The Nigeria Development Update, a World Bank report series on states in the country has rated Nasarawa State top in terms of infrastructure spending.
Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule made the disclosure, when he hosted members of the Board of Trustees (BoT), of the Alago Development Association, a sociocultural group at the Government House in Lafia.
The governor who cited the latest World Bank report, which is yet to be made public, said, Nasarawa State was able to attain through improvement on budgetary allocation to develop infrastructure from N16 billion in 2019 to N33 billion in 2021, recording an increase of about 109 percent.
He added, during the same period, Nasarawa State was rated Number 16 best state in the country, jumping up from its previous position of Number. 28 in the index.
“The World Bank report rated Nasarawa State favourably on its fiscal responsibility index, placing Nasarawa second after Kwara State in the North Central geopolitical zone.”
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Sule emphasized that the state was able to attain these feats mostly because of the relative peace across the state.
The governor, who thanked the sociocultural group for the visit, announced that his administration would set up a reconciliation committee to resolve the lingering mutual suspicion between the Alago and Tiv Nations in the state.
This has become necessary in order to address a series of allegations over land occupation and other sundry issues that are constituting threats to peace, especially among the two ethnic groups.
He further reiterated the determination of his administration to pursue a peaceful resolution of the impasse, which can be attained through the setting up of the committee, to be chaired by the state deputy governor, Emmanuel Akabe.
He therefore commended the efforts of the National Boundary Commission and 177 military battalion in keffi and operation whirldstrock personnel for wading into the matter, towards redefining Nasarawa and Benue boundaries as well as reinforcing security along the border communities.
Earlier, the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Alago Development Association, Adole Adi Sabo, commended the leadership style of the governor, which is bringing about stability and peaceful coexistence among the different ethnic groups in the state.
Sabo then called the attention of the governor on the festering mutual suspicion between the Alago Nation and the Tiv Nation, urging the state government to intervene by constituting a panel of enquiry to look into the issue.
