By Our Correspondent
Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic reforms, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange market, saying the measures have significantly increased the state’s monthly allocation from the Federation Account.
Governor Sule said Nasarawa State’s monthly allocation, which previously stood at between ₦3.8 billion and ₦4.5 billion, has risen to approximately ₦16 billion under the current revenue regime.
The governor made the disclosure in Lafia while receiving 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 Governor Sule, the substantial increase in allocations has provided his administration with greater fiscal space to execute major infrastructure and development projects across Nasarawa State.
He explained that before the current reforms, the resources available to the three tiers of government were considerably lower, limiting the ability of states to undertake large-scale capital 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,” Sule said.
The governor recalled that during the first four years of his administration, the total amount shared among the three tiers of government from the Federation Account was generally within the range of ₦590 billion to ₦620 billion monthly.
He noted that Nasarawa State was receiving only about ₦3.8 billion to ₦4.5 billion monthly, making it difficult for the government to finance major projects without severe fiscal constraints.
Governor Sule acknowledged that the removal of the petrol subsidy and other economic reforms introduced by President Tinubu initially created significant economic difficulties for Nigerians.
However, he praised the President for demonstrating what he described as political courage by taking responsibility for difficult decisions which, according to him, previous administrations had recognised as necessary but repeatedly postponed.
The governor said the reforms had begun to produce benefits through increased revenues available to the Federal, state and local governments.
He stressed the importance of effective communication in helping citizens understand the objectives of government policies, particularly reforms whose immediate effects could be painful but which were designed to improve the country’s economic capacity.
According to him, President Tinubu “took the bullet” on behalf of the states and local governments by implementing reforms that subsequently created additional fiscal space for the sub-national governments.
“Today, we are beginning to see the benefits because the resources available to us have increased tremendously,” Sule said.
He said the additional resources had enabled Nasarawa State to undertake several major projects covering road infrastructure, industrialisation, education, healthcare, water supply and other sectors.
The governor maintained that sustained implementation of the reforms could further strengthen the financial position of states and enable them to embark on projects capable of improving the living conditions of their citizens
During the media tour of Nasarawa State, the Renewed Hope Ambassadors National Media Team inspected several completed and ongoing projects executed by the state government.
Among the projects inspected was the completed multi-billion-naira Nasarawa State Secretariat complex along Shendam Road in Lafia.
The facility accommodates several ministries, including the Ministries of Education; Housing and Urban Development; Health; and Justice.
The team also inspected a 1-megawatt solar power project providing electricity to the state secretariat, a development aimed at improving power supply and reducing dependence on conventional electricity sources.
Another major project inspected was the completed 16-kilometre Makurdi Bypass in Lafia, which provides a major road link between Nasarawa and Benue states.
The team further visited the Wing Commander Abdullahi Ibrahim Vocational and Skills Acquisition Centre, the Shinge Waterstorm Channel and the completed Kilema Bridge along the Lafia-Doma Road.
The inspection provided an opportunity for journalists to assess the projects physically and report on their scope and potential impact on residents.
Governor Sule described the media tour as an important opportunity for Nigerians to see government projects beyond official statements and government narratives.
He said the physical inspection would allow journalists and members of the public to assess the extent to which government policies and programmes were translating into tangible development at the grassroots.
Speaking during the visit, Onanuga commended President Tinubu for implementing what he described as bold and long-delayed economic reforms.
He said successive administrations had recognised the need to reform the fuel subsidy regime and address distortions in the foreign exchange market but had repeatedly deferred the decisions.
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 fuel subsidy removal was followed by the floating of the naira and the elimination of multiple official exchange rates.
Onanuga acknowledged that the measures contributed to inflation and increased economic pressure on Nigerians, particularly during the first year of the administration.
He, however, argued that the reforms were necessary to reposition the Nigerian economy and increase resources available to the different levels of government.
He specifically commended Governor Sule for supporting the Federal Government’s reforms at a time when they were generating significant public concern.
According to Onanuga, Sule had publicly defended the President’s decision and described the reforms as measures that would ultimately benefit states and local governments.
“I must thank His Excellency, Governor Sule for supporting the President at that moment. I think he was the one who came out on television, I watched him that day when he said that what the President has done is something that should be commended and that the President actually took the bullet for the sub-nationals for coming out with the reforms that they did,” he said.
ONA UGA added that the reforms had helped to “free up resources” that state governors had long sought to deploy toward infrastructure and other development programmes.
Also speaking at the Makurdi Bypass inspection site, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Public Enlightenment, AbulAziz AbdulAziz, said the level of infrastructure development witnessed across Nasarawa and Benue states was evidence, in his assessment, that the Renewed Hope Agenda was producing results.
The media team’s North-Central tour is intended to provide journalists with an opportunity to inspect government projects and report directly on developments at the state and federal levels.
The inspection of projects in Nasarawa comes against the backdrop of ongoing national debate over the impact of the Federal Government’s economic reforms on households, businesses and sub-national governments.
While the reforms have generated concerns over inflation and the rising cost of living, the administration has consistently argued that the removal of fuel subsidy and changes to the foreign exchange regime were necessary to improve government revenue, reduce economic distortions and create a more sustainable fiscal environment.
For Nasarawa State, Governor Sule said the increased monthly revenue had provided his administration with greater capacity to invest in infrastructure and public services.
He expressed optimism that if the reforms were sustained, states would have even greater resources to address developmental challenges and deliver more projects to their citizens.
The governor also reiterated his administration’s commitment to transparency in the utilisation of public funds, stressing that contract costs would continue to be made public so that citizens could compare government expenditure with the resources available to the state.
The development, he said, underscored the importance of ensuring that increased public revenue was translated into visible projects and improved services for the people of Nasarawa State.
