By Seun Ibiyemi
Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Alhaji Sule, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for implementing what he described as bold economic reforms, saying the removal of fuel subsidy has significantly increased the state’s monthly allocation from the Federation Account.
Sule said Nasarawa’s monthly allocation, which previously stood at about ₦3.8 billion to ₦4.5 billion, has risen to approximately ₦16 billion following the reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration.
The governor spoke in Lafia when he received members of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors National Media Tour, led by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
He said the increase in federal revenue allocations had created greater fiscal space for the state government to undertake major infrastructure and development projects.
According to Sule, the additional resources have enabled his administration to invest in road infrastructure, industrialisation, education, healthcare and water supply across the state.
“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,” he said.
The governor recalled that before the reforms, the state operated with significantly lower monthly allocations, limiting its ability to execute major capital projects.
He acknowledged that the removal of fuel subsidy and other economic reforms initially imposed difficulties on Nigerians but said Tinubu demonstrated political courage by taking responsibility for difficult decisions aimed at improving the country’s fiscal position.
Sule also stressed the importance of communicating government policies effectively to citizens, particularly when reforms initially create hardship but are intended to strengthen government finances and improve public service delivery.
He said the President had effectively “taken the bullet” on behalf of states and local governments by implementing reforms that increased the resources available to the three tiers of government.
“Today, we are beginning to see the benefits because the resources available to us have increased tremendously,” he said.
Meanwhile, Onanuga commended Sule for supporting the Federal Government’s economic reforms, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy and foreign exchange reforms.
He described Tinubu’s decision to remove the subsidy and float the naira as “audacious reforms” that previous administrations had acknowledged as necessary but repeatedly postponed.
According to Onanuga, the reforms initially triggered inflation and widespread complaints over economic hardship, but he argued that conditions subsequently began to improve.
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He recalled Sule’s public support for the reforms at the time, saying the governor recognised that the measures would ultimately increase resources available to sub-national governments.
During the media tour, the Renewed Hope Ambassadors team inspected several projects in Nasarawa State, including the completed state secretariat housing the Ministries of Education, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Justice, as well as a 1-megawatt solar farm powering the secretariat along Shendam Road.
The team also inspected the completed 16-kilometre Makurdi bypass in Lafia, the Wing Commander Abdullahi Ibrahim Vocational and Skills Acquisition Centre, the Shinge Waterstorm Channel and the completed Kilema Bridge along the Lafia-Doma Road.
Speaking at the Makurdi bypass inspection, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Public Enlightenment, AbulAziz AbdulAziz, said the scale of infrastructure development witnessed across Nasarawa and Benue states demonstrated what he described as the impact of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
The media tour is being undertaken by presidential media aides and more than 50 senior journalists to inspect federal and state government projects across North-Central states.
