Abdullahi Sule, Nasarawa State governor, says President Bola Tinubu is aware of the hardship Nigerians are facing following the economic reforms and has directed governors to intensify interventions to ease the burden. Sule spoke on Wednesday at the Nasarawa State All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House, Lafia, where he acknowledged the growing disconnect between improving economic indicators and the realities confronting ordinary Nigerians.
He said Tinubu recognised the challenges and had instructed governors to invest more in basic infrastructure and empowerment. “The President said these are the challenges, these are the issues,” Sule quoted Tinubu as saying.
He added that the President directed governors to “continue massive rural roads,” provide water and electricity, and “engage in some kind of empowerment.” Sule said foreign reserves had risen from below $30 billion to over $50 billion, while the capital market had also expanded significantly, but ordinary Nigerians were yet to feel the impact.
“If you tell somebody from Angwan Takpa that foreign reserve is over 50 billion dollars, he will tell you, ‘What does that mean?’ It means nothing to him,” he said. The governor disclosed that $1 billion had been released by the federal government for direct interventions in rural infrastructure, water, power and empowerment. He said improved federal allocations had also strengthened Nasarawa’s finances, allowing the state to execute projects without borrowing.
“Things have actually improved significantly,” Sule said. The interventions came amid public concerns over the rising cost of living and the immediate social impact of the administration’s economic reforms.