Gov. Abdullahi Sule

NKRUAMH BANKONG-OBI/Lafia

The Nasarawa State government says it favours the creation of state police and will sign up Senior Special Assistant to Governor Abdullahi Sule on Public Affairs, at an interactive session with journalists in Lafia, on Monday. “The state has always been in support of state police. His Excellency [Gov. Sule] has said in various fora, that this is something that has to do with some legislation. So, the state has not jumped to a conclusion because it is something that has to do with legislation at both the national and state levels. When that is done, Nasarawa State will take a position on that.

On the local council elections that have been on hold since last year, the government’s spokesperson assured that all the impediments to the conduct of the polls have been cleared. “The court issue has now been settled. Govt is ready to conduct elections. Now that His Excellency is back in the country [after attending the United Nation’s General Assembly in the United States of America], I want to assure you that the Nasarawa State Independent Electoral Commission, NASIEC, the body saddled with the responsibility of conducting that election, will be rolling out activities for that election. A level playing ground will be provided for all parties to fully participate freely.

The governor’s aide who spoke on sundry issues, from infrastructure to human capital development, healthcare and governance noted that the Sule administration is determined to leave the State better than it met it. On infrastructure, Ahemba focussed on the signature projects of the administration, including the first flyover in the state, the state secretariat complex, the dual carriageway in Akwanga, the relocation of the state-owned Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital from Lafia to Akwanga, among others. He said besides this, the government is embarking on massive rural road construction and opening up communities across the thirteen local government areas for business and leisure.

He noted that many initiatives have been undertaken to improve the State’s human capital index. He listed these to include skill acquisition, employment and distribution of tools to aid the youths become gainfully employed. “While His Excellency gives due attention to infrastructural development, human capital development has also been given its fair share of the governors’ attention. This is why the government has been able to empower a lot of youths. Today, the unemployment rate of Nasarawa State has reduced drastically. Nasarawa State is no longer talking about unemployment because the government has initiated a lot of programmes including the training of our youths in the skill acquisition centres,” adding that there has been employment of personnel into the various Ministries Department and Agencies of government while regularization of appointment of those who were engaged as casuals has also been undertaken.