Nasarawa now gets N16bn monthly, up from N4.5bn before subsidy removal — Gov. Sule
Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, says the state now receives between N14 billion and N16 billion monthly from federal allocations, up from between N3.8 billion and N4.5 billion before the removal of the petrol subsidy.
Sule disclosed this on Saturday in Lafia, the state capital, while hosting journalists and members of the presidential media team who were in the state to inspect federal and state government projects.
The governor said the reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu had created more fiscal space for state governments to execute projects and improve infrastructure without necessarily resorting to borrowing.
Sule said Tinubu “took the bullet” on behalf of state governors by removing the petrol subsidy, noting that the policy had significantly increased the resources available to states.
He recalled that before the subsidy removal, the Federal Government shared between N590 billion and N620 billion monthly as the total Federation Account Allocation Committee revenue.
According to him, Nasarawa received between N3.8 billion and N4.5 billion monthly, while the state’s local governments received between N1.9 billion and N2.5 billion.
“With the removal of the fuel subsidy, I can tell you for free that Nasarawa State today is receiving an average of N14 billion to N16 billion a month,” Sule said.
The governor said the increased revenue had enabled his administration to embark on several projects without borrowing from banks.
“All the projects we are doing in Nasarawa State today, without borrowing from the bank, are as a result of President Bola and his support,” he said.
“So, you must give him the credit for that. Without the reforms, we would not have had the resources to do what we are doing. So, I can’t take credit for those projects.”
Sule, who said he came from the private sector, added that his administration had been transparent about the cost of its projects to enable residents to assess the impact of the increased revenue accruing to the state.
He also defended his decision to improve government infrastructure, saying the increased revenue had made it possible for the state to undertake projects that were previously unaffordable.
“I came from the private sector, so for every contract, I give the amount that we are spending on that contract so that people can make a difference with the kind of money we are receiving,” he said.
The governor also addressed criticism over his recent praise for the Tinubu administration, saying his support was based on what he described as the positive impact of the reforms on the state’s finances.
“Anytime I tell the truth about the good thing happening, I am no longer a good person,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said state governments were beginning to benefit from the removal of the petrol subsidy through increased allocations and the execution of landmark projects across the country.