By Ahmed ILALLAH
On 27 August 2026, Jigawa State will mark 35 years since its creation by the military administration of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. The creation of Jigawa was driven largely by the need to bring government closer to the predominantly rural communities carved out of the former Kano State and to accelerate their social and economic development.
The Jigawa of 1991 was a state starting almost from scratch. At creation, it inherited only a few basic government institutions and limited infrastructure. There was just one tertiary institution a campus of a College of Education and only four general hospitals. There was no tertiary healthcare facility, while Dutse, the newly designated state capital, lacked the basic infrastructure expected of a state administrative centre.
In those early years, even the state’s civil servants faced the reality of a capital that was still under development, with many travelling daily from surrounding towns to Dutse to perform their official duties.
Thirty-five years later, however, Jigawa has undoubtedly made significant progress.
Successive administrations have invested in education, healthcare, agriculture, roads, water supply, public infrastructure and other sectors. Dutse has grown from a relatively undeveloped administrative settlement into a recognisable state capital with government institutions, businesses, residential areas and an expanding urban population.
These achievements deserve recognition.
But as Jigawa celebrates 35 years of statehood, it is equally important to look at the other side of the coin.
The purpose of this reflection is not to dismiss the progress made. Rather, it is to ask a fundamental question: Have we fully achieved the objectives for which Jigawa State was created?
The answer, unfortunately, is that there is still a long way to go.
Poverty: The Biggest Contradiction
Perhaps the most troubling indicator is poverty.
Despite the enormous resources committed by successive administrations to agriculture, empowerment programmes, social interventions and infrastructure, Jigawa remains among the poorest states in Nigeria. Available data have placed the state’s multidimensional or monetary poverty level at around 78.8 percent, depending on the measurement and year of reference.
This means that economic growth has not yet translated sufficiently into improved living standards for a large proportion of the population.
The question, therefore, is not simply how much government has spent, but how effectively that expenditure has transformed the lives of ordinary citizens.
For a predominantly agrarian state like Jigawa, the priority should be to move millions of people from subsistence agriculture into productive, commercially viable and climate-resilient economic activities.
Education: Beyond the Number of Schools
Education is another area where Jigawa has made visible investments, but where the outcome still demands serious attention.
Different reports have continued to place literacy levels in Jigawa among the lowest in the country, with adult literacy also remaining relatively low.
The challenge is therefore no longer simply about constructing classrooms or enrolling children in schools. The real challenge is learning.
How many children can read and write after completing primary education? How many acquire employable skills? How many young people can compete effectively in today’s knowledge-driven economy?
Jigawa needs an education system that does more than increase enrolment figures. It must produce literate, skilled, innovative and economically productive citizens.
Healthcare: The Human Cost
The health sector presents perhaps the most painful side of the development story.
Maternal and infant mortality remain serious concerns. Available estimates have placed maternal mortality at roughly 1,100 deaths per 100,000 live births and infant mortality at about 83 deaths per 1,000 live births, although figures vary across datasets and reporting periods.
Behind these statistics are mothers, newborns and families. No state can claim to have achieved meaningful development when women continue to die during childbirth and newborns lose their lives from preventable causes.
Jigawa therefore needs to go beyond the construction and renovation of health facilities. The emphasis must also be on quality primary healthcare, skilled birth attendance, emergency obstetric services, access to essential medicines, nutrition, health education and adequate deployment of health professionals, particularly in rural communities.
Youth Unemployment: A Threat and an Opportunity
Jigawa’s youthful population represents one of its greatest assets and potentially one of its greatest challenges.
Successive administrations have introduced various empowerment programmes, skills acquisition schemes, agricultural interventions and other initiatives aimed at creating opportunities for young people.
Yet unemployment and underemployment remain significant.
The problem is not necessarily a lack of government programmes. The deeper problem is the absence of a sufficiently long-term, coordinated and sustainable employment strategy capable of moving young people from temporary empowerment to permanent economic independence.
Distribution of start-up grants, motorcycles, sewing machines, agricultural inputs or other forms of empowerment can provide immediate relief. But sustainable development requires something bigger: an ecosystem that creates businesses, attracts investment, supports entrepreneurship, develops skills and generates decent jobs.
Jigawa must therefore begin to think beyond empowerment as an event and start treating employment and enterprise development as a long-term economic policy.
Human Capital Must Become the Central Measure. These indicators, poverty, education, healthcare and employment are interconnected.
A child who receives poor-quality education may struggle to secure decent employment. A young person without employment may remain trapped in poverty. Poverty can prevent families from accessing quality healthcare and education. Poor health, in turn, reduces productivity and household income.
This is why human capital development must become the central measure of Jigawa’s development progress.
Infrastructure is important. Roads are important. Government buildings are important. Agricultural projects are important.
But ultimately, the greatest infrastructure of any state is its people. At 35, Jigawa should therefore begin asking not only how many kilometres of roads have been constructed, how many schools have been built or how many projects have been commissioned, but also: Are our people healthier? Are our children learning? Are our young people employed or economically productive? Are our families moving out of poverty? Are we creating a state where the next generation will have better opportunities than the present generation?
These are the questions that should define the next chapter of Jigawa’s development.
A Call for a New Development Conversation
As Jigawa celebrates its 35th anniversary, the occasion should be more than ceremonies, speeches and congratulatory messages.
It should provide an opportunity for honest reflection, constructive criticism and a renewed commitment to development. The current administration and subsequent governments have a responsibility to confront these challenges with courage, continuity and long-term planning.
There is also a need for citizens, civil society organisations, traditional institutions, the private sector, development partners and the media to participate actively in shaping the state’s future.
Jigawa has come a long way since 1991. We should celebrate that journey. But celebration must not make us blind to the work that remains.
The front side of the coin tells us how far we have come. The back side reminds us of how far we still have to go.
At 35, Jigawa should not only celebrate its past; it must begin to seriously define the kind of state it wants to become by 40, 50 and beyond. The real success of Jigawa’s 35 years will not ultimately be measured by the number of projects completed, but by the quality of life enjoyed by its people.
That is the Jigawa we should aspire to build.
Happy 35th Anniversary, Jigawa State.
The journey continues.
