Abdullahi Sule: Tinubu’s reforms gave Nasarawa more resources for projects
Abdullahi Sule, governor of Nasarawa, says reforms initiated by President Bola Tinubu have increased resources available to state governments to execute projects that directly impact citizens.
Sule spoke in Lafia, the state capital, on Saturday while hosting the presidential media team and senior journalists inspecting federal and state government projects in Nasarawa.
The media team, organised under the aegis of Renewed Hope Ambassadors, was led by Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy.
The governor said his administration had executed several projects without borrowing, attributing the development to the increased resources available to the state following the federal government’s economic reforms.
He said Tinubu “took the bullet” for state governors by removing the fuel subsidy, adding that the states are now benefiting from the increased federal allocations.
“All the projects we are doing in Nasarawa State today, at no borrowing from the bank, is as a result of President Bola and his support,” Sule said.
“So, you must give him the credit for that. Without the reforms, we would not have had the resources to do what we are doing. So, I can’t take credit for those projects.”
Sule said the increased revenue had also enabled his administration to improve government infrastructure, including the construction of a new secretariat.
He said the office of the secretary to the state government (SSG) would be better equipped than his own office because the state now has more resources than it did when his office was constructed.
“And there is nothing wrong with me doing it better today because we are receiving the resources better today,” he said.
The governor said Nasarawa previously received between N3.8 billion and N4.5 billion monthly from the federation allocation, while the state’s local governments received between N1.9 billion and N2.5 billion.
He said the state now receives an average of N14 billion to N16 billion monthly following the removal of the fuel subsidy.
“With the removal of fuel subsidy, I can tell you for free, that Nasarawa State today is receiving an average of N14 to N16 billion a month. But you have to go back and find out our expenses,” Sule said.
He recalled that the federal government previously shared between N590 billion and N620 billion monthly as the total Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocation.
Sule said his background in the private sector had influenced his approach to transparency in public spending, adding that he discloses the cost of government contracts to enable residents to assess how public funds are being used.
The governor also defended his support for the Tinubu administration, saying his decision to commend the president when he believes the government is doing well should not be interpreted as a departure from his principles.
He said some people had accused him of no longer being straightforward because he now commends the federal government despite previously criticising policies he considered wrong.
Earlier, Onanuga said it was encouraging that state governments were now benefiting from the reforms introduced by Tinubu after the president “took the bullet” for the governors with the removal of the fuel subsidy.
He said the increased resources were being translated into landmark projects across the states.
