The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations has said the level of insecurity in Kaduna State has been exaggerated, even as it commended the state government’s efforts at tackling security challenges.
The Chairman of the Planning Committee for the 2026 Nigeria Public Relations Week, Chief Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, stated this on Monday during a media tour of key government projects in the state.
Okusanya, who led officials of the institute and journalists on the inspection, particularly praised the establishment of the Command and Control Centre, describing it as a critical intelligence-gathering hub.
Speaking after inspecting facilities at the centre, he acknowledged that while Kaduna, like other states, faces security challenges, the situation is not as dire as widely portrayed.
“Yes, it has some challenges like every other place, but I think two things: efforts have been made to tackle this issue, and then secondly, it’s not as bad as what people think,” he said.
He disclosed that the institute had faced pressure from some quarters to relocate its 2026 Nigeria Public Relations Week from Kaduna over security concerns.
According to him, such concerns were based on perceptions that do not accurately reflect the situation on the ground.
“There were a lot of outside pressures discouraging us from holding the event in Kaduna, arguing that the state is not safe,” he said.
Okusanya, however, advised the Kaduna State Government to improve communication on its security efforts to both residents and the wider public.
He also recommended that the Command and Control Centre model be replicated across all the 23 local government areas of the state.
The tour also took the delegation to several public facilities, including the Badarawa Primary Healthcare Centre, Kawo General Hospital, Government Secondary School, Nasarawan Rigachikun, the Institute of Vocational Training and Skills Development, and the Kakuri Southern Terminal, which is under construction.
At the Badarawa Primary Healthcare Centre, the Commissioner for Health, Hajiya Umma K. Ahmad, said Kaduna was the only subnational with all its 255 primary healthcare centres upgraded to Level 2 status.
She explained that the centres operate around the clock and provide basic emergency, obstetric and neonatal services.
“A woman can walk into this facility, do her antenatal clinic, deliver here, and her baby can also receive immunisation and other basic care,” she said.
She added that the state had strengthened referral systems with ambulances available to move patients to higher-level facilities when necessary.
The commissioner further disclosed that the government had approved CONMESS and CONHESS salary structures for health workers, alongside improved hazard allowances.
At the Institute of Vocational Training and Skills Development, the Provost, Hussaini Muhammad, said the institution operates campuses in Soba, Rigachikun and Samaru Kataf to serve the three senatorial districts.
He noted that the institute runs 14 trade programmes under different certification categories, including the National Skills Qualification, which he said is internationally recognised.
According to him, the institute also offers Level Qualification programmes lasting up to six months, as well as short-term Unit Qualification courses.
He added that the centre operates a Recognition of Prior Learning scheme to certify artisans with existing skills.
The delegation was also taken through departments such as ICT, fashion design, carpentry and joinery, solar installation, and electrical and electronics.
The tour further included inspection of a 35-kilometre road project described as one of the longest constructed in the state in the last two decades.
The road, which cuts across Igabi, Kajuru and Chikun local government areas, links over 76 farming communities and features a 130-metre bridge over River Kaduna.
Speaking on the project, the Managing Director of the Kaduna Roads Agency, Dr Baba Ahmed, said the road had significantly improved transportation, agriculture and rural economic activities in the benefiting communities.