Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa says the state has executed projects worth about 90 billion without borrowing, attributing the development to increased federal allocations following reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu.
Sule disclosed this in Lafia while receiving members of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors Presidential Media Team, led by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
The delegation was in the North-Central state as part of a verification tour of federal and state projects.
According to Sule, Nasarawa’s monthly allocation from the Federation Account has increased substantially, rising from between N3.8 billion and N4.5 billion before 2023 to between N14 billion and N16 billion currently.
“I can tell you for free, Nasarawa State is receiving an average of 14 to 16 billion every month,” the governor said.
He linked the increase to the Federal Government’s removal of fuel subsidy and reforms in the foreign exchange market, saying the measures had freed resources previously used to fund subsidies.
Sule said the additional revenue had enabled his administration to undertake major infrastructure projects without resorting to bank loans.
Among the projects he listed were the N16.7 billion Mararaba dual flyover, N7.1 billion Akwanga township dualisation, N6.6 billion Akwanga underpass and N5.6 billion Shendam Road dualisation.
Others include the N3.3 billion stormwater drainage channel at Amba Bridge and the N11.4 billion Keffi flyover.
“If you calculate so far, you will see that we spend about N90 billion,” Sule said, recalling that the state had struggled in 2019 to secure a N5 billion bond for a market project.
He maintained that the increased fiscal space created by the Federal Government’s reforms was responsible for the scale of development currently taking place across the state.
“All the projects we are doing in Nasarawa State today, with no borrowing from the bank, are as a result of President Bola Tinubu’s support. So you must give him the credit for that,” the governor said.
Beyond road and transport infrastructure, Sule highlighted investments in vocational training, healthcare and agriculture.
He cited a skills acquisition centre where young people are trained in 12 different trades, as well as a specialist hospital under construction in Akwanga.
The governor also pointed to a 10,000-hectare rice farm as part of efforts to expand agricultural production and create economic opportunities within the state.
Onanuga said the media team’s visit was intended to establish how resources made available through the Federal Government’s reforms were being deployed.
He described Nasarawa as an emerging industrial hub under Sule’s administration.
The Secretary to the Nasarawa State Government, Labaran Magaji, SAN, also welcomed the delegation, describing the visit as evidence of the cooperation between the state and Federal Government.
