JUST IN: Gov Sule says Tinubu’s reforms boost Nasarawa’s monthly allocation to ₦16bn”

Politics

LAFIA, Nigeria (NPA) — Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic reforms, saying the removal of fuel subsidy and other measures have increased the state’s monthly allocation from the Federation Account from about ₦4.5 billion to approximately ₦16 billion.

Sule stated this in Lafia when he received members of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors National Media Tour, led by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

The team, comprising presidential media aides and more than 50 senior journalists, is on a nationwide inspection tour of Federal and state government projects across the North-Central region.

According to a statement signed by Tunde Rahman, Director, Media and Publicity, Renewed Hope Ambassadors National Media Team, on Sunday, Sule said the increase in federal allocations had created greater fiscal space for Nasarawa State to execute major projects and respond more effectively to the developmental needs of residents.

The governor said the state was transparent in its management of increased resources, noting that his administration publicly announces the value of contracts awarded for projects.

“For us in Nasarawa State, we are very transparent. I came from the private sector, so every contract I give, I announce the amount that we are spending on that contract, so that people can now see the difference with the kind of money we are receiving,” he said.

Sule explained that before the reforms, Nasarawa State received between ₦3.8 billion and ₦4.5 billion monthly from the Federation Account, limiting the government’s capacity to undertake major capital projects.

He acknowledged that the removal of the fuel subsidy and other economic reforms initially created hardship for citizens but said Tinubu demonstrated political courage by taking responsibility for difficult decisions considered necessary for the country’s economic recovery.

The governor also stressed the importance of effective communication in helping citizens understand government policies, particularly reforms that may initially cause difficulties but are intended to strengthen the economy and improve governments’ capacity to deliver public services.

He said the President “took the bullet” on behalf of state and local governments by implementing the reforms, thereby creating greater fiscal capacity for the three tiers of government.

“Today, we are beginning to see the benefits because the resources available to us have increased tremendously,” Sule said.

According to the governor, the additional resources have enabled his administration to undertake projects in road infrastructure, industrialisation, education, healthcare and water supply across the state.

He commended the Renewed Hope Ambassadors National Media Team for undertaking the nationwide tour, describing it as an opportunity for Nigerians to see the impact of government policies and projects beyond official narratives.

Sule said the visit would enable Nigerians to assess first-hand the projects being executed by the Federal and Nasarawa State governments and determine the extent to which the Renewed Hope Agenda is translating into development at the grassroots.

He expressed optimism that continued implementation of the Federal Government’s economic reforms would further strengthen the fiscal position of states and enable them to undertake more transformative projects.

During its visit to Nasarawa, the media team inspected the completed multi-billion-naira state secretariat housing the Ministries of Education, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Justice, as well as the 1-megawatt solar farm powering the secretariat along Shendam Road.

The team also inspected the completed 16-kilometre Makurdi bypass in Lafia, which connects Nasarawa and Benue states, the Wing Commander Abdullahi Ibrahim Vocational and Skills Acquisition Centre, the Shinge Waterstorm Channel and the completed Kilema Bridge along the Lafia-Doma Road.

Onanuga, while commending the projects inspected, praised what he described as the courage of President Tinubu in removing the fuel subsidy and implementing economic reforms that previous administrations had acknowledged as necessary but repeatedly postponed.

“Actually, when President Tinubu came in 2023, he initiated some audacious reforms that ought to have been introduced some decades ago. But the country kept postponing them until he came, and from Day One uttered that famous phrase ‘subsidy is gone,’” Onanuga said.

He noted that the administration subsequently floated the naira and ended the multiple exchange-rate regime, measures which he acknowledged initially contributed to inflation and increased hardship.

“The first year was very difficult. But later, things got better,” he said.

Onanuga also commended Governor Sule for supporting the reforms during their initial phase, recalling that the governor had publicly defended the President’s decision to implement them.

He said the reforms had freed up resources that state governors had long sought to use for development.

Also speaking during the inspection of the Makurdi bypass, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Public Enlightenment, AbulAziz AbdulAziz, said the scale of infrastructure development witnessed across Benue and Nasarawa states demonstrated that the Renewed Hope Agenda was delivering results.