Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State says increased revenue from President Bola Tinubu’s reforms has enabled his administration to execute N90 billion worth of infrastructure projects without bank borrowing.
Mr Sule disclosed this at the Government House, Lafia, when he received the Renewed Hope Ambassadors Presidential Media Team, led by Bayo Onanuga, the president’s special adviser on media and strategy.
The team arrived in Lafia, the state capital, on Saturday to inspect completed and ongoing federal government and state infrastructure projects across the state.
The governor said the removal of fuel subsidy and other reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration had substantially increased the resources available to state governments for infrastructure and development.
He explained that Nasarawa’s monthly allocation, previously fluctuating between N3.8 billion and N4.5 billion, had risen to an average of N14 billion to N16 billion.
According to Mr Sule, the increased revenue had enabled his administration to execute major infrastructure projects without resorting to bank borrowing.
He recalled that Nasarawa previously struggled to raise N5 billion through borrowing for a single market project but now had the capacity to implement infrastructure valued at about N90 billion without bank loans.
He urged other state governments to acknowledge the reforms behind the improved financial resources.
“All the projects we are doing in Nasarawa State today, without borrowing from the bank, is as a result of President Bola Tinubu and his support.
“So you must give him the credit for that,” he said.
Mr Sule admonished journalists that, in discharging their role of holding government accountable for any failure to properly deploy public resources, they should recognise the positive effects of government policies.
The governor said the broader purpose of the media tour was to help journalists understand how government policies translated into increased revenues, infrastructure projects, economic opportunities and improvements in citizens’ lives.
“It is not just to take pictures of flyovers and pictures of this. No. It’s to understand what is driving these policies,” Mr Sule said.
He urged journalists to determine what governors were doing with available resources and how such spending was affecting residents.
The governor stressed that objective reporting remained essential to public accountability.
According to him, constructive criticism and recognition of positive performance were necessary for strengthening accountability, encouraging effective governance and motivating leaders to deliver better results for citizens.
The team inspected the Nasarawa State Secretariat, where the Secretary to the State Government, Labaran Magaji (SAN), conducted members around the infrastructure housing about 11 ministries.
Mr Magaji said the secretariat was established to consolidate ministries previously operating from scattered and dilapidated offices, following improved revenue accruing to the state through Federation allocations.
He said the complex was powered by a one-megawatt solar plant, with the government considering extending excess electricity to neighbouring communities, alongside electric vehicle charging facilities.
The team also inspected the Shandam Road and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Interchange, a N16 billion project, before proceeding towards the Emir’s Palace to assess flood-control works.
The inspection further included the Wing Commander Abdullah Ibrahim Skill Acquisition Centre, a state-of-the-art facility used by the Industrial Training Fund and other agencies for skills development and training.
The team is scheduled to inspect Avatar Lithium Processing Plant in Nasarawa Local Government Area, described as one of Africa’s major lithium processing facilities.
It will also inspect Diamond Energy Lithium Processing Plant, another major facility in Nasarawa Local Government Area, inaugurated recently by Vice-President Kashim Shettima on behalf of Mr Tinubu.
The inspection will also cover the reconstruction of the Keffi-Nasarawa-Toto-Abaji Road and dualisation of the Keffi-Karu-Abuja Road, alongside a dual overhead bridge easing traffic along the corridor.
Earlier, the governor said the twin flyovers in Karu had helped to increase property values around the area, demonstrating how infrastructure could stimulate wider economic benefits beyond improving transportation and reducing traffic congestion.
Beyond physical infrastructure, the governor urged journalists to examine Nasarawa’s interventions in healthcare, agriculture and mining.
According to him, the sectors were key components of the state’s development strategy.
In healthcare, Mr Sule highlighted the expansion of tertiary medical services across Nasarawa’s three senatorial zones, including the State Specialist Hospital, alongside the existing teaching hospital and Federal Medical Centre.
On food security, the governor disclosed that 10,000 hectares had been committed to rice production.
He also highlighted the state’s expanding mining sector, particularly lithium processing.
He attributed the successes in the sector to supportive federal government policies aimed at encouraging greater value addition within producing states.
(NAN)
Discussion about this post