President Bola Tinubu has commissioned the newly dualised Akwanga Township Road and the state-of-the-art 600-metre underpass in Akwanga Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
Tinubu, represented by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda Goshwe, performed the commissioning on Wednesday in Akwanga.
The President while recalling the bottlenecks that plagued commuters in the area during peak periods said, “Anybody who has seen this road before now knows how congested it used to be. The congestion, the delays, especially during festivities, meant it could take hours to pass through this road. The massive work you have done on this road in the shortest possible time is commendable,” Prof. Yilwatda noted.
He stated that Governor Sule’s aggressive infrastructure drive mirrors the federal government’s long-term economic vision to build highly resilient networks across the nation.
“This aligns with the cardinal objective of the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President: to provide critical infrastructure across the country building roads for the future, roads that will last for over 100 years. Building infrastructure that will support a $1 trillion economy. That is what Mr. President is doing,” he said.
The President, therefore, dedicated the newly dualised township road and underpass for the use of the people for productivity and the improvement of the state’s economy.
On his part, Governor Abdullahi Sule, while welcoming dignitaries to the event, detailed the extensive geopolitical and economic importance of the newly launched highway corridor.
“This is a road that addresses security and economic development, and connects the borders of Plateau and Nasarawa, and by extension, Gombe,” Governor Sule explained.
“The entire country is being connected from the eastern part to Abuja, back to Lafia, and then right here to Akwanga. It has become a hub, a connection that enables travel in all directions,” Sule said.
Governor Sule disclosed that the massive township development, alongside various ongoing rural infrastructure projects connecting agricultural, fishing, and mining hubs, was completed completely free of debt.
“All these projects were carried out without borrowing one naira from any bank whatsoever,” the Governor declared.
He attributed this fiscal capability to the bold macroeconomic reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration.
Governor Sule broke down the numbers, showing how federal policies like the unification of the foreign exchange market, subsidy removal, and the proposed adjustment of Value Added Tax (VAT) from 7.5% to 10% have significantly boosted state revenues.
“This has made it possible for governors like me, who came in 2019 and were receiving allocations of between 3.5 and 4 billion naira a month, to now receive between 13 and 15 billion naira a month. That is what has made it possible for us to carry out these projects across the state,” he added.
Governor Sule linked this aggressive infrastructure expansion directly to an influx of private global capital.
He cited the Avatar lithium processing plant, which was the largest in Nigeria when commissioned last year, and announced that a brand new, $800 million facility, the New Diamond Energy Lithium Processing Plant, is set for commissioning soon.
According to him, the new plant will have a massive capacity of 6,000 metric tons per day, making it the largest in West Africa.
The Governor explained that the tangible delivery of democratic dividends accounts for the APC’s political dominance in the state, referencing a recent by-election in which the APC secured 45,000 votes, while the two closest opposing parties combined managed only 23,000 votes.
He, therefore, appreciated President Tinubu for his support to the state and thanked the people for their support for his administration and the APC-led government at the centre.
