Jigawa State Governor, Umar Namadi, has said the state’s next phase of development will be driven by knowledge, research and evidence-based policymaking. According to a statement signed by Hamisu Mohammed Gumel, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Namadi made the declaration on Saturday during an interactive session with the Forum……
Jigawa State Governor, Umar Namadi, has said the state’s next phase of development will be driven by knowledge, research and evidence-based policymaking.
According to a statement signed by Hamisu Mohammed Gumel, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Namadi made the declaration on Saturday during an interactive session with the Forum of Jigawa Academics at the Banquet Hall, Government House, Dutse.
The governor said stronger collaboration between the government and academics was necessary to develop practical solutions to the state’s challenges and consolidate the gains recorded under his administration’s 12-Point Agenda.
He described the engagement as the fourth in a series of annual interactions with academics, noting that it was designed to move beyond accountability to a deeper assessment of policies and development outcomes.
“Our last engagement here in May 2025 focused principally on accountability. Today’s session, the fourth in the series, must go further by interrogating evidence, refining policy, and identifying how knowledge can accelerate the next stage of our mission,” Namadi said.
The governor said his administration had, since assuming office in May 2023, anchored its development programme on the 12-Point Agenda, which he described as a framework for assigning responsibilities, tracking implementation and measuring results.
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He said the agenda had evolved in response to evidence, changing realities, milestones achieved and the aspirations of the people, adding that it had continued to shape the state’s sectoral development plans, budgets and institutional reforms.
“Alhamdulillah, the progress recorded since we assumed office reflects a consistent direction: building an inclusive and productive economy, expanding human-development opportunities, strengthening infrastructure, protecting vulnerable citizens, improving environmental resilience, and reforming public institutions,” he said.
On agriculture, Namadi said his administration was working to transform the sector from subsistence farming into a productive, mechanised and market-oriented system.
He said the government had established the Jigawa Agricultural Transformation Agency, created a dedicated Ministry of Livestock Development and incorporated the Jigawa Farm Mechanisation Company to strengthen the agricultural value chain.
“The Mechanization Company will operate 60 centers with a fleet of 400 tractors and 60 combine harvesters, including the 100 tractors augmented through the President’s Food Security Support Intervention procured by the State Government at subsidized prices,” the governor said.
He added that Jigawa had established partnerships with national and international institutions covering rice production, seed systems, livestock, dairy development, horticulture, irrigation, mechanisation and agro-processing.
Namadi also highlighted investments in agricultural research, including support for 10 PhD and MSc researchers under the Wheat Value Chain Research Programme, postgraduate training for more than 80 Jigawa academics in agricultural disciplines and specialised training for over 100 livestock officers through the state’s partnership with India’s National Dairy Development Board.
On education, the governor said the state continued to allocate at least 26 percent of its annual government expenditure to the sector.
He listed investments in school infrastructure, instructional materials, ICT-enabled learning, teacher development, girl-child education, Tsangaya, nomadic and mass education, as well as the conversion of selected senior secondary schools into Centres of Excellence.
“To address the shortage of qualified teachers, we recruited 7,500 J-TEACH staff in basic education, of whom 3,000 became permanent and pensionable teachers after rigorous training and selection. We have concluded arrangements to recruit another 4,000 J-TEACH personnel and 660 permanent teachers,” he said.
“At the post-basic level, we recruited almost 2,000 J-TEACH personnel, 1,000 of whom gained permanent and pensionable status. We also deployed over 2,100 graduate teachers, employed about 270 more, and engaged hundreds of non-teaching staff.”
At the tertiary level, Namadi said the government had supported the state’s seven institutions through infrastructure development, accreditation, utilities, institutional strengthening and staff development.
He added that more than 90 academic staff had been sponsored for higher degrees in India.
In the health sector, the governor said his administration had revitalised 180 apex Primary Healthcare Centres to provide 24-hour services and completed and equipped General Hospitals in Gwiwa, Garki, Gantsa, Guri and Gwaram.
He said new hospitals were being constructed in Kafin Hausa and Ringim, while the Kazaure Specialist Hospital had also been opened.
According to him, more than 1,370 permanent and pensionable health workers had been recruited, while specialist services had been expanded to include free dialysis and treatment for diabetes, hypertension and sickle-cell disease.
On infrastructure, Namadi said more than 300 kilometres of inherited road projects had been completed, while 59 construction, rehabilitation and maintenance contracts covering about 1,100 kilometres had been awarded since 2024.
He said the combined inherited and newly awarded road portfolio covered approximately 1,500 kilometres and was valued at about ₦420 billion.
The governor also reviewed developments in power, investment, employment, environmental protection and social protection, including renewable-energy initiatives, investment facilitation, youth and women empowerment programmes, waterway rehabilitation and social protection interventions.
Namadi further disclosed that Jigawa’s internally generated revenue had risen significantly, with average monthly IGR increasing from about ₦1.1 billion in 2023 to more than ₦5.2 billion in 2025.
He said annual collections also increased from about ₦27.5 billion to over ₦66 billion.
Looking ahead, the governor identified three priorities for the next phase of his administration: completing ongoing programmes, using evidence to establish what works and institutionalising successful reforms.
He also said the state’s 12-Point Agenda complemented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly in food security, economic diversification, livelihoods, infrastructure renewal and human-capital development.
Namadi noted that federal interventions in agriculture, education, water supply, roads, SME financing, skills development and social protection were also supporting development efforts in Jigawa State.
