Kaduna: 4,000 SMEs to Benefit from N4.2bn Intervention
Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani has revealed that in the coming days over 4,000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) identified by the Kaduna State Government would benefit from a N4.2 billion palliative intervention to ease the burdens caused by the removal of petroleum fuel subsidy and the rising rate of inflation. The beneficiaries of the financial inclusion programme also extend to identified vulnerable persons.
Governor Sani made this known during an interview on Television Continental News (TVC) aired on Monday 19th February 2024. During the interview, he responded to various questions ranging from the current economic realities in Nigeria, rocketing food prices, rising cost of living, and efforts by his administration to ameliorate the hardship on the people of Kaduna State.
Speaking on recent protests by citizens in parts of the country against the current economic situation, Mr Sani stated that, “There has not been any uprising in Kaduna State over this issue because we have been working with the organised labour, market women and even NGOs, especially with my antecedent as a civil rights activist”.
He stated further: “Prior to these latest agitations, I predicted that this situation may come up. That’s why I am the only governor that signed an Executive Order on financial inclusion to bring about 2.5 million vulnerable, underserved people back into the financial services sector.
“We have also been able to organise about 4,200 SMEs in Kaduna State and in the next one week, we have decided to support them with palliatives worth about N4.2 billion, which will also go directly to vulnerable households and some small businesses that we have captured.
“Additionally, over 1.5m people have been brought back into the financial sector since the signing of the Executive Order on Financial Inclusion in Kaduna State,” Governor Sani added.
Mr Sani said the initiative was a joint effort by stakeholders such as the organised labour, market women, people living with disabilities, small holder farmers, religious and community leaders.
He explained: “We are proactive in Kaduna State and that is why the labour unions are supportive of what we are doing because we run an open government.
“Even before the budget presentation to the Kaduna State House of Assembly, we held town halls where I insisted that we cannot decide on what we will do for the people of Kaduna without their direct input. Also, at the town halls, we emphasised the decision to run an open government and that’s the reason why we budgeted N22 billion for agriculture, the first in the history of Kaduna and this was based on the input we received directly from our people and this is why we are on the same page with our people.”
