCDN) is therefore significant beyond the prestige of the recognition. It brings attention to a development agenda that places education, vocational skills, healthcare, agriculture, financial inclusion and youth empowerment at the centre of public policy.

Presented at the Institute’s National Conference at Merit House, Maitama, Abuja, the award recognises the governor’s investments in expanding opportunities and improving the living conditions of Kaduna residents. The Institute specifically acknowledged his initiatives in education, healthcare, skills development, rural transformation, economic inclusion, youth empowerment and capacity building.

In a country where the debate about governance often revolves around political contests, infrastructure projects and financial allocations, the recognition provides an opportunity to refocus attention on an equally important question: what is the government doing to improve the capacity of ordinary citizens to participate meaningfully in economic and social development?

Perhaps one of the most striking elements of the governor’s human capital agenda is the investment in vocational training and practical skills development. Through the establishment of three Vocational Training and Skills Development Centres in Rigachikun, Soba and Samaru Kataf, the administration is seeking to create a structured pathway through which young people can acquire industry-relevant skills and become economically productive.

According to the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Malam Ahmed Maiyaki, the centres are designed to equip approximately 32,000 young people annually with practical skills across 14 trades.

This is an ambitious intervention, particularly at a time when youth unemployment, underemployment and the mismatch between educational qualifications and labour-market requirements remain major national concerns.

A university degree is valuable, but not every productive career must follow the conventional academic route. Modern economies require technicians, artisans, construction professionals, digital specialists, entrepreneurs and other skilled workers capable of translating knowledge into economic value.

The Kaduna initiative reflects an understanding that young people need more than encouragement to seek employment. They need the technical competence, practical exposure and entrepreneurial capacity to create opportunities for themselves and others.

The ambition, as Maiyaki explained, is to transform young people from job seekers into skilled professionals, entrepreneurs and employers of labour.

That is an important shift in development thinking. It moves beyond the assumption that the government alone must provide jobs and recognises the role of skills, innovation and enterprise in expanding economic opportunities.

The administration’s investments in formal education provide another major pillar of its human capital development agenda.

Maiyaki disclosed that the government has constructed 736 new classrooms, renovated more than 1,200 classrooms, recruited 10,000 teachers and trained over 33,000 teachers to improve access to quality education across the state. These interventions address two essential dimensions of education: the availability of learning facilities and the quality of instruction.

A classroom without a competent teacher cannot deliver the desired learning outcomes. Similarly, qualified teachers operating in overcrowded or poorly equipped facilities face significant limitations. Investment in both infrastructure and teacher development is therefore essential to building an effective education system.

The recruitment and training of thousands of teachers demonstrate the importance attached to strengthening the human resources that sustain public education. Beyond the numbers, the ultimate objective must be improved literacy, stronger learning outcomes and better preparation of children for the demands of a changing world.

The reduction of tuition fees in state-owned tertiary institutions by up to 50 per cent is another significant aspect of this approach. For many families, the cost of higher education can become an insurmountable barrier, forcing capable young people to abandon their academic ambitions or place additional financial pressure on their households.

By reducing tuition fees and expanding scholarship and bursary interventions, the administration is seeking to make higher education more accessible.

This is particularly important because education should serve as a pathway to social mobility, not a privilege reserved for families with substantial financial resources. One of the most compelling features of the administration’s approach is its recognition that human capital development extends beyond schools and vocational institutions.

Agriculture, for instance, remains a major source of livelihood for many households in Kaduna State. Supporting smallholder farmers is therefore not merely an agricultural intervention; it is an investment in rural incomes, food security and community development.

Maiyaki disclosed that the government distributed 1,400 trucks of free fertiliser to 420,000 smallholder farmers. The scale of this intervention highlights the importance of agriculture in the state’s development priorities. By supporting farmers with essential inputs, the administration is seeking to strengthen productive capacity, improve rural livelihoods and contribute to food production.

A farmer who can cultivate more efficiently, improve yields and earn a better income is better positioned to educate children, access healthcare and invest in household welfare. The benefits of agricultural empowerment therefore extend across several dimensions of human development.

The revitalisation of 255 Primary Healthcare Centres, alongside improved welfare for healthcare professionals and initiatives to expand access to medical services, particularly in underserved rural communities, represents another investment in the wellbeing and productivity of citizens.

Healthcare is not simply a social service. It is a critical component of economic development. A healthy population is better able to learn, work, innovate and contribute to national productivity.

For rural communities, accessible primary healthcare can make a significant difference by bringing essential services closer to households that might otherwise face difficulties accessing medical attention. By connecting education, skills development, agriculture and healthcare, the administration is advancing a broader understanding of what it means to invest in people.

Another important dimension of Uba Sani’s development philosophy is the emphasis on inclusion. Maiyaki stressed that the administration’s interventions are designed to reach communities irrespective of political, religious or ethnic affiliations.

In a diverse state such as Kaduna, this principle carries considerable significance. Development should not be distributed according to political loyalty, religious identity or ethnic considerations. Every community deserves a fair opportunity to benefit from public investment.

Inclusive governance strengthens social cohesion because citizens are more likely to trust public institutions when they believe government programmes are accessible to them without discrimination.

It also helps ensure that development does not remain concentrated in major urban centres while rural communities are left behind.

The recognition by CIHCDN is particularly relevant in this regard because sustainable human capital development must be broad-based. It cannot be achieved if certain groups are excluded from education, healthcare, employment opportunities or access to productive resources.

Speaking after receiving the award on the governor’s behalf, Maiyaki described the recognition as a testament to Uba Sani’s belief that the greatest investment any government can make is in its people, particularly young people, women and vulnerable citizens.

He also emphasised that the award should serve as encouragement to do more, rather than a reason for complacency. That is perhaps the most important message arising from the recognition.

Awards provide valuable acknowledgement, but the real test of human capital development lies in measurable improvements in people’s lives. The vocational centres must translate training into employment and enterprise. Investments in classrooms and teacher development must improve learning outcomes. Reduced tuition must enable more young people to complete their education. Agricultural support must contribute to stronger productivity and rural incomes. Revitalised healthcare facilities must provide accessible and dependable services.

The administration must also sustain these interventions, monitor their outcomes and ensure that public resources produce lasting value. For Kaduna State, the stakes are considerable. Its young population represents an enormous reservoir of potential. Properly educated, skilled, healthy and economically empowered, this population can become the driving force of industrial growth, entrepreneurship, innovation and social transformation.

Ultimately, Uba Sani’s recognition as a Distinguished Human Capital Development Champion speaks to a development philosophy that places people at the centre of governance. It reinforces the idea that the most enduring legacy of leadership is not simply what the government builds during its tenure, but the capacity it creates in citizens to build a better future for themselves and society.

Roads, bridges, schools and hospitals are important. But the people who use, manage, improve and derive value from those facilities are even more important. That is the larger significance of the governor’s human capital agenda: investing in the abilities of today’s citizens while preparing the next generation to lead Kaduna State into a more productive, inclusive and prosperous future.

 Muhammed writes from Lagos