APC Governor Discusses How His Colleagues Have Enough Money to Tackle Insecurity: "You've No Excuse"
- Governor Abdullahi Sule urged northern governors to use increased revenue for economic transformation and to take responsibility for security
- He highlighted Nasarawa’s progress, citing new solid mineral plants, confirmed oil reserves, and plans to expand rice cultivation
- The Abuja summit focused on mining, agriculture and power, as FAAC confirmed sharing of N2.22 trillion among the three tiers of government in August
Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa state has called on his northern colleagues to stop passing blame and take responsibility for insecurity in their states.
He made the call on Monday, September 29, at the Northern Nigeria Investment and Industrialisation Summit in Abuja.
Source: Facebook
Revenue has quadrupled under Tinubu’s reforms
According to Sule, monthly allocations to federal, state and local governments have increased significantly since President Bola Tinubu’s reforms.
For the very first time in our history, all levels of government are getting more revenues than they ever thought possible.".
More than N2.2 trillion has been shared this month alone. In 2019 when I took over as the governor, we were disbursing anything between N590 billion to N620 billion. Now, it is four times that sum," he stated.
States have funds to secure their people
The governor stressed that states now have sufficient funds to strengthen security, Daily Trust reported.
“Every state now has the resources to secure its people. We should stop blaming anybody for our security. If we are blaming anybody, blame ourselves,” he said.
Nasarawa advances in mining and agriculture
Source: Facebook
Sule cited Nasarawa’s progress in solid minerals, where investors have been required to set up processing plants, including a 3,000-metric-tonne-per-day facility and a 6,000-tonne plant set for inauguration.
He also revealed confirmed oil reserves of five to seven million barrels and announced plans to boost rice cultivation from 3,300 hectares to 8,000 hectares before his administration ends, Vanguard reported.
Summit highlights industrialisation opportunities
The summit, themed Unlocking Strategic Opportunities in Mining, Agriculture and Power, brought stakeholders together to discuss strategies for regional industrialisation.
Earlier, the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) reported that N2.22 trillion was distributed among the three tiers of government in August from a total of N3.63 trillion.
Analyst slams Nigerian govs over Sule's revelation
Reacting to Governor Sule’s remarks, northern political analyst Hamma Hayatu told Legit.ng on Sunday, October 5, that the call was long overdue, accusing many governors of hiding behind excuses while insecurity worsened.
“Governor Sule has spoken the truth. Northern governors have for too long played the blame game while their people suffer. With the huge resources now at their disposal, they have no justification for failing to secure lives and property. The era of excuses is over,” Hayatu said.
He further criticised the leadership style of some governors, insisting that insecurity in many states persists because funds meant for security and development are not properly utilised.
“Nigerians are tired of rhetoric. The people will not forgive any governor who allows banditry and terrorism to thrive despite having four times the revenue of the past,” he added.
General Willians advises on how to tackle insecurity in 6 months
Previously, Legit.ng reported that the former military general disclosed that the government did not have to keep buying weapons, adding that “all these problems can be solved within six months. Reorganise the security agencies.”
He stressed the need to maintain the weapons Nigeria currently have in its military arsenal in the fight against the criminal elements in the country. He urged the authorities to "develop a new technical system, develop a new intelligence and counterintelligence system and train the people properly.
Williams decried a situation whereby some communities still support the terrorists and bandits, hence frustrating the government’s efforts. The retired general also questioned the role of traditional rulers in sensitising the people of the need to collaborate more closely with security agencies. On the issue of arms smuggling, he called on the Immigration, Customs and Police operatives to have more inter-agency synergy.
Proofreading by Kola Muhammed, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
