Tensions are rising in Kaduna State as stakeholders voice growing concern over the alleged uneven disbursement of a $350 million World Bank loan obtained by the immediate past administration under former Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
At the center of the controversy are 12 local government areas—many of them among the state’s poorest—that reportedly received little to no benefit from the loan-funded Urban Renewal Road Projects, despite ongoing repayments by the state.
Investigations by the press revealed that in LGAs such as Birnin Gwari, Giwa, Ikara, Jaba, Kagarko, Kajuru, Kauru, Kudan, Makarfi, Sanga, Soba, and Zangon Kataf, no completed road projects have materialized, years after the initiative was launched. Community leaders and insiders say many of the projects either stalled shortly after groundbreaking or never commenced beyond symbolic flag-offs.
Civil society groups and opposition lawmakers are demanding transparency and accountability. “We can’t keep taking loans just for political PR,” said Comrade Phelimon Andrew, a transparency advocate from Zangon Kataf. “The communities deserve to know where every dollar went.”
The Urban Renewal Programme was presented as a bold infrastructural overhaul aimed at transforming both urban and rural parts of Kaduna. However, critics say implementation has been skewed, with most projects concentrated in the northern senatorial zone, while the southern and central regions were left behind.
“This loan was supposed to benefit the entire state,” said Garba Habibu from Birnin Gwari. “The current administration must investigate and reveal the truth about how the funds were used.”
Residents are also lamenting the disruption caused by incomplete roadworks. In areas like Sabo Tasha and Television Garage, dug-up roads have turned into seasonal hazards, affecting transport, damaging vehicles, and hurting businesses. “We were hopeful at first,” said Gimbiya Musa, a shop owner. “Now, we’ve lost over half our customers.”
In Kauru, residents point to rusting construction equipment and unfinished roads that have become dumping sites. “The roads are now playgrounds for children and channels for waste,” said Ezekiel Haruna, a local leader.
The Yarbwan-Kafanchan road, intended to improve access to Southern Kaduna, stands as one of the most symbolic examples of stalled development. “It started with fanfare but ended in abandonment,” said a youth leader in Kaura.
A senior official in the state government, speaking anonymously, confirmed that no project in the affected LGAs reached completion, and that Kaduna North reportedly absorbed about 76% of the infrastructure projects.
“This isn’t just mismanagement—it’s injustice,” the official noted. “We’re repaying a loan with nothing to show in many communities.”
Residents and community leaders are now calling for urgent government intervention and a legislative probe into the handling of the loan. They warn that continued neglect may fuel rising frustration and instability.
Attempts to get comments from the current administration of Governor Uba Sani were unsuccessful as calls and messages to key officials went unanswered as of press time.
