Abuja: Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State says that increased revenue from President Bola Tinubu’s reforms has enabled his administration to execute N90 billion worth of infrastructure projects without bank borrowing. Sule disclosed this at the Government House, Lafia, when he received the Renewed Hope Ambassadors Presidential Media Team, led by Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Strategy.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the team arrived in Lafia, the state capital, 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.
The increased revenue has enabled his administration to execute major infrastructure projects without resorting to bank borrowing. Sule 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.
Sule admonished journalists that, in discharging their role of holding government accountable for any failure to properly deploy public resources, they should recognize 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.
NAN reports that the team inspected the Nasarawa State Secretariat, where the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Labaran Magaji (SAN), conducted members around the infrastructure housing about 11 ministries. 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.
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.
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.
In healthcare, 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.