By F. O. Adiat

(1). Introduction

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has taken identifiable steps to strengthen public institutions, security capacity and economic opportunity in Southern Kaduna. The evidence supports a favourable assessment built around concrete interventions: a functioning federal university at Kachia, additional military arrangements, community security engagement, steps to establish federal healthcare capacity at Kafanchan, agricultural recovery assistance and continued federal road investment. Their significance lies in the practical needs they address and the opportunities they create for further progress.

(2). The circumstances that made intervention necessary

Southern Kaduna’s difficult history explains the importance of these measures. Amnesty International documented at least 366 people killed in attacks between January and July 2020. In March 2022, Kaduna’s government confirmed 34 deaths in attacks on Kagoro communities; more than 200 houses and 32 shops were reportedly burnt. In April 2023, VOA reported a local official’s account of 33 deaths and more than 40 houses destroyed in Runji. These are separate, dated reports, not a cumulative regional death toll. [1–3] Education also suffered disruption. Three tertiary institutions in Southern Kaduna were closed in December 2016, with their reopening announced in September 2017. They included the College of Education at Gidan Waya, Kaduna State University’s Kafanchan campus and the nursing and midwifery school in Kafanchan. [4] This history makes investment in security and education especially meaningful: it addresses both the protection of life and the opportunities through which communities can rebuild.

(3). Additional security capacity and reported rescues

The establishment of the 2 National Mission Force Brigade at Samaru Kataf in 2024 added to the federal military presence. Reporting a Defence Information statement, THISDAY recorded a May 2026 operational visit by the Chief of Defence Staff to assess readiness and operational requirements. The brigade commander reported weapons recovery, arrests and the rescue of kidnapped people. These are attributable military accounts of activity under the administration. [5] Sub-Sector 5 of Operation FANSAN YANMA was activated on 28 January 2024. In June 2026, its commander reported that operations had rescued at least 119 kidnapped people across its responsibility area: Kachia, Kajuru, Chikun, Kagarko and parts of Zangon Kataf. He credited intelligence from traditional rulers, local officials, youth leaders and residents. This combination of security deployment and local cooperation provides a practical basis for strengthening protection. [6] The significance of these measures is institutional as well as operational. Additional formations create structures through which personnel, equipment and intelligence can be directed towards vulnerable communities. The documented additions and reported operations give substance to the administration’s security effort without requiring an unsupported claim that insecurity has been eliminated.

(4). Community engagement and security leadership

In April 2026, senior police officers engaged traditional rulers, religious leaders, community representatives, Fulani leaders and youth leaders in Southern Kaduna. According to the Kaduna Police Command, discussions addressed intelligence sharing, farmer–herder issues and cooperation with security agencies. [7] Such engagement gives residents a channel for communicating threats and helps connect official action with local knowledge.
Reuters reported on 5 February 2026 that the Christian Association of Nigeria confirmed the release of all 166 churchgoers it had reported missing after the January abductions. CAN credited the military and prayer; the report did not establish how or when the releases occurred. The positive development can therefore be recorded as CAN’s account, without attributing a specific rescue method. [8]
Christopher Musa’s service as Chief of Defence Staff from June 2023 to October 2025, followed by his swearing-in as Minister of Defence on 4 December 2025, also forms part of Tinubu’s security leadership record. [9] The regional measures described above provide the substantive basis for assessing the administration’s contribution.

(5). A federal university with students already enrolled

The Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, is a particularly clear achievement. On 11 February 2025, the Presidency announced Tinubu’s directive to take over the forfeited assets of Nok University for the federal institution. The announcement followed a Federal Executive Council resolution and recognised the legislative and community efforts behind the project. [10] The university’s own report confirms that academic activities began in September 2025 and that 1,909 pioneer students matriculated on 20 December 2025. It also records infrastructure support from TETFund, Kaduna State and other partners, alongside Defence Headquarters’ assistance with hostel renovation. [11] These details establish a functioning educational institution and show how presidential approval was supported by practical contributions. For Southern Kaduna, the university creates a platform for applied learning, research and skills development. Its longer-term economic contribution will emerge over time, but the immediate achievement is concrete: a federal institution has opened its doors to a substantial pioneer cohort. President Tinubu deserves recognition for the decision that helped make this possible.

(6). Strengthening healthcare provision at Kafanchan.

On 7 March 2025, the Presidency announced Dr Haruna Abubakar Shehu’s appointment as chief medical director of the newly established Federal Medical Centre, Kafanchan. AIT subsequently reported Tinubu’s directive to convert the Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa Memorial Hospital following Kaduna State’s decision to transfer the facility, and a ministerial team’s inspection of its infrastructure and workforce. [12–13] The verified milestones are the conversion decision, leadership appointment and preparations for federal operation. They provide a basis for developing specialist care and referral services closer to communities. Credit for these institutional steps is justified; the cited reports are not treated as proof that every proposed service is already operating.

