Nasarawa’s 27-Year Struggle For Development

The 27th anniversary celebration of the creation of Nasarawa State on Sunday, October 1, 2023 was a low key one.

Apart from the early morning state-wide broadcast by Governor Abdullahi Sule, a few youths adorned in Nigeria’s green-white-green attires celebrated in their own style through the streets of Lafia, the state capital.

Despite the fact that the state’s birth date coincided with the day the country got its political independence from its erstwhile colonial master, Britain, the yearly double event was devoid of pomp and pageantry that usually heralded it.

The Lafia Square and other designated locations where various cultural groups gathered to outdo one another through various dances were empty this year.

Governor Sule had earlier directed that because of the general mood of the state and that of the country occasioned by the prevailing economic situation, there was no need to roll out the drums this time around.

The governor rather used the occasion to introduce further palliatives to mitigate the effect of fuel subsidy removal on people of the state, and other policy measures to enhance the welfare of civil servants and pensioners.

Among the incentives was the review of vehicle and furniture loans to civil servants from N10 million to N50 million. The move, he said, was intended to allow wider participation and to enhance the purchasing power of beneficiaries.

He also announced plans to expand the scope of ongoing Cash Transfer Scheme from N5000 stipend on monthly basis to N7000.

He equally announced that 300 housing units in Luvu (Masaka) are ready to be allocated to workers through mortgage financing.  The gesture, he said, is in line with the administration’s policy of continuous provision of decent accommodation to our workers in the state.

The governor had earlier approved a monthly stipend of N10,000 for civil servants and N5,000 to pensioners for the period of six months as part of subsidy removal palliatives even as he announced a plan to introduce bus services to reduce transport costs for travelers from the state among other measures.

He assured that despite the challenges his administration remained determined to deliver on its mandate by meeting the yearnings and aspirations of the people of state.

Tortuous Journey Of Statehood

Nasarawa was carved out of the old Plateau State by an act of the Federal Military Government headed by late General Sani Abacha in 1996.

The state boasts a total land mass of 27,137 square kilometers, situated on 8.4998’N and 8.1997’E and shares borders with Plateau, Benue, Kogi, Taraba and Kaduna states.

Since its creation, the state has been administered by six leaders, two of which were military. They include Wing Commander Abdullahi Ibrahim, Colonel Bala Mande, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, Alhaji Aliyu Akwe Doma, Senator Umaru Tanko Al-makura, and the incumbent, Engr. Abdullahi Alhaji Sule.

According to a veteran journalist and public affairs analyst, Victoria Ngozi Ikeano, all the personalities that had the privilege of overseeing the state have impacted on it positively in their own different ways.

She said the first military administrator, Wing Commander Abdullahi  Ibrahim, had to start literally from scratch to build a governance structure in Lafia, which was just a local government headquarters noted more as a trading post, while Senator Adamu continued with putting in place governance structures and also embarked on rural infrastructure.

“His stand out achievements was establishment of a number of tertiary institutions like the Nasarawa Polytechnic (now Mustapha Agwai II Polytechnic), College of Health Technology,Keffi and the Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK), all of which are providing the state with some of its manpower needs,” she explained.

One grouse critics had with Adamu, she pointed out, is his non completion of the Farin Ruwa hydroelectric project which would have provided the state with sufficient energy to end its epileptic power problems.

Adamu’s successor, the late Akwe Doma, also failed to complete to the hydroelectric project. “His primary focused was agriculture with his Bakodoshi programme that saw to the export of especially Nasarawa yams overseas,” she noted.

Al-Makura, she said, did well by changing the face of Lafia, the state capital by way of physical development, giving it a semblance of a state capital.

“Critics allege that most of the contracts awarded by his administration (to a single company), were over inflated. His construction of a cargo airport in Kwandere, Lafia was faulted by critics. He also sold off some of the state’s assets in Lagos, Kaduna,etc., possibly to raise funds for development projects,” she explained.

She said although all the past administrations did their bit in the state’s development trajectory, the incumbent stands out, adding that the state is lucky to have someone of Engr. Sule’s calibre piloting its affairs at “this critical juncture of the 21st century with its peculiar challenges that call for new, intellectual, creative ways of doing things and developing the state faster.”

March Towards Industrialisation

She said it was commendable that Governor Sule is setting a new mantra by anchoring his development on industrialization, while consolidating on the infrastructures, pointing out that “industrialisation is a faster route to wealth creation and poverty eradication because of its multiplier effects in the value-added chain, both up and down the chain”.

Stakeholders such All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart and former Ambassador to Sweden, Musa Illu and former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Ahmed Musa Mohammed agreed that Gov Sule has changed the development narrative in the state by laying solid industrialisation foundation while providing an enabling environment for investment.

They said the governor has also strategically been exploring the solid mineral potentials of the state to the outside world.

Already some agro-allied industries have established a serious presence in the state, taking advantage of the state’s abundant agricultural raw materials.

Some of the big names that established industries in the state include Olam Nigeria Ltd, Dangote integrated Sugar Refinery, Azama Nigeria Ltd, flour Mills Nigeria, Bionas Group, ABS Blueprint Consortium, Prime Global, Beacon Energy, Green Sahara, Diamond Stripes, Barlow & Barrow International Nigeria ltd, Green Energy limited among others.

Perhaps the major interest in the solid mineral in the state is in the lithium with about 45000 tons per day capacity processing plant under construction in Tudun Wada, Karu local government area of the state.

This is aside from the huge exploration of the mineral taking place in Toto and Nassarawa local government areas of the state.

However, the exploration and discovery of oil in commercial quality in the state has been the major feat of the administration. Sule had assured at the onset of his administration to pursue the oil exploration with the vigor such endeavor deserved. The commitment paid off with the discovery of the product in Ebenyi in Obi local government area and Keana.

The federal government has already commenced the drilling of Ebenyi-A Oil Well in Obi from where it planned to move into Keana.

“I am aware that the execution of the project is in speedy progress,” the governor assured in his anniversary speech on October 1st.

He told the people during that broadcast that the investment drive has earned the state the top three Investment Destination States in Nigeria by the Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC).

The trio of Ambassador Illu, Ikeano and Mohammed who is also the current Accountant General of the state were unanimous that with the current speed of industrialisation and investment drive the state is on the march to greatness, while living the dreams of its founding fathers.