The governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, has admitted that his state is one of the biggest beneficiaries of fuel subsidy removal with the raking in of over N16 billion monthly from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) sharing.
Governor Sule, made the disclosure while receiving the Renewed Hope Ambassadors on inspection of federal and state governments projects in the state yesterday.
While concurring with the claim by the Presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, who noted that President Bola Tinubu took the bullet on behalf of the state governors after removing the fuel subsidy, Governor Sule said that he has prosecuted several projects from funds the federal government freed to the sub-nationals.
He revealed that what his state was getting before the removal of fuel subsidy was between N3.8 billion and about N4.5 billion monthly while the local governments were getting between N1.9 billions to N2.5 billion monthly.
His words: “I am so happy to see the faces of the media personnel that came with you because it will give them the opportunity to see what we have done. But, they are not just going to inspect, they are also going to assess.
“I came from the private sector, so every contract I give, I give the amount that we are spending on that contract so that people can make the difference with the kind of money we are receiving.
“I can tell you for free that you are right when you say that President Tinubu took the bullet on our behalf. In my first four years, everybody knows the federal government was sharing between maybe N590 billion to about N620 billion a month as the total FAAC allocation.
“For Nasarawa State, what we were getting was between N3.8 billion and N4.5 billion for the state. For the local government, it was between N1.9 billions and N2.5 billion every month.
“With the removal of fuel subsidy, I can tell you for free that Nasarawa State today is receiving an average of N14 to N16 billion a month. But you have to go back and find out our expenses.
“That is why they accused me of being very straightforward in criticising anything not right, arguing that I am no longer a straightforward person now that I am commending the government. So, anytime I tell the truth about the good things happening, I am no longer a good person.”
Earlier, in his remarks, Onanuga had said that it was gladdening that after President Tinubu took the bullet for the governors – after subsidy removal, the sub-nationals have been enjoying the benefits with the landmark projects being executed by the states.
(The Sun)