Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has said Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani was conferred with the patron title of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations due to his openness to communication and public engagement.

Idris spoke on Tuesday after the investiture ceremony held at the Brigadier General Abba Kyari Banquet Hall in Kaduna, noting that the governor’s responsiveness to communication-related policies distinguished him among his peers.

He recalled that the Kaduna State Ministry of Information, previously scrapped under an earlier administration, was reinstated in 2025 following discussions at the National Council on Information and National Orientation meeting attended by the governor.

According to the minister, Governor Sani acted promptly after being advised on the importance of restoring the ministry, demonstrating his commitment to strengthening information management and public relations in governance.

Idris added that the governor also agreed to host the 2026 Nigerian Public Relations Week after being briefed on its significance.

The upcoming event will focus on food security under the theme, “Nigeria’s Food Security: From Policy Paper to Public Plates – The Imperatives of Public Relations,” with South Africa-based expert, Brylyne Chitsunge, scheduled to deliver the keynote address.

Speaking at the ceremony, Sani said the theme reflects his administration’s priorities, particularly in agriculture and food security, stressing the need to translate policies into tangible outcomes for citizens.

He said effective governance depends not only on well-crafted policies but also on public understanding and acceptance.

The governor highlighted increased budgetary allocation to agriculture, which rose from ₦1.48 billion in 2023 to ₦74.02 billion in 2025 and further to ₦108 billion in 2026.

He added that more than 120,000 smallholder farmers have benefited from government interventions, including input support, mechanisation, and irrigation programmes.

According to him, the state has also distributed over 900 trucks of fertiliser amounting to about 540,000 bags free of charge, alongside the deployment of more than 10,000 solar-powered water pumps to farmers.

Sani said the administration remains focused on building an inclusive and productivity-driven agricultural system aimed at improving food security across Kaduna State.