In the last six years, Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule has ran an all inclusive government devoid of politics to develop the State through the deployment of scarce and prudent spending, reports LINUS OOTA.
Before the ascension of Deng Xiaoping to power, China was a closed economy with the State in control of all productive assets. But when Xiaoping became the paramount ruler in 1978, he came up with an economic liberation policy that freed industrial enterprises from the control and supervision of the government.
He allowed factory managers to determine production levels and pursue profits for their enterprises. He also opened up Chinese companies to foreign investments. Xiaoping encourage free enterprise by allowing individual Chinese to make personal economic decisions.
He similarly supported the acquisition of skills and promoted technical education. This resulted in the production of skilled, well educated technicians and managers who spearheaded China’s economic development. Today, China is not just the world’s second largest economy after the USA, it is also world’s fastest growing major economy, with growth rates averaging 10 percent over a period of 30 years.
So prosperous has China become that it was able to move 800 million people out of poverty between 1978 and 2008. But all these feats are a consequence one thing, Xiaoping’s policy to liberalize the Chinese economy. Though Xiaoping died in 1997, the transformative power of his economic liberalization policy is still very much alive.
Six years after his election as Nasarawa State Governor, Engr Abdullahi Sule has proved that the people of the State who elected him as Governor have not made a mistake, as he has worked extremely over hard to transform Nasarawa State, for six years.
The results of his dedicated work on the state is the success of the various reforms, the myriad of projects, and the affection of the common people, concrete evidence that indeed he gave the Job his all in the last six years, which has led to the birth of a modern Nasarawa State.
Governor Sule on assumption of office in 2019, had no option but to administer the very painful but difficult decisions so as to improve the quality of life of the people of Nasarawa State. Central to Abdullahi Sule’s politics are the people, from the onset, he took decision to complete all ongoing projects and abandoned projects while initiating new ones to all sectors of the State economy.
Sule’s campaign slogan “industralising Nasarawa to build an economy that will take youths off the streets” , is a reflection of that genuine commitment, to improving the welfare of the people.
This explains why in the last six years, there is no sector that Governor Sule’s transformative leadership hasn’t fundamentally impacted. It has been breathtaking. And there are no signs, Engr Sule, is about to slow down as he definitely wants to maintain that momentum and finish strong.
He had told some former commissioners recently that he would want his remaining two years to be the most productive years
According the Governor, his administration has two years more to be able to demonstrate its performance.
“We have roughly two good years to operate. I want to make sure that these two years that we are running are some of the most productive two years that we ever had in this our administration,” he said.
He said that explains why he gave the contractor handling the construction of the multi billion naira new state secretariat complex a dateline to complete the project, not only the first phase that has been completed but the second phase also.
This is just as he emphasized that his administration will work very hard to ensure that revenue is generated in order to implement the budget, especially that the State has the largest budget ever in the history of the State, estimated at over N384bn.
“The budget that we have now is N384bn. I came into the state when the total budget was around N90bn. That was, on average. Now, we have a budget that is big enough to cover the entire four years. I know for Nasarawa State that it is a huge budget. We need to get up. We need to work as a people for the implementation of that budget. Budget is both ways, the right side and the left side, the input and the output. We have to work very hard to ensure that the revenue comes in for us to expend,” he stated.
He however expressed satisfaction that the state is beginning to witness better revenue, and that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is determined to turn around the economy of the country.
“We are beginning to get commendations from outside the state. I am not worried about the one you get from within the state because they said a prophet is not honoured in his home. We have two years to be able to show our performance, to set certain records. I’m happy that all of you came. I am happy with all your kind comments. I don’t want to leave quietly. I want to leave with a bang, with a record that somebody is coming to follow up,” he said.
Governor Sule had in the last two years of his second term embarked on several landmark projects that have significantly altered the state’s infrastructural landscape, particularly in the capital city of Lafia.
Without infrastural facilities, there can’t be sustainable economic development, for the overall improvement of the living condition of the people. To make the state competitive, and preferred business destination, Governor Sule embarked on an aggressive urban renewal programme.
Notable projects include the N16 billion Lafia Flyover and Underpass, the Lafia Modern Secretariat Complex, and the 7-kilometer Shendam Road dualization.
These projects have generated excitement among the citizens of Nasarawa State, and the new network of roads as well as the flyover has eased traffic congestion and opened new layouts.
Other notable projects include the Akwanga City Underpass, the 3.5-kilometer dualization, and the Ntsakpe-Mada Hills bypass, aimed at reducing traffic congestion in the city center.
Additionally, the contract award for the construction of the Keffi Flyover is a testament to the Governor’s commitment to development and addressing a perennial accident at the popular Total round about in Keffi.
The six years old administration of Governor Abdullahi Sule has shown strong determination to take youths out of the streets since available white-collar jobs can no longer cater for the number of job seekers in the country. This calls for a means of engaging the younger generation in skill acquisition training in the vocation of their choice for both personal or commercial benefits.
Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa state in fulfillment of this demand took far reaching measures on various entrepreneurship training offered by his administration.
The Governor is determined to create a society where youths will be self reliant with relevant skills in order to bridge the unemployment and innovative gap in youth productivity thereby making them gainfully employed.
