Kaduna PDP candidate alleges N1 trillion state debt

Usman Shehu Bawa, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for Kaduna State, has raised alarms regarding the state’s escalating debt profile, alleging that total liabilities have reached approximately N1 trillion.

During a policy dialogue organized by the Partnership for Issue-Based Campaign (PICaN), Bawa claimed the state is in a “debt trap.” He provided comparisons between previous PDP administrations (1999–2015) and the current All Progressives Congress (APC) administration (2015–2025). Bawa stated that external debt rose from $226.37 million during the PDP era to $684.29 million under the APC, while domestic debt increased from N49.85 billion to N84.64 billion.

The candidate argued that this debt burden undermines the government's ability to provide essential services and exacerbates socioeconomic challenges, including a reported poverty rate of 74.7 per cent and multidimensional poverty affecting 8.04 million people. He emphasized that his administration would focus on security, education, healthcare, and infrastructure to address these issues. The figures presented by Bawa were not independently verified at the event.