Musa Ahmed Mohammed is the current Accountant General of Nasarawa State. He served as the Speaker, Nasarawa State House of Assembly for two terms, from 2007- 2015 after he resigned from the services of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to join politics. In this interview with NATHANIEL GBAORON, the accountant general, who holds the traditional title of the Barade of Nasarawa, spoke on the developmental strides of Governor Abdulahi Sule and how the governor has been able to prudently manage the state finances. Excerpts:
You are a former two-term speaker in the Nasarawa State House of Assembly and the present accountant general of the state under Governor Abdulahi Sule; how would you assess the developmental strides of the governor so far?
Even the blind without being told will have the feelings that the development we are experiencing in Nasarawa Sate today is unprecedented; it is something that is worthy of emulation by other contemporaries as far as this country is concerned. Of course, looking at every facet of development, is it the human capital development; is it infrastructural development, and what not? You will see that Engineer Abdulahi A. Sule is having a good bidding that is expected of the government by the people of Nasarawa State. Talking about infrastructural development as it were, there is no local government in Nasarawa State today that you go to without seeing at least, one road being constructed or schools being constructed or renovated. I want to say that this government is doing the best it can towards improving the lots of the people of Nasarawa State. If you take human capital development and youth empowerment for instance, I make bold to say that within one year that I have served in this government, Engineer Abdulahi Sule has empowered more than seven thousand youths in terms of employment. For instance, he just gave approval to recruit four thousand teachers in the Secondary Education Board of the state; before then there was an approval to employ more than one thousand teachers by the Teachers Service Commission, this if you add it, it will give you about more than five thousand already. Of course, before that he approved the conversion of casual staff in every agency into Nasarawa State civil service. This will give you another two thousand plus. Before then again, there was an approval by his Excellency to engage about one thousand five hundred and sixty youths in the Nasarawa State Primary Health Care Development Agency; this he directed should be done in phases and so far we’re done with one thousand people which I believe we will be done with the remaining five hundred by next year. If you add up all these you will discover that within this one year that I have served in this government as accountant general, this government has employed about seven to eight thousand civil servants and I make bold to say that this is an exemplary leadership; this is something that other states should emulate because for a government within one year to have done such and not talking about what he did in the previous four years is worth commendable. I am talking about this one year I have served in this government and as the person that pays, I know that this is what he has done. So, I want to say that the one year of the second term of His Excellency, Engineer Abdulahi A. Sule is perfect, apt, unprecedented and something that is worth of emulation by every living soul in government, in Nigeria.
What specific initiative or project has the Sule administration implemented that you believe has had the most significant impact on the state’s economic growth and development?
For you to be talking about which project he has done and is impactful, you have to talk about the background, what and what he has done that metamorphose into infrastructural development. You know very well that no meaningful government will achieve anything without relative peace. The first and the best is that he was able to ensure that the people of Nasarawa State are living harmoniously; they are living in peace among each other and the attainment of peace is most paramount and that is what he has done. Because there is nothing that will be achieved without a relative level of peace. Having attained that, there could be some challenges here and there which is normal in life. But even at that, he has done his best to see that there is peace in the state and by the grace of God we’re seeing the peace and the resultant effect of the peace is the developmental strides, the projects we’re seeing in Nasarawa State. Within Lafia metropolis, there is no place in the city that you will pass without seeing one road or the other being constructed. The most conspicuous one, the Lafia flyover, which we have not seen in most of the north central states and you can check it. So, what can we say for the kind of a prudent and open-minded person that we have in Nasarawa State, because his mind is clean, he is the kind of governor that will receive one naira and tells the whole state that I have received one naira. I stand to be corrected, I stand to be challenged and that is Engineer Abdulahi Sule for you and I believe that if every civil servant, every public servant is doing what Engineer Abdulahi Sule is doing, Nasarawa State will be a more better place for all.
As someone who has served in both the legislative and executive arms of government, how do you think the Sule administration has fared in terms of budget implementation and fiscal responsibility?
That can be seen even from the cordial working relationship within the arms of the government; you would have noticed that during this five years there is never a time that you would have heard that he was having issues with the budgetary provisions of the assembly. There was no time he was having issues with the state legislature about exceeding the budgetary provisions, that has qualified him for that his slogan that everybody is talking about that “Governor Abdulahi Sule has exceeded all his expectations.”
We remember when the All Progressive Congress (APC) gave the governor a national assignment, the governor had to return unspent funds; the party said it was unprecedented; how do you view this gesture?
He’s prudent; he has financial discipline and above all, he has the fear of God. I know that in most of our discussions between me and him, he will say Barade (the AG’s title) you know that it is not just about today; it is not just about the world, we shall account for whatever we’re doing in the hereafter. You can now see that it is not every person that will be administering the state or is administering the system with the fear of God. He has done the best that he can; he’s still doing the best and I believe that Nasarawa State as a system; Nasarawa State as a people and Nasarawa State as a government has not seen anything yet as far as this administration is concerned. He has so many good plans for the state. You would have listened to his first-year address where he said Nasarawa State has not seen the best of him yet; I can attest to that fact because I know what we have, I know what he intends to do based on the budgetary provisions that the state House of Assembly is ready to give the government a maximum support to deliver on the mandate’ we are yet to see the best of Engineer Abdulahi Sule.