The Wing Commander Abdullahi Ibrahim Vocational and Technology Institute established by Governor Abdullahi Sule offers entrepreneurship skills development such as, tailoring, mechanical engineering, solar panels system installations, wielding and several other skills that will help take the youths off the street.
Speaking exclusively to our correspondent on the idea behind the establishment of the Skills Acquisition Center, Governor Abdullahi Sule said, as a trained engineer who has strong believe in education for self reliance, the vision for the technical institute is all encompassing.
First, this institute is expected to impact necessary technical skills on the youths, as well as graduates of universities and polytechnics from other fields of study, who will be trained to become self reliance.
Secondly, the institute will be employed by factories that will spring up across the state. Thirdly, the manufacturing spare parts to be used by industries from within and outside the state.
Governor Sule’s experience while trying to eake a living and at the same time pursuing his academic programme abroad, must have fired his vision for acquisition of skills alongside formal education.
He had told Bukuru Old Students Association (BOSAT) who paid him a courtesy call recently that he set up the institute in appreciation for what technical education has done to him.
He recounted how he rose from being a janitor to a renowned engineer and now Governor. He said when he came onboard as Governor, he saw the establishment of the institute as an opportunity to bring his knowledge and experience to bear towards impacting on the lives of the people of the state.
He said he proceed on scholarship for the Indiana State University in the United States, explaining that his wielding background made it possible for him to successfully graduate, rise in his career and to become what he is today.
Speaking recently before a group of Journalists, Governor Abdullahi Sule said, so far his 6 years in office has been justified going by his achievements and pledge to consolidate on the commitment of his administration to turn around the fortunes of the State through the provision of infrastural development, attraction of investment, agricultural development, educational advancement, public service transformation, amongst others.
“I need to reiterate my resolve to continue to serve the State sincerely and with the fear of the Almighty. We shall do that with due diligence in line with our principles of accountability, transparency and prudent management of public resources.
“I assure you that the mandate given to us will continue to be justified. I must state that I’m everything we do, the dream of our founding fathers and the interest of the good people of Nasarawa State will continue to define our policies and programmes towards actualizing the Nasarawa State of our collective dream” Sule had said
Some of the other highlights of the inroads recorded by Governor Abdullahi Sule administration so far initiation of the Nasarawa State Cash Transfer S Hemet where beneficiaries receive the sum of N7,500 monthly.
In the area of education, the Governor said “we have facilitated the mass construction and rehabilitation of classroom blocks in our primary and secondary schools cross the state. This is based on our conviction that conducive environment enhances effective teaching.
“Similarly, we have employed about three thousand, five hundred (3.500) teachers into our State Secondary Schools. We also employed additional teaching and non teaching staff in our State tertiary institutions. This is geared towards enhancing educational development of our dear State.
“In our commitment to encourage Science and Technical Education, we have established the faculties of Engineering and Medicine in the Nasarawa State University, Keffi,” he added.
What has Engr Sule, apart from his colleagues is taking responsibility for the future. Since assumption of office in 2019, Governor Sule had committed to human capital development by investing in education, healthcare and social welfare; it’s thus not surprising that education and health sectors remain a priority and have deservedly been getting the highest yearly budgetary allocation, far beyond the United Nation’s recommendation.
Other achievements recorded by the administration are the absorption of 1000 casual workers into the State civil service with permanent employment status, approval for the allocation of the residential quarters occupied by civil servants on owner occupied basis, with another 300 housing units in Luvu allocated to workers through mortgage financing in addition to the promotion of all cadres f civil servants, including payment of backlog entitlements.
I’m the area of health, the Governor said he has constructed new hospitals and renovated and upgraded existing ones to meet up the modern standard.
It is therefore apparent to state that, six years after aggressive transformation of all the sectors of the State economy, Engr Abdullahi Sule, without doubt, has every bragging right having delivered a strong economy, surgically reformed the public service and institutions with effective service delivery, massive job creation, unprecedented infrastural development, a record number of new businesses, strong leadership and a budgeting system, that is performing for the greater number of Nasarawa citizens.
Engr Abdullahi Sule could have chosen the path of ‘minimum routine’, but that would not have been Engr Sule. Deceit is not in his dictionary, only last week he invited all the stakeholders of the state including National Assembly Members from opposition parties and inform them that the state government has received 9.75bn refund from the federal government for the Usman Danfodio Airport Lafia and ask them to outline projects they considered very important for him to deploy the money to. That is how transparent and accountable Engr Abdullahi Sule is.
His overwhelming victory in the 2023 election, despite gang up, was an impetus to do more in the second term. This quote by James Freeman Clarke: “A politician thinks of the next election – a statesman of the next generation”, best describes Engr Abdullahi Sule.
Leadership is the art of solving problems, not papering over them. Problems only persist for as long as leaders permit. By deploying the right policies, Governor Abdullahi Sule has been solving problems regarded as intractable, thus transforming both the people and the State.
By masterminding the development of the modern Nasarawa State, Engr Abdullahi Sule has etched his name forever in the hearts of the people, beyond the boundaries of Nasarawa State. In six years, Governor Sule has shown that development is possible with total dedication and commitment.
Though, Engr Sule still has two years to go, like Julius Caesar, he can proudly proclaim: “I came, I saw, I conquered”.
