Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has inaugurated a Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) and a road constructed by the Lafia Local Government Area, saying local councils in the state have enjoyed full autonomy since 2019.
Sule inaugurated the projects in Lafia and said they demonstrated the impact local governments could make when allowed to manage their resources and execute development projects.
“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 without financial support from the state government.
He urged Arabo to remain focused on delivering projects that would have a lasting impact on residents.
Sule said several local governments had recently constructed roads to federal standards in Wamba, Akwanga, Nasarawa Eggon and Doma, using reputable contractors.
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 that work would soon resume 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, following negotiations that reduced the initial cost from more than N50 billion.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Gaza Gwamna, described the PHC as a Level 2 facility that would provide immunisation, malaria treatment, antenatal care and delivery services to residents.
Gwamna said independent verifiers from the Federal Ministry of Health had rated PHCs in Nasarawa as comparable to general hospitals in other locations, citing adequate staffing as one of the factors.
The Commissioner for Local Government, Aminu Maifata, said the project resulted from the governor’s directive for the full disbursement of signature bonuses to local councils.
He said Sule had also advised councils to use part of their savings to equip the healthcare facility.
Arabo said the PHC would serve residents of the Government Reserved Area (GRA), where there had previously been no healthcare facility.
He said the governor’s advice to local government chairmen to focus on projects that would leave lasting legacies influenced the decision to construct the facility.
