MINISTRY OF LANDS, SURVEY & COUNTRY PLANNING

Hon. Commissioner Magaji Sadiq Hunkuyi

Gov Arch Namadi Sambo is working very hard to transform Kaduna state and open up new development areas and the new Namadi Mega city. The Ministry of Lands and surveys and Country planning is the custodians of land lay out development in Kaduna State. In the period under review the Ministry made some remarkable achievement in the area of plot allocation, survey of layout provision of access roads in the various layouts and payments of compensation.

During this period, under the layout development and plot allocation programme several plots were allocated to individuals and companies for development in the areas; Malali high density, Residential layout , Ungwar Dosa High density, Road residential /Commercial layout, Pampo High density Residential layout , Zeda/Wusasa/Gaskiya Road Residential /Commercial layout Hnaya (GRA) Extension layaout , Abbatoir  Kawo High Density  Residential layout and Birnin Gwari High Density  Residential layout. During this period roads were also constructed in various layouts where plot allocation have taken place . Approval has also been given by His Excellency for the survey of a new layouts and subsequent location deserving individuals.

Ethnic Composition, Culture and the Arts: Kaduna State forms a portion of the country's cultural meltina Dot. Apart from six maior ethnic groups found in the State, there are over twenty other ethnic minority groups, each with its language and arts or religion different from the other.

Works of art and pottery (e.g. the "Nok Terracotta") found in the southern parts suggest that it is a major cultural centre. Among the major ethnic groups are Kamuku, Gwari, Kadara in the west, Hausa and Kurama to the north and Northeast. "Nerzit" is now used to describe the Jaba, Kaje, Koro, Kamanton, Kataf, Morwa and Chawai instead of the derogato ry term "southern Zaria people". Also, the term "Hausawa" is used to describe the people of Igabi, ikara, Giwa and Makarti LGAs, which include a large proportion of rural dwellers who are strictly "Maguzawas."

In the north, the Hausa and some immigrants from the southern states practice Islam and majority of the people in the southern LGAs profess Christianity. The major Muslim festivals are the "Sallah" celebrations of "ldEIfitri" and "ldEIKabir", while Christmas, New Year and Easter are observed by the Christians.

Two traditional festivals of significance are the "TukHam" and "Afan" in Jaba and Jama'a LGAs respectively. Prominent among the traditional arts, are leather works, pottery and indigo pit dyeing with Zaria as the major centre.

Population Structure and Distribution: The 1991 census provisional result puts the population of Kaduna State at 5,001,258 (Table 18.1). Although majority lives and depend on the rural areas, about a third of the State's population is located in the two major urban centers of Kaduna and Zaria.

However, except in the north-western quadrant, the rural population concentration is moderate, reaching a high of over 500 persons per sq. km. in Kaduna/Zaria and the neighbouring villages; 350 in Jaba, Igabi and Giwa and 200 in Ikara LGAs. Despite the provisional nature of the census results, observations of movements of young able bodied male labourers in large numbers, from rural villages to towns during the dry season and back to rural agriculture fields during the wet season, suggest a sizeable seasonal labour force migration in the state.

However, the seasonal labour migration has no effect on agricultural labour demands in the rural traditional setting. Indeed, some of these seasonal migrants come to town to learn specific trade or acquire special training and eventually go back to establish in the rural areas as skilled workers (e.g. masons, technicians, tractor drivers, carpenters, motor mechanics, etc). Another major feature of the State's population structure is the near 1:1 male/female ratio, not just for the state as a whole, but even among all the LGAs.

The effects of this may be helpful to the future social and economic development of the rural sector especially in the agro allied rural industries. The large number of secondary school leavers, polytechnic and university graduates provides a growing skilled labour force for the growing industries in the State

Governor Arch Mohammed Namadi Sambo is a true democrat, whose approach to problems is always humane and conciliatory he is a man of peace who patiently looked to the future with courage and hope. His commitment in the direction of transforming the state into a relatively better integrated and functional polity is continuing  with a mission  to create a stable  and cohesive polity capable of securing effectively the interests of the various communities and giving them the opportunity to develop and live in peace  with one another.

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