Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has urged state governments to acknowledge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s contribution to the increased resources now available for infrastructure and other development projects across the country.
Sule spoke on Friday while welcoming journalists participating in the Presidential Media Tour of Projects in Nasarawa State, after the team spent two days inspecting projects in neighbouring Benue State.
According to the governor, the removal of fuel subsidy and other Federal Government reforms had significantly improved the revenue available to Nasarawa, creating room for his administration to undertake major projects without resorting to bank borrowing.
He disclosed that the state’s monthly allocation had increased from between N3.8 billion and N4.5 billion before the subsidy removal to an average of N14 billion to N16 billion currently.
Sule therefore challenged journalists to look beyond the physical appearance of projects and examine the policies and resources that made them possible.
“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,” the governor said.
He maintained that acknowledging the positive impact of government policies should not prevent the media from holding governors accountable where public resources were not properly deployed.
The governor, who described himself as a former private-sector operator, said the media tour would help Nigerians compare the resources available to governments with the projects delivered.
He noted that Nasarawa had moved from a period when it struggled to raise N5 billion through borrowing for a single market project to one in which the state could execute infrastructure projects worth about N90 billion without taking bank loans.
Among the projects lined up for inspection were the Akwanga Township Road dualisation and underpass, Shendam Road in Lafia, Kilema-Tudun Amba bridge and associated stormwater and river channels in Lafia, Keffi flyover and twin flyovers in Karu.
Sule explained that the projects were selected not merely for their physical appearance but for their impact on mobility, safety and economic activity.
According to him, the twin flyover in Karu, for instance, had contributed to an increase in property values in the area, while a state investment in a real estate development recently yielded N500 million in profit-sharing after an initial N270 million investment.
The governor said such initiatives reflected his administration’s approach to public resources, combining infrastructure development with investments capable of generating returns for the state.
Beyond infrastructure, Sule urged the visiting journalists to pay attention to the state’s interventions in skills development, healthcare, agriculture and mining.
He identified vocational and technical education as a major priority, noting that academic qualifications alone were not enough to guarantee economic independence without practical skills.
Nasarawa, he added, had established a skills acquisition centre offering training in electrical installation, machinery fitting, carpentry and joinery, cabinet making, welding, radio mechanics and agricultural mechanisation.
The programme also covers post-retirement skills acquisition, allowing older citizens to develop alternative means of livelihood.
In healthcare, the governor highlighted the expansion of tertiary medical services across the three senatorial zones, including the state’s specialist hospital, alongside the existing teaching hospital and Federal Medical Centre.
On food security, he disclosed that 10,000 hectares had been committed to rice production, urging the media team to inspect the project and assess its impact on agricultural communities.
Sule also drew attention to the state’s growing mining industry, particularly lithium processing, which he linked to supportive Federal Government policies.
Nasarawa, he explained, now requires mining companies operating in the state to process their minerals locally rather than simply extracting and transporting raw materials elsewhere.
For the governor, the broader objective of the media tour was to enable journalists to understand the connection between government policies, increased revenues and projects being delivered at the state level.
“It’s not just to take pictures of flyovers and pictures of this. No. It’s to understand what is driving these policies, what are these governors doing with the resources that they are getting, and how is it impacting the lives of the people,” Sule said.
He urged journalists to report objectively, commending governments where they deliver results and criticising them where performance falls short of the resources available.
Sule also recalled his previous public criticism of aspects of the Federal Government’s policies, including tax reforms, arguing that his subsequent support for the administration reflected changes he considered beneficial to the states.
He maintained that constructive criticism and recognition of good performance were both necessary to strengthen accountability and encourage leaders to deliver better results.
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