Nasarawa gov faults colleagues listing salaries, roads as achievements

Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, on Wednesday criticised political office holders who present routine responsibilities such as salary payments and road construction as achievements, insisting that leadership should be measured by impactful and innovative solutions.

Sule spoke at the 59th inaugural lecture of Nasarawa State University, Keffi, where he reflected on governance and the need for leaders to go beyond conventional approaches in addressing citizens’ needs.

His comments come amid growing public scrutiny of governance at subnational levels, with citizens demanding tangible improvements in living conditions.

He said, “A rendered project that has no direct impact on the people you are leading is no service. Any time you see a governor saying that one of my achievements is that I pay salaries or provide water, power, building roads, even if they are flyovers, that governor doesn’t know the hell he is talking about.

This is because that was what you were voted to do in the first place. So, just because you are paying salaries, building roads and other projects, you think it is an achievement? That is not the leadership that people are looking for.

“But thinking outside the box to do things that people don’t actually expect that impact on them and what they do is what life is all about. That is what service is for.”

Sule cited interventions by his administration to address recurring challenges, including rebuilding markets prone to fire outbreaks

He said the government replaced repeated financial assistance to affected traders with the construction of a modern market, which has since eliminated incidents of fire outbreaks.

He stressed the need for accountability and responsiveness, noting that institutions must prioritise listening to stakeholders to maintain credibility.