Governor Sule didn’t borrow money despite tremendous infrastructural achievements – SSG

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By Oboh Linus, Lafia

The Secretary to the Government of Nasarawa State, Dr Labaran Magaji, has said that the administration of Governor Abdullahi Sule did not take a loan despite achieving tremendous infrastructural development across the state.

Dr Magaji disclosed this while receiving in his office, Renewed Hope Grassroots Movement in Lafia.

The Secretary to the State Government said that Governor Sule has shown capacity and prudence in managing the state’s resources to better the lives of its citizens.

He commended President Bola Tinubu for the improved Federal allocation to the state, which, he said, was responsible for the rapid development witnessed in Nasarawa state.

The State scribe explained that the administration of Gov Sule in the last two years of his second term in office has constructed a multi-billion Naira flyover and underpass in Lafia, a state-of-the-art state secretariat, Akwanga underpass, and dualised Shendam Road.

He added that the state Government had also recently distributed more than 100 electric vehicles, tricycles, and motorcycles to various groups through revolving loans to improve their members’ economic status.

“In the coming weeks, the governor has directed the release of refunds for another one-kilometer road in each of the 13 Local Government Areas of the state. He is not borrowing money from anywhere.

“All we need now is to encourage the people of the state to continue to support his peace mission, because there’s peace, that’s why we can achieve all these.

“Nasarawa State is one of the safest states in Nigeria, which is why there has been an influx of people coming to invest in the state. Very soon, one of the biggest Lithium processing factories in the world will be inaugurated by the President,” he said.

Magaji pledged that his office would partner with the group to achieve their mission and vision, especially on awareness creation on government activities and interventions.

“It is our responsibility to coordinate the activities of the government as far as Nasarawa state is concerned. Since the assumption of office, we have not relented in that responsibility.

“We are keeping track of the achievements of governments, both at the State and Federal levels, that have a direct bearing on the lives of our people.

“What I like most is the step you are taking to verify who those beneficiaries of the so-called soft loan meant for the indigene of Nasarawa state from the BOI are, I can assure you, even if it means visiting the Bank, we will do it.

He urged the citizens to brace up to responsibility so as not to be outsmarted by the ICT syndicate that specialised in putting together all manner of requirements with the intent to shortchange people.

“The challenge we are always having is low awareness that something like that even exists. Unless you brace up to responsibility, you will continue to be shortchanged, and yet you will blame the government for that,” he said.

Earlier speaking, Lazarus Tanko, Nasarawa State Coordinator, Renewed Hope Grassroots Movement (RHGM), said they were in the SSG office to seek a partnership to drive awareness on the achievements of both the federal and the state governments to the grassroots.

He expressed concern over the difficulties artisans in the state faced in accessing soft loans from the Bank of Industry (BoI) because of the strict criteria and sought the intervention of the state government through the office of the SSG.

“When we went to the Bank of Industry, we discovered that people who are not from Nasarawa state are assessing our state’s quota.
So, now we wanted the SSG to look into that by supporting in a way that artisans can still meet up with the criteria,” said.

The movement is a coalition of various groups; the Nigeria Labour Congress, the Trade Union Congress, the Women’s Society, tribal unions, youth groups, among others.