WHY TINUBU’s SUBSIDY REGIME IS DIFFERENT-GOVERNOR SULE
…I will support only aspirant with capacity to sustain our development strides come 2027
Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has said that the subsidy regime under the present administration of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu is different from the Petroleum Task Force (PTF) and SURE-P of previous administrations because the money realised from the removal of subsidy is being ploughed back to the various tiers of governance for development across the states and local government areas.
Governor Sule made the clarification while hosting members of the Forum of Former Local Government Council Chairmen, alongside members of the Forum of Former Local Government Councilors in the state, who came on a solidarity visit at the Government House on Wednesday.
According to the Governor, unlike in the previous dispensations where monies from subsidy removals were mostly utilised by the federal government, under President Tinubu the monies being realised are being channelled back to the states and local governments for much needed development.
He expressed appreciation that as a result of the improvement of revenue coming to the states, his administration was able to settle part of the gratuity of members of the forums, a gesture that necessitated the solidarity visit. Some of the elected council officials left office in the 70s and were yet to receive their benefits until now.
“We must thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I saw all kinds of criticisms about this withdrawal of subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange and where the money is going. These are the kinds of places the money is going to,” he stated.
He recalled the precarious economic situation he inherited when he became Governor in 2019, with both the state and local government areas only able to pay salary of workers in percentages.
“The truth is that, don’t mistake me for criticising anybody. When we came in and met something, I was not trying to criticise anyone. I am just trying to present the facts as they are. We came in when local government was having difficulty in even paying full salary. That was the situation we found on the ground. It’s the same thing with pension. Pension both at the local government and the state were having challenges.
“When I said that, then you can imagine there is no any way these people can have any savings. Because since they don’t have even enough to pay, where will they save? The entire allocation of the local government, sometimes it would be 1bn, their salary was already N1.1bn. Sometimes, it would be a little bit above N2bn, 2.4, 2.3. That was what we met. Today, the local government is boasting of N5bn. That is the situation just that the salary has also increased significantly to over N2bn,” he said.
Governor Sule dismissed any attempt to compare previous subsidy regime to the present regime under President Tinubu, stressing that evidence of the distribution and utilisation of the subsidy windfall is visible for all to see across the states and local government areas.
“Other people said that during Abacha’s time, after withdrawal of subsidy, there was PTF. During Jonathan after withdrawal of subsidy, there was SURE-P. Somebody was challenging why don’t we have similar thing now. Our own is different. Because the money is going to people. During the Abacha regime when there was the withdrawal, we did not have dualization of Shendam Road. We didn’t have dualization in Akwanga. We never saw dualization in Keffi. We didn’t saw any of those. Antau Bridge was collapsing at any given opportunity. The market in Keffi was witnessing frequent fire outbreaks and consuming the houses of people, their wealth and everything gone. The same thing here in Lafia, Akwanga and elsewhere.
“But today, we are not seeing development only in our senatorial zones headquarters, we are seeing development also in every town and some of the rural areas. That is where the money is going. In addition to that, they still have savings. This money that the local government sat down and agreed to pay is from their savings,” he said.
The Governor emphasized that the decision to offset part of the gratuity of former council chairmen and councillors was in line with the directive by President Tinubu for governors to ‘wet the ground’, especially at this difficult economic situation.
“I am so happy really that we did the little we did, and I had no idea about any meeting to say any thank you whatsoever. We just felt the need to touch the lives of the people at a very critical time like this. I didn’t know the faces. I didn’t even know it’s some of these big people who are there. This is a big joy for me. I thank God we did this. I thank God Almighty that we did this. We did it in line with our hope that we are going to touch the lives of people at this difficult economic period like this. I have no idea that it is going to touch the lives as we expected,” he said.
The Governor assured the members of the two forums that his administration would settle their outstanding balance in the next two or three months, once the local government areas are able to save sufficient funds to be able to pay.
This is just as Governor Sule used the opportunity of the visit to dismissed insinuations that he is supporting any of the 28 governorship aspirants seeking to take over from him come 2027.
He dismissed insinuations that he is either supporting the Accountant General of the state, Ahmed Mohammed, Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada or Dr. Faisal Shuaib, describing such claims as mere speculation.
The Governor said he will only support the aspirant that has the capacity to sustain the development strides of his administration.
He pointed out that Nasarawa State has enormous potential and that he will only support that aspirant who has the capacity to explore these potentialities.
“We have done the least that we can do, but we are doing great things for the future. Most of these organisations, in fact, we are only waiting for the President to tell us what day he will select even if he is sending somebody to represent him for the commissioning of the biggest lithium processing plant in the whole of Africa. The moment he does that, we have opened an opportunity for the state to have an improved IGR.
“When investors come in, that is when we will continue opening because the number of opportunities in Nasarawa is enormous. We can now move from there to Riri. Riri is going to be the next huge facility. Riri is under Deddere. They have already started the process for the construction. Then we are looking at Amba, which will follow next. Those are the ways we are going. I am not going to be able to be here when all these are being done. The prayer is that, by the grace of God, whoever is taking over from me will be somebody who will continue to carry the state to make more and more opportunities,” he added.
“That is the reason why if anybody tells you that I am supporting this, I am supporting that, it’s just grammar. People are just telling their stories. At one time, they said I was supporting the Accountant General. Then, at another point, they said it is Wadada. Then, at one point, they said it is Faisal. If you see people running back and forth like this, you know there is no truth in any of this. It’s just speculation,” he said.
Governor Sule told the members of the forum that he is yet to make up his mind on who to support amongst the governorship aspirants.
“You are hearing from me. I will support the person who has the capacity to deliver these opportunities. Who that person is, God has not shown the person at least to me yet. I am a friend to every one of them, and I support every one of them coming to contest. During our time, 11 of us contested, and 10 of them came and supported me without any ambiguity. I am forever grateful to them for that.
“Maybe the person who may be the governor has not even started. It is also possible. But people see the sincerity in me that I love every one of them but I am making sure that we have somebody that can deliver and carry this state the way we are carrying it now,” he said.
In their separate remarks, leaders of the delegation, Hon. Musa Adamu Sa’idu of the forum of former council chairmen and Hon. Hashimu Abubakar, leader of the former elected councillors, all appreciated Governor Sule for his sterling leadership and for carrying the people of the state along.
Members of the forums pledged their continued loyalty and support for the success of the Governor Sule administration.
