When experience meets leadership, development becomes a work in progress. The recent emergence of Engr Abdullahi A Sule into the political leadership landscape of Nasarawa state comes with the hope of making this saying a reality. With a 35 years working experience at the highest echelon of leadership in the public and private sectors of Nigeria economy, Engr AA Sule is better prepared for the leadership challenge in Nasarawa state. With a broad knowledge of the international dynamics to Nigeria’s political economy and an in-depth understanding of the complexities of Nasarawa state economy, Eng Sule is no stranger to getting the work done-which is basic to public administration
Nasarawa state is one of the most centrally located states in Nigeria. By virtue of its geographical location, the state is best poised to benefit from its strategic proximity to the federal capital city of Abuja. Nasarawa state is endowed with a host of investment potential, this informed why it is known as the home of solid minerals.
Nasarawa state have a young population that is predominately rural, this explain why the agricultural sector still remains the largest employer of labour in the state, with 80% of its population engage in that sector of the economy. Virtually all the local governments in the state is blessed with one solid mineral resources of some sort. With the recent discovery and further exploration of crude oil in Keana local government area of the state, the state is poised to join the exclusive league of oil producing states in Nigeria.
The electoral victory of Engr A.A Sule in the recently completed governorship polls has been greeted with enormous expectation by indigenes and settlers of the state alike. This was not to be unexpected considering his campaign pledges and manifesto. One of the cardinal focus of his campaign manifesto was his desire to establish the Nasarawa state development council. Although, an advisory body in function, it would serve as a spring board for the economic development of the state. Also in the area of agriculture, the governor elect pledged to ensure a profitable agricultural sector which would serve as a tool for job creation premised on value addition while ensuring food security.
During his campaign trail, he harped on the need to increase the state internally generated revenue base. This was intended to in his words, “augument what we get from the federation account, something Nasarawa state badly badly needs”. The aim is to generate the much needed revenue to fund the state social intervention programmes under his stewardship like, the SME ambassadors programme which will empower 3000 youths, women and physically challenged indigenes of Nasarawa state origin. He also promised to establish industrial zones in each of the three senatorial zones to ensure rapid industrialization- which would be the defining characteristic of his administration.
For this laudable individual initiative to become a viable, practicable and implementable government policy document, the gov elect has identified the educational sector as core to his industrialization plan for the state. Basic to this is the training and retraining of teachers in primary and secondary schools, a focus on the girl child education and, the continuation of the special schools for the physically challenge- a programme initiated by the Al Makura administration. Furthermore, the incoming administration of Engr A.A. Sule has prioritized the upgrading of technical colleges and the establishment of new ones in each of the three senatorial zones in the state so as to provide the requisite man power required to drive the state industrialization.
In conclusion, if these laudable targets are to be achieved, the governor elect should as a technocrat that he is, put square pegs in square holes by constituting in the first three month of his administration a cabinet that understand and share his vision for Nasarawa state. Since the biggest causality of social exclusion are the youths and women, the governor elect should ensure women and youths are equitably represented in his cabinet and strategic positions of government. His administration should begin an earnest process of overhauling the system of tax administration of the state in order to avoid the duplication of tax functions by the various agencies of government-so as to make the state attractive to foreign and local investors. Furthermore, the civil service of the state be should be reform to be better position for effective service delivery; Also, the process of diversification of the state economy from a civil service and agriculture oriented economy, to a robust industrial economy should be intensified. In addition, the incoming administration should religiously key into the Single Treasury Account policy of the federal government to ensure accountability and transparency in public finance, and also key into the Anchor Borrower Scheme of the Central Bank in areas where the state enjoys comparative advantage.
