Shehu Bawa Raises Alarm Over Kaduna's N1 Trillion Debt

Shehu Bawa, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Kaduna State, has alerted the public to the state's escalating debt, which he claims has reached about N1 trillion. Speaking at a policy dialogue organized by The Agenda for Political and Electoral Participation in Kaduna, Bawa accused previous administrations of incurring debts without addressing the socioeconomic issues faced by residents.

He noted that Kaduna's external debt increased from $226.37 million during the PDP's governance from 1999 to 2015 to $684.29 million under the All Progressives Congress (APC) from 2015 to 2025. Domestic debt rose from N49.85 billion during the PDP era to N84.64 billion under the APC.

Bawa linked the debt to the state's development challenges, citing a multidimensional poverty figure of 8.04 million people and a poverty rate of 74.7 percent. He outlined his administration's focus on security, education, healthcare, infrastructure, and agriculture, promising to enhance governance and improve living conditions if elected.