Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule has inaugurated a Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) and a road project executed by the Lafia Local Government Area.
Sule inaugurated the projects in Lafia, saying they demonstrated the development that local governments could deliver when allowed to manage their resources and determine projects based on the needs of their communities.
He dismissed the claim that local government autonomy began under President Bola Tinubu, saying councils in Nasarawa had been independently managing their resources and implementing development projects since he assumed office in 2019.
“Today we have reached a peak of projects. This is the way to make an impact in the lives of the people,” he said.
The governor commended the Lafia Local Government Chairman, Haliru Arabo, for constructing and equipping the healthcare facility to the required standard without financial support from the state government.
He urged Arabo to remain focused on delivering projects that would directly benefit residents.
Sule said other local government areas had also constructed roads to federal standards in recent days, citing projects in Wamba, Akwanga, Nasarawa Eggon and Doma carried out through reputable contractors.
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On the naming of projects after him, the governor said he was uncomfortable with such gestures while still in office.
“The best way to name something after me is when I am no longer in office. The ‘A.A. Sule Legacy’ you see on projects is not naming; it is to show who built it, so that mischievous people will not deny it tomorrow,” he said.
Sule also announced plans to resume work on the abandoned Kwandere-Karshi Road.
He said the road would be upgraded from surface dressing to a standard federal highway, with a stone base and asphalt, at an estimated cost of N40 billion.
According to him, negotiations had reduced the initial estimated cost of more than N50 billion.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Gaza Gwamna, described the newly inaugurated PHC as a Level 2 facility offering immunisation, malaria treatment, antenatal care and delivery services.
He said the facility would provide healthcare services to residents of the urban area.
Gwamna said independent assessors from the Federal Ministry of Health had rated PHCs in Nasarawa as comparable to general hospitals in other locations, attributing the assessment partly to adequate staffing.
The Commissioner for Local Government, Mr Aminu Maifata, said the Lafia project followed the governor’s directive for the full disbursement of signature bonuses to local councils.
He said Sule had also advised councils to invest part of their savings in equipping the healthcare facility.
Arabo said the PHC would serve residents of the Government Reserved Area (GRA), which previously had no healthcare facility.
He said the governor’s advice to local government chairmen to prioritise projects capable of leaving lasting legacies.
