Tinubu reforms enabled ₦90bn projects without borrowing – Sule

Nasarawa state Governor Abdullahi Sule has said  his administration executed projects worth about ₦90 billion without borrowing, attributing the feat to increased revenues accruing to the state following economic reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Sule made the disclosure Saturday while speaking during a visit by the Renewed Hope Ambassadors in collaboration with the  presidential media team to the state.

The governor said the state’s improved financial position had made it possible for his administration to undertake major infrastructure and development projects without resorting to bank loans.

He contrasted the current situation with the financial constraints his administration faced after assuming office in 2019, when the state struggled to secure a ₦5 billion bond to construct a market.

According to Sule, Nasarawa’s total allocation at the time was about ₦60 billion, while the state’s budget was approximately ₦90 billion, with an average budget performance of about 66 per cent.

“Now what I just counted is ₦90 billion. That’s why we did it without borrowing,” the governor said.

Sule said the development represented a significant change in the state’s finances, which he linked to the reforms of the Tinubu administration and the resulting increase in allocations to states.

He said Nasarawa previously received between ₦3.8 billion and ₦4.5 billion monthly, but now receives an average of between ₦14 billion and ₦16 billion.

The governor said the additional resources had enabled the state to invest in roads, flyovers, drainage infrastructure, healthcare, education, agriculture and other sectors without accumulating new bank debt.

Among the projects highlighted by Sule were the ₦11.4 billion Kefi flyover, a ₦7.1 billion township dualisation project, a ₦6.7 billion underpass, a ₦5.6 billion road dualisation project and a ₦3.3 billion stormwater project.

He also cited the state’s investment in a real estate project, saying Nasarawa recently received ₦500 million in profit-sharing from an investment in which the state had initially committed ₦270 million.

Sule urged the visiting media team to go beyond documenting physical infrastructure and examine how increased government revenues were being deployed and their impact on residents.

He said the media should hold governments accountable where increased allocations were not reflected in improved services and infrastructure.

The governor also defended the need to give credit to the federal government where its policies had enabled states to access more resources.

According to him, acknowledging positive reforms should not prevent the media from criticising governments when necessary.

Sule said his administration had similarly challenged aspects of the Federal Government’s policies when he believed they were not in the best interest of the people, citing his intervention in discussions around proposed tax reforms.

He said President Tinubu’s willingness to listen to criticism and make adjustments demonstrated the importance of engagement between governments and stakeholders.

“We made the changes. Today, those changes have impacted positively on the lives of the people and have made the president look good,” Sule said.

The governor said the media inspection of projects in Nasarawa was therefore important because it would allow journalists to independently assess the relationship between government revenue, expenditure and development outcomes.

He maintained that the increased fiscal space created by the reforms had given Nasarawa the opportunity to undertake projects on a scale that would have been difficult under the previous revenue regime.