Why NIPR chose Gov Sani as patron — Information Minister

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris has described Governor Uba Sani as one of the most friendly communication associates in Nigeria stressing that it was for that reason he was honoured as Patron of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).

Join the Premium Times WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.

Open in WhatsApp

The minister made the remark shortly after the governor’s investiture at the newly commissioned Brigadier General Abba Kyari Banquet Hall, adjourning Sir Kashim Ibrahim House Kaduna, on Tuesday.
Mr Mohammed recalled how the Kaduna State Ministry of Information was created in May 2025, following his intervention, ten years after it was scrapped.

‘’In December of 2024, His Excellency, Governor Uba Sani, joined us at the National Council on Information and National Orientation meeting. At that time, Kaduna State had no Ministry of Information.

‘’It had been scrapped by the previous administration. When we gave the advice to His Excellency the Governor to restore that Ministry, he immediately did that,’’ he disclosed.

Stay Ahead with Premium Times

Add as a preferred source on Google

The minister also said that Governor Sani ‘’identifies with information management that is rooted in public relations and that is one of the reasons why the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations is honouring him today.’’

He revealed that when the Institute ‘’approached me to intimate the Executive Governor of Kaduna State about this NIPR Week, he asked me what it was all about. After explaining to him, he didn’t hesitate in agreeing to host the NIPR Week in Kaduna.’’

Speaking after the investiture, Governor Sani said that the theme the NIPR Week resonates with what his administration is doing.

He expressed satisfaction with the theme of the 2026 Nigerian Public Relations Week which is ‘’Nigeria’s Food Security: From Policy Paper to Public Plates – The Imperatives of Public Relations’’. Similarly, he lauded the choice of the keynote speaker – Dr Brylyne Chitsunge, a renowned South Africa-based food security expert and CEO of Elpasso Farms.

Governor Sani noted that the theme ‘’aligns with our vision of a food-secure Kaduna, where policy is not confined to paper but translated into productivity, prosperity, and shared progress.’’

‘’It aligns with our broader economic agenda, one that prioritises agriculture, empowers communities, strengthens value chains, and positions our state as a hub of resilience and opportunity,’’ he added.

According to him, ‘’hosting this conference is itself a statement that Kaduna is ready to lead conversations that matter. A statement that we believe in the power of communication to unlock development. A statement that partnerships between government and professionals like you are essential to moving our nation forward.’’

He stressed that: ‘’The journey from policy paper to plate is neither automatic nor guaranteed. It is a deliberate process built on credibility, clarity, and connection.

‘’Policies succeed not only because they are well designed, but because they are understood, trusted, and embraced by the people they are meant to serve.

‘’This is why public relations must no longer be viewed as a peripheral function, but as a central pillar of governance; bridging the gap between intention and impact, and transforming reform into lived reality,’’ he added.

The governor emphasised that ‘’in Kaduna State, we have taken a bold and deliberate decision to reposition agriculture from the margins of policy discourse to the very centre of our development agenda.’’

‘’When we assumed office in 2023, we inherited a total of just ₦1.48 billion as budget for agriculture, representing a mere 0.4% of our state budget.

‘’In 2024 we allocated ₦23.billion, in 2025, and 2026, budget for agriculture surpassed the Malabu declaration of 10% at ₦74.02 bilion for 2025 and 108 Billion for 2026,’’ he disclosed.

According to him, Kaduna State Government recognises that investment alone does not put food on the table, adding that ‘’what matters is how policy translates into productivity, and how support reaches the farmer at scale.’’

‘’Through our flagship Tallafin Noma (A Koma Gona) programme, we have supported over 120,000 smallholder farmers with improved seeds, fertilisers, agrochemicals, and mechanisation support.

‘’We have also executed the largest fertiliser distribution in Kaduna State’s history, over 900 trucks of ferterlizer amounting to 540,000 bags was distributed free to 300,000 smallholder farmers across all 23 local government areas.

‘’Similarly, in our effort to improve dry and wet season agriculture, and expand access to irrigation, we have distributed over 10,000 solar powered water pumping machines to our small holder farmers in the state,’’ he added.

Governor Sani pointed out that the philosophy of his administration is that ‘’agriculture must be continuous, not seasonal; inclusive, not selective.’’