(7). Agricultural recovery and federal road investment

The National Agricultural Development Fund’s Ginger Recovery, Advancement and Transformation for Economic Empowerment programme brought an economic dimension to federal intervention. NADF states that it launched the ₦1.6 billion GRATE project on 28 March 2024 in response to the 2023 ginger blight. Its account reports agricultural inputs supplied to 15,000 affected farmers across Kaduna, Plateau, Nasarawa and the Federal Capital Territory. Both the funding and beneficiary total cover the entire programme, rather than Southern Kaduna alone. [14] This is a documented federal response relevant to the area’s affected farmers. Supporting the restoration of production is a practical way to assist households whose livelihoods depend on agriculture. The programme’s purpose reinforces the wider case for recovery that combines physical protection with productive opportunity. Federal road investment also matters to the region’s wider connections. In an update dated 9 September 2026, the Ministry of Works reported completion of the 118-kilometre Lot 1 of the Abuja–Kaduna–Zaria–Kano project and progress exceeding 60 per cent on the 164-kilometre Lot 2. Overall completion was scheduled for December 2026. [15] These are the ministry’s reported milestones on a regional corridor, not a claim that the entire route was finished or situated wholly within Southern Kaduna.

(8). Complementary state and community contributions

During Tinubu’s presidency, Kaduna State has also undertaken relevant initiatives. In February 2026, Governor Uba Sani inaugurated the reconstructed 23-kilometre Madauchi–Kafanchan road through Madakiya, including the Matsirga spur. In July 2026, Channels reported the commissioning of five Kwoi township roads and the Kwoi–Gora road. These completed local projects are attributable to the state administration. [16–17] The state government also inaugurated a committee in March 2024 to facilitate the return and reintegration of displaced communities. [18] Community peacebuilding contributed another element: traditional rulers and Christian and Muslim leaders met in Kafanchan on 22 May 2025 in an initiative convened by religious leaders. [19] These efforts illustrate the state and community participation with which federal interventions can be consolidated.

(9). A favourable case grounded in identifiable action

Taken together, the evidence supports recognition of President Tinubu’s contribution to Southern Kaduna. The university demonstrates delivery through an institution already educating students. The military formations and reported operations document sustained security activity. Police engagement, the Kafanchan medical-centre decisions, agricultural assistance and continuing federal road works address other practical needs. Each intervention has its own scope and stage of implementation, and its contribution can be acknowledged on that basis. The persuasive argument is that these decisions create foundations worth sustaining. A community benefits when public action connects protection with education, healthcare and the means to earn a living. President Tinubu deserves credit for the federal measures established by this record, and support for their consolidation. Southern Kaduna’s future will be served by carrying these investments forward with the consistency needed to turn present opportunities into lasting public benefit.
Thank you.

The End
Mrs Folashayo Omolola Adiat is a lawyer and researcher with The Reality Ministry of Truth Law and Justice (TRM).
Email: mails@therealityministry.ngo.

Endnotes

1. Amnesty International, rural insecurity report, 24 August 2020.
2. Channels Television, Kagoro attacks and 34 confirmed deaths, 22 March 2022.
3. Voice of America, Runji attack, 16 April 2023; updated 17 April.
4. PUNCH, reopening of Southern Kaduna tertiary institutions, 6 September 2017.
5. THISDAY, Defence Information statement on the Samaru Kataf brigade, 8 May 2026.
6. The Authority, Sub-Sector 5 commander’s account of operations and rescues, 11 June 2026.
7. The Guardian, police engagement with Southern Kaduna leaders, 10 April 2026.
8. Reuters, CAN’s confirmation of the release of 166 churchgoers, 5 February 2026.
9. Channels Television, Christopher Musa sworn in as Defence Minister, 4 December 2025.
10. The State House, Nok assets and the federal university at Kachia, 11 February 2025.
11. FUASK, official report on 1,909 pioneer matriculants, 8 January 2026.
12. The State House, appointments of six chief medical directors, 7 March 2025.
13. AIT, Kafanchan medical-centre conversion and preparations, 15 March 2025.
14. NADF, official GRATE project account; programme launched 28 March 2024.
15. Federal Ministry of Works, federal-road update, 9 September 2026, item 5.
16. TheCable, Madauchi–Kafanchan road inauguration, 5 February 2026.
17. Channels Television, Kwoi township and Kwoi–Gora roads, 16 July 2026.
18. Channels Television, Kaduna resettlement committee, 4 March 2024.
19. PUNCH, Kafanchan peace meeting held on 22 May, reported 23 May 2025.