What role do you think the government’s policies and programmes have played in addressing the state’s infrastructure challenges, such as road construction and healthcare facility upgrades?
You see, if you talk about role, the role of the government is to serve the people and I know that is what he is doing already and I don’t have to say what role he has played already because the people of Nasarawa are seeing what role he is playing in changing the narratives. What he is doing is not just about the urban areas, he is performing even in the rural areas. Today, his government has selected about three roads in each of the thirteen local governments. The rural roads are being constructed; this will help in changing the face of development on how those living in the rural areas can bring out their farm produce and this is as a result of the peace they are experiencing. He has made sure that there is peace in each of the areas people are living in various communities to metamorphose into having good output agricultural-wise, and bring it out. Now, roads are being constructed virtually everywhere in the state. So, I don’t have to say this is the role he is playing because the role he is playing is verifiable. Those in the urban areas are seeing it; those in the rural areas are also seeing it and they can attest to that; we don’t have to say it ourselves.
How has the Sule administration’s agricultural transformation agenda impacted the lives of farmers and the overall economy of the state, in your opinion?
Even three weeks ago, Governor Sule paid for the procurement of tractors; this will increase agricultural output. We are expecting more than sixteen trucks of fertilizer in the state; three or four months back we paid for more than seventeen trucks of fertilizer and it’s being distributed to farmers in the state. So, the government is doing everything; think of any aspect of life, Governor Sule is improving the narrative, and this has great impact on the people of Nasarawa State.
What about the areas of education and healthcare?
In the area of healthcare, the government engaged about one thousand, five hundred and sixty-six (1,566) health workers at the Primary Health Care Development Agency. He also approved the engagement of more than two to three hundred people at the state specialist hospital; these are personnel that will aid health service delivery in Nasarawa State. He also approved the engagement of health personnel at the Hospital Management Board, provision of equipment at the hospitals, all these are geared towards medical services in Nasarawa State. In terms of education, schools are being renovated, and new ones constructed. So, you can now see that in almost every sphere of life as far as this administration is concerned, he has touched virtually every aspect. We want to appreciate and urge him to continue in that trajectory.
The issues of pension and gratuity are areas that most governors have problem with; what is the situation in Nasarawa State?
Apart from the consistent payment he has been doing on pensioners which they are appreciating, he is also paying gratuities. Just last month he approved the sum of one billion naira (N1bn) to settle the backlog of gratuities of the past civil servants up to 2009 to 2010. You can now see that not just the civil servants that are benefiting from the system, even the pensioners are also benefiting and they are appreciating and they are also happy. I know that very soon, he is going to take from 2011 for others to benefit from this gesture.
Recently, President Bola Tinubu commended the governor for driving the solid mineral investment; from 2019 to date, a lot of factories have been built in the state, including Lithium company in Nasarawa local government where you come from; now, as a financial manager of the state, how does this impact the state revenue?
You see, apart from other mineral resources that are being extracted in Nasarawa State, recently there was a factory that Mr. President came to commission, because the advantage we’re having is that they’re not just extracting, but are also going to be processed within. Very soon, in Nasarawa State we can be on our own without the federal allocation and I believe that by the time the resultant effect of the Lithium and other mineral resources extracted from Nasarawa State begin to manifest and with good management I believe we can stand on our own. That is what Abdulahi Sule, the engineer of modern Nasarawa, is doing for the people of the state.
Recently, Governor Sule came out to tell the people of the state that he has received thirteen billion naira (N13bn) NG CARES; just last week after the council meeting, he again came out to tell the people of the state that he has received about 27 billion naira also from NG CARES and all these are for the people of Nasarawa State to know that this is what came in and this is what he is intending to do with it. I believe with the recent N27 billion, the people of Nasarawa State will see the best of Governor Sule.
You’re a politician that rose to the level of the speaker of the state House of Assembly, meaning you were the number three citizen of Nasarawa State; how do you cope with your followers and handling the key office of accountant general of the state?
I have been in service from 1992 to date; I was in the service of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for 14 years before I resigned and joined politics in 2007 and became speaker. So, the issue of managing human resources shouldn’t be a problem because my mates that I left in the service, three of them are permanent secretaries; others are directors in the FCT service today. If I were to be in the service, I would have three years to retirement. I thank God that I have diversified and moved to the public service. So, the issue of managing human resources shouldn’t be a problem especially as the speaker of the state assembly I have seen the good and the bad side of administration and politics; so, managing this is not a problem and is not going to be a problem in any way.
What is your general advice to the people of Nasarawa State?
I urge the people to continue to support the administration of Abdulahi A. Sule and also to live harmoniously with each other because it is only when there is peace that there will be development.
