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By Milcah Tanimu

Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State takes proactive measures to mitigate the impact of petrol subsidy removal by signing an Executive Order on financial inclusion for one million poor and vulnerable individuals in the state.

During the signing ceremony in his office, Governor Sani highlighted the state government’s commitment to address the exclusion of approximately 2.1 million underserved and vulnerable citizens in rural areas from financial services. The aim is to ensure that they can access and benefit from both state and Federal Government’s Social Intervention Programmes.

A committee comprising government officials, civil society organizations, non-governmental organizations, and financial technology companies will collaborate to develop a state financial strategy to drive the social intervention programme.

The ambitious plan aims to include around one million poor and unbanked citizens in the financial services sector within the next year. To achieve this, the state government will engage key stakeholders, including traditional rulers, religious leaders, and local government chairmen, to conduct mass sensitization and foster citizen involvement in the financial inclusion initiative.

Governor Sani expressed concern over the high rate of financial exclusion in the North-West zone, where over 75 per cent of the population remains financially excluded and unbanked. This exclusion deprived many individuals of the opportunity to benefit from various social intervention programmes during the previous administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

With the implementation of the Executive Order on financial inclusion, Governor Uba Sani aims to empower marginalized citizens and provide them with better access to essential services, ultimately contributing to the overall socio-economic development of Kaduna State.