Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, has presented a proposed ₦828.64 billion 2027 budget to the State House of Assembly, with education, infrastructure, agriculture, healthcare and rural development receiving major attention.
Presenting the Appropriation Bill, titled “Building Your Future IV,” on Tuesday, Governor Radda said the budget was designed to improve the lives of residents and ensure that the benefits of good governance reach both urban and rural communities. He said ₦637.91 billion, representing 76.98 per cent of the total budget, was earmarked for capital expenditure, while ₦190.73 billion, or 23.02 per cent, was proposed for recurrent expenditure.
Radda said the 2027 budget was 7.71 per cent lower than the approved 2026 budget, representing a reduction of ₦69.23 billion. He described the reduction as a pragmatic response to the state’s revenue and expenditure outlook. He added that Ministries, Departments and Agencies were required to ensure that their spending plans aligned with the administration’s Building Your Future development blueprint, available resources and the needs of communities.
The Governor described the proposal as the most participatory budget in the history of the state, saying it was substantially shaped by the Citizens’ Budget Exercise conducted across all 361 wards on July 18, 2026. He said residents identified and ranked their most pressing needs, with the top-priority project selected in each ward incorporated into the 2027 development framework. He added that each of the 361 wards would receive a special project chosen by its residents.
Under the sectoral allocations, the Social Sector will receive ₦317.73 billion, while the Economic Sector will receive ₦303.17 billion. Of the capital expenditure provision, five priority sectors will jointly receive ₦325.45 billion, with Basic and Higher Education allocated ₦83.82 billion; Works and Housing, ₦71.60 billion; Agriculture and Livestock, ₦65.88 billion; Health, ₦53.64 billion; and Rural Development, ₦50.51 billion. The Governor said the allocations would support better schools, roads, food production, healthcare facilities and rural infrastructure.
Reviewing the implementation of the 2026 budget as of August 28, Radda said the state had recorded progress in education, healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure, water, rural development and security. He said recurrent revenue stood at ₦267.47 billion, while capital receipts reached ₦116.41 billion, with total expenditure at ₦295.19 billion. He also disclosed that ₦13.03 billion had been spent on school renovations, ₦10.53 billion on secondary school construction and rehabilitation, and ₦5.88 billion on primary school intervention projects in collaboration with UBEC.
In healthcare and agriculture, the Governor said the state currently has 1,751 health institutions, with more than 85 per cent functional, while ₦4.71 billion had been spent on the emergency medical and ambulance programme. He also disclosed that more than ₦9.59 billion had been invested since 2025 in equipping the Medical Imaging Centre at GARSH for conversion into a world-class cancer and imaging centre. In agriculture, ₦21.43 billion was committed to fertiliser procurement, while more than ₦3.11 billion was spent on rural access roads. Radda acknowledged that challenges remain, particularly in security, education, healthcare, water and infrastructure, and assured residents that the government would continue working with the State House of Assembly, communities and other stakeholders to address them.