Stakeholders from Nasarawa South have appealed to Governor Abdullahi Sule to construct more roads to facilitate the movement of agricultural inputs.
Speaking at the 2025 Citizens’ Budget Engagement for the southern senatorial zone of the state, a stakeholder from Awe Local Government Area, Mrs Safiya Adam, stated that without accessible roads to farms, transporting agricultural inputs remains difficult—resulting in higher costs of produce for ordinary citizens.
“Without access roads to the farm, bringing out farm inputs is difficult, making the farm produce expensive for the common man,” she said.
She further appealed to the government to construct a bridge from Tunga in Awe Local Government Area of Nasarawa State to Cinkai in Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State to ease inter-state vehicular movement.
Also speaking, Mr Dauda Azige-Duglu from Obi Local Government Area urged the state government to establish a general hospital in Agyragu to meet the healthcare needs of the growing population.
“The primary health centres in the area are overwhelmed and continue to render inadequate services due to the growing population,” he noted.
Other participants from Doma, Keana, Lafia, and Obi LGAs—namely Adamu Samuel Akwe, Hussaini Yakubu, Aishatu, and Musa Wabai—echoed Mrs Adam’s call for improved road infrastructure to support farming activities.
They also presented the pressing needs of their respective communities, which include the provision of infrastructure such as roads, schools, and health facilities.
Meanwhile, the State Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Planning, Munira Abdullahi, said that budgeting in the state is no longer a top-down process, but a people-centred one in which the voices, needs, and aspirations of citizens inform government planning and implementation.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr Polinus Felix Wahe, she told the gathering:
“This platform is useful for you to articulate the real needs of the people and the communities you represent.”
She added that the theme of this year’s consultation—“Fostering Collaboration in Resource Allocation: Key to Participation in Governance”—was apt.
“It seeks to ensure that every citizen, regardless of background or status, has a say in how government resources are allocated,” she said.
Responding to the various requests, the Director of Budget at the Nasarawa State Ministry of Finance, Budget and Planning, Mr Akolo Peters Ataka, explained that the objective of the meeting was to bring together non-state actors to contribute to the state’s 2026 budget.
“All your requests will be looked into and captured in the 2026 budget to stimulate transparency and accountability in the governance and budgeting process,” he assured.