Commends Governor Sule鈥檚 leadership in Nasarawa
From Abel Leonard, Lafia
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged stakeholders in Nasarawa State and across the country to disregard opposition forces working against his administration, describing them as a 鈥渃oalition of political IDPs鈥 鈥 internally displaced politicians without direction or ideology.
The President made the remark on Wednesday, June 25, during a stakeholders鈥 engagement at the Government House in Lafia, as part of his one-day working visit to Nasarawa State, where he commissioned several legacy projects executed by Governor Abdullahi Sule鈥檚 administration.
鈥淒on鈥檛 listen to the coalition of political IDPs,鈥 Tinubu warned. 鈥淲e have turned the corner of desperation, of uncertainty. We have passed the waste. From this moment on, you will have no regrets.鈥
Tinubu鈥檚 visit to Nasarawa was marked by a renewed sense of partnership between the federal and state governments, as the President lauded Governor Sule for aligning his administration鈥檚 developmental efforts with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
鈥淚 could see hard work coming from A.A. Sule. He is determined to use the resources available to him for the benefit, stability, and prosperity of Nasarawa State. Sule is doing well. Because Bola Tinubu is doing well, too!鈥 the President declared.
During the visit, President Tinubu commissioned several landmark projects, including the N16 billion Lafia flyover and underpass, the N5.6 billion Shendam Road dualisation, and the newly completed multi-billion naira Nasarawa State Secretariat complex.
Governor Sule, while welcoming the President, attributed the achievements of his administration to the bold economic reforms initiated by the Tinubu-led federal government, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange window.
鈥淵our renewed hope and economic reforms, especially regarding the removal of fuel subsidy and foreign exchange, are most of the things that we are seeing and today, we have seen the result of that,鈥 Sule said.
鈥淚 have invited most of my friends who always say, the money for this subsidy, where is it going? I said come to Nasarawa 鈥 you will see where the money is going,鈥 he added.
The governor used the occasion to make a passionate appeal to President Tinubu to intervene and ensure the resumption of oil drilling at the Ebenyi-A oil field in Obi Local Government Area, where over a billion barrels of hydrocarbons have been discovered.
鈥淚n 2023, there was an exploration well ongoing in Obi LGA. There has been a discovery of hydrocarbons in excess of one billion barrels. We are asking Your Excellency to ensure that they come back and drill the appraisal well so we can start producing oil,鈥 Sule said.
鈥淲e will be another Saudi Arabia if we have a deep onshore operation with an integrated oil and gas facility. So that we can do exploration, production, refining, as well as gas and power production 鈥 and truck finished products to other parts of the country,鈥 he added.
President Tinubu, in response, assured the people of Nasarawa that his administration was determined to promote agriculture, energy, and industrialisation as a means of job creation and economic growth. He pledged support for youths and women through small, self-financing loans.
鈥淚 could see fertile land, mechanisation efforts, rice milling, and many other things,鈥 the President said. 鈥淲e will work with you to ensure value is added to your mineral deposits. But don鈥檛 forget your agriculture. We are going to make agriculture profitable and interesting.鈥
Also speaking, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, disclosed that the federal government has sealed a USD400 million investment deal for the establishment of Africa鈥檚 largest rare earth minerals and critical metals processing plant in Nasarawa State.
鈥淭his Africa鈥檚 largest rare earth minerals plant is going to be sited in Nasarawa State and will generate over 10,000 jobs upon completion,鈥 Alake revealed.
He said the Tinubu administration鈥檚 local value addition policy has attracted over USD800 million in direct foreign investment to Nasarawa alone in the solid minerals sector.
Governor Sule also announced that another massive lithium processing plant would be commissioned in Endo, Nasarawa Local Government Area, in the coming months, noting that these developments would significantly boost the state鈥檚 economic base and employment opportunities.
The governor further thanked President Tinubu for prioritising human capital development, citing the frequent visits of Vice President Kashim Shettima to the state for vocational education initiatives.
鈥淲hen we wanted to build the Dangote refinery, we had to bring over 4,000 technicians from India. I said when I become governor, we must build this capacity here. That鈥檚 why we are promoting technical and vocational education in Nasarawa,鈥 Sule explained.
Dignitaries who accompanied the President included seven state governors 鈥 Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq (Kwara), Hope Uzodinma (Imo), Babagana Zulum (Borno), Uba Sani (Kaduna), Mohammed Umaru Bago (Niger), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), and Hyacinth Alia (Benue) 鈥 as well as the deputy governors of Gombe, Sokoto, and Kebbi.
Also present were National Assembly members, including Senator Ahmed Wadada, APC National Chairman Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, former Nasarawa governors Senators Abdullahi Adamu and Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, ministers, and top business leaders.