CLOSING REMARKS BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL.
CLOSING REMARKS BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL, KADUNA STATE URBAN PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (KASUPDA), AT THE 2ND AND 3RD QUARTER PUBLIC COMPLAINT WEEK, 2026
Distinguished representatives of Ministries, Departments and Agencies,
Our traditional and community leaders,
Representatives of professional bodies,
Members of the media,
Our valued stakeholders,
Ladies and gentlemen.
It gives me great pleasure to stand before you today as we bring to a close the 2nd and 3rd Quarter Public Complaint Week of the Kaduna State Urban Planning and Development Authority for 2026.
First and foremost, I wish to sincerely thank His Excellency, Senator Uba Sani, Executive Governor of Kaduna State, for providing an environment in which government institutions are encouraged to listen to citizens, respond to their concerns and continuously improve the quality of public service.
The Governor's people-centred approach to governance places a clear responsibility on institutions such as KASUPDA: we must not only regulate development; we must serve the people whose communities we are responsible for planning and developing.
Public Complaints as an Instrument of Good Governance
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, today we are not simply closing another programme on our calendar.
We are closing a period of listening, engagement, reflection and accountability.
At KASUPDA, we have deliberately chosen to regard public complaints not as a burden, but as an important instrument of institutional improvement.
A complaint tells us where our systems may be failing.
A complaint tells us where our processes may be unclear.
A complaint tells us where citizens may be experiencing unnecessary delays.
And sometimes, a complaint tells us where an individual officer may not be meeting the standards expected of public service.
For this reason, we must listen to complaints without defensiveness and respond to them without prejudice.
Our responsibility is to investigate fairly, communicate clearly and resolve legitimate issues as quickly as reasonably possible.
Our Message to the People of Kaduna
To every citizen who came forward during this Public Week, I say: thank you.
Thank you for speaking.
Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention.
Thank you for challenging us to do better.
Your engagement demonstrates that citizens care about the future of Kaduna State and the quality of development taking place in their communities.
I want to assure you that KASUPDA will continue to strengthen its complaint-management system.
Complaints will be properly documented, assigned to responsible officers or departments, investigated and followed through to resolution.
Where the Authority has made an error, we will correct it.
Where an applicant has been unfairly treated, we will address the matter.
Where there is a genuine delay, we will seek to resolve it.
Where clarification is required, we will provide it.
And where a complaint does not have sufficient merit, we will communicate the reasons respectfully and transparently.
Our target should not be merely to close complaint files. Our target is to close the problems that brought those complaints to us.
A New Culture of Service
As an Authority, we are working towards a new culture of service—one in which professionalism, courtesy, transparency, efficiency and accountability become the standard rather than the exception.
KASUPDA must be an Authority where citizens can obtain information without unnecessary difficulty.
It must be an Authority where professionals can interact with confidence.
It must be an Authority where developers understand the requirements before they commence development.
And it must be an Authority where planning decisions are based on law, professional standards, approved plans and the public interest—not favouritism or personal considerations.
This is the culture we are determined to strengthen.
Development Control Is About Public Safety
I wish to use this opportunity to emphasize that urban planning and development control are not designed to frustrate development or investment.
They exist to protect lives, property, investments and the future of our cities.
When we insist on approved building plans, appropriate setbacks, road reservations, drainage provisions, fire safety requirements, structural integrity and other planning standards, we are protecting the developer, the occupants and the wider community.
Therefore, compliance should not be viewed as an obstacle to development.
Compliance is an investment in safe, orderly and sustainable development.
We will continue to encourage property owners and developers to engage qualified professionals and obtain the appropriate approvals before commencing development.
At the same time, KASUPDA will continue to simplify its processes, improve communication and use technology to make our services more accessible and efficient.
To our professionals and stakeholders
To our architects, builders, engineers, town planners, surveyors, estate surveyors and valuers, as well as developers and other professionals in the built environment, I appeal for your continued partnership.
You are not merely applicants before KASUPDA.
You are partners in building Kaduna State.
The quality of professional documentation submitted to the Authority, compliance with approved plans and the conduct of professionals on development sites all contribute to the quality of our built environment.
Let us therefore work together to raise the standard of development across Kaduna State.
To the Management and Staff of KASUPDA
To the management and staff of KASUPDA, I have one simple message:
We are here to serve.
The position we occupy today is temporary, but the impact of our decisions can last for generations.
Every file we process represents someone's investment.
Every development we approve affects a community.
Every enforcement action we take can affect a livelihood.
And every interaction between an officer and a citizen contributes to the public perception of government.
Therefore, let us exercise our responsibilities with integrity, professionalism, patience and fairness.
Let no officer forget that public office is a trust.
Where there is room for improvement, let us improve.
Where there is a need to apologise, apologise.
Where there is a need to enforce the law, enforce it professionally.
And where there is a need to listen, listen.
Our 4th Quarter Commitments
As we enter the 4th quarter of 2026, KASUPDA will focus particularly on strengthening four areas:
First: Faster Service Delivery.
We will continue to improve our processes and reduce avoidable delays in applications and approvals.
Second: Stronger Complaint Resolution.
Complaints must be tracked from submission to resolution, with responsible officers and departments held accountable for timely action.
Third: Better Public Communication.
We will continue to improve communication with applicants, professionals, developers and communities so that people understand what is required of them and why.
Fourth: Fair and Professional Development Control.
Our enforcement and monitoring activities will continue to be guided by the law, approved planning standards, public safety and the overall interest of Kaduna State.
These commitments are not merely statements for today's occasion.
They are responsibilities we intend to carry forward.
Turning Complaints into Reforms
Distinguished guests, the true test begins after today's closing ceremony.
We must take the issues raised here, analyse them, identify recurring problems and convert them into institutional reforms.
If the same type of complaint keeps recurring we should not continue treating it as an individual complaint.
We should treat it as a system problem.
That is the mindset we must develop.
Our ambition is to build a KASUPDA that learns from its citizens, improves from its experiences and continuously raises the standard of service.
Final Appreciation
Let me once again thank the Kaduna State Government under the leadership of His Excellency, Senator Uba Sani, for its support and commitment to responsive governance.
I appreciate our traditional rulers, community leaders, professional bodies, developers, property owners, members of the media and all other stakeholders who participated in this programme.
Most importantly, I appreciate the citizens of Kaduna State.
You are the reason we exist.
Your confidence in KASUPDA is important to us, and we recognize that public confidence is earned through actions - not merely through words.
We will therefore continue to work to earn that confidence every day.
Conclusion
Ladies and gentlemen,
Let me conclude with three commitments on behalf of KASUPDA:
We will continue to listen.
We will continue to improve.
And we will continue to serve.
Let us collectively build a Kaduna where development is orderly, buildings are safe, communities are resilient, investments are protected and citizens can confidently say that government listens to them.
Let us transform complaints into solutions, engagement into trust, regulation into protection, and planning into sustainable development.
With these commitments, and on behalf of the Management and the entire staff of the Kaduna State Urban Planning and Development Authority, I sincerely thank you all for your participation, constructive criticism and continued partnership.
I hereby formally declare the 2nd and 3rd Quarters Public Complaint Week, 2026, closed.
May Allah continue to guide us in the discharge of our responsibilities.
May Allah bless the people of Kaduna State.
Long live KASUPDA.
Long live Kaduna State.
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Bldr. ABDURRAHMAN YAHYA, PhD
DIRECTOR GENERAL, KASUPDA
9th September 2026