Kaduna Reaffirms Commitment to Openness in Infrastructure Transparency

By Uangbaoje Alex, Kaduna 

Kaduna State government has reaffirmed her commitment to deepening transparency and public accountability in infrastructure procurement by giving citizens direct access to information on government-funded projects with the launch of a live infrastructure procurement data portal.

Speaking during a one-day dialogue with media practitioners and civil society organisations (CSOs), Commissioner of the State Planning and Budget Commission, Mukhtar Ahmed Monrovia, said the government of Governor Uba Sani remains committed to openness and welcomes informed, constructive criticism. 

He encouraged all stakeholders to explore the interactive CoST portal to independently verify the government’s activities.

Monrovia noted that Kaduna is ahead of many states in creating open channels for dialogue and oversight, with contractors and citizens given the tools to engage meaningfully in procurement monitoring. 

He said the state has already completed the first half of the 2025 fiscal year and is preparing for mid-year reviews and consultations that will inform the 2026 budget. 

He stressed that transparency, accountability, and collaboration remain at the heart of Governor Sani’s leadership.

CoST Manager for Kaduna State, Tara Jeremiah, said the engagement aimed to strengthen the working relationship between civil society and the media, creating a strong social accountability platform under the CoST Infrastructure Transparency Initiative. 

According to him, the platform is designed to improve service delivery in the infrastructure sector and ensure that citizens, especially those at the grassroots, feel the impact of government projects.

Tara acknowledged that CSOs often encounter resistance from contractors and service managers during project monitoring, a challenge worsened by the absence of a Freedom of Information (FOI) law in Kaduna. 

However, he pointed out that strong political backing from the Governor and the existence of a functional Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG) have helped to build trust among key players. 

The MSG comprises representatives from government, civil society, and the private sector, including the Kaduna State Chamber of Commerce, the Nigerian Society of Engineers, and the Contractors Association.

He explained that the infrastructure disclosure portal, ipdata.kdsg.gov.ng publishes real-time information about infrastructure projects across the state. 

The data, he emphasized, is controlled and uploaded by the government, not contractors, and is being enhanced with artificial intelligence to improve visibility and mapping of projects in remote areas.

“The CoST initiative is also adapting an Infrastructure Monitoring Tool based on Ghanaian and Ugandan models. The tool will help collect structured feedback from communities, project consultants, contractors, and procuring entities.

“This will support grassroots monitoring and create space for dialogue and learning across the infrastructure delivery chain,” Tara added.

Chairman of the Kaduna State Contractors Association, Alhaji Ahmed Baba, appealed to the government to implement approved budgets on time to guard against inflation, which often affects project timelines and costs. He also called for timely renegotiation of contract terms when prices of materials shift significantly.

Principal Quantity Surveyor at the Kaduna State Public Procurement Authority, Henry Julius Tingong, on his part, cautioned contractors against delivering substandard work under the excuse of rising costs. 

He reminded them that once a contract is approved, the quality must match the agreed specifications.

Chairman of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (Kaduna Branch), Engineer Arege Samson Bawa, assured participants that his members are ready to support civil society and media in monitoring and providing technical input that ensures proper execution of infrastructure projects.

The dialogue concluded with a renewed commitment to collaboration among stakeholders, as Kaduna continues to lead the way in open governance and citizen-led oversight.