The Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has said the economic reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu have enabled his administration to execute infrastructure projects worth about N90bn without borrowing from banks.
Sule stated this on Saturday when he received the Renewed Hope Ambassadors Presidential Media Team, led by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, at the Government House, Lafia.
The team is in Nasarawa State to inspect completed and ongoing Federal Government and state infrastructure projects.
According to the governor, the removal of fuel subsidy and other reforms by the Tinubu administration had significantly increased the revenue available to state governments.
He said Nasarawa State’s monthly allocation, which previously ranged between N3.8bn and N4.5bn, had increased to between N14bn and N16bn on average.
Sule said the increase had allowed the state government to undertake major projects without resorting to bank loans.
“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.
The governor recalled that the state previously struggled to secure N5bn in loans for a single market project, stressing that the situation had changed under the current administration.
He urged journalists covering the media tour to look beyond the physical infrastructure and examine how Federal Government policies were affecting revenue, development and the lives of citizens.
“It is not just to take pictures of flyovers and pictures of this. No. It’s to understand what is driving these policies,” Sule said.
He also urged journalists to hold governments accountable while acknowledging policies and programmes that were producing positive results.
The governor said constructive criticism, coupled with recognition of good performance, was necessary to strengthen accountability and encourage leaders to deliver better services to the people.
During the tour, the team inspected the Nasarawa State Secretariat, where the Secretary to the State Government, Labaran Magaji (SAN), conducted the delegation around the facility housing about 11 ministries.
Magaji said the secretariat was constructed to bring ministries previously operating from scattered and dilapidated offices together.
He attributed the development to improved revenue accruing to the state through Federation allocations.
The complex is powered by a one-megawatt solar plant, while the state government is considering supplying excess electricity to neighbouring communities and providing facilities for electric vehicle charging.
The team also inspected the Shandam Road and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Interchange, a project valued at N16bn, as well as flood-control works around the Emir’s Palace.
The delegation further visited the Wing Commander Abdullah Ibrahim Skill Acquisition Centre, where the Industrial Training Fund and other agencies conduct skills acquisition and development programmes.
The team is expected to inspect the Avatar Lithium Processing Plant and Diamond Energy Lithium Processing Plant in Nasarawa Local Government Area.
The latter was recently inaugurated by Vice-President Kashim Shettima on behalf of President Tinubu.
Other projects scheduled for inspection include the reconstruction of the Keffi-Nasarawa-Toto-Abaji Road, dualisation of the Keffi-Karu-Abuja Road and a dual overhead bridge along the corridor.
Sule said the twin flyovers in Karu had also contributed to an increase in property values in the area, demonstrating the wider economic impact of infrastructure development.
Beyond roads and other physical infrastructure, the governor said his administration was investing in healthcare, agriculture and mining as part of its development strategy.
He said tertiary healthcare services had been expanded across the state’s three senatorial zones, including the State Specialist Hospital, in addition to the teaching hospital and Federal Medical Centre.
On food security, Sule said the state had committed 10,000 hectares of land to rice production.
He also highlighted the growth of the mining sector, particularly lithium processing, which he attributed partly to Federal Government policies promoting value addition in mineral-producing states.
The governor said the combination of increased revenue and supportive Federal Government policies had created opportunities for Nasarawa State to invest in infrastructure and other sectors capable of improving the lives of residents.
