Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is fully aware of the hardship Nigerians are facing as a result of ongoing economic reforms.

Speaking during the Nasarawa State All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders’ meeting held at the Government House, Lafia, the governor said the President recognizes that while key economic indicators are improving, the impact has not yet reached ordinary citizens.

“The President said these are the challenges, these are the issues,” Gov. Sule told party stakeholders.

He said Tinubu directed governors to “go ahead and continue massive rural roads so it will help the people in the villages. Go ahead and provide water for these people. Go ahead and provide power to these people. Go ahead and engage in some kind of empowerment.”

He explained that despite improvements in foreign reserves, which have risen from under $30 billion to over $50 billion, and a capital market now worth hundreds of trillions, many citizens still feel no change.

“If you tell somebody from Angwan Takpa that foreign reserve is over 50 billion dollars, he will tell you, ‘What does that mean?’ It means nothing to him,” the governor said.

“If you tell the person that the capital market is flying, he will tell you, ‘How does that affect me? I’m not concerned.’”

To cushion the effect, Sule disclosed that $1 billion has been released by the Federal Government to relevant departments for direct interventions, including rural infrastructure, water, power, and empowerment programs.

On the state’s finances, Governor Sule said Nasarawa has witnessed significant improvement in federal allocations, rising from about ₦13 billion to a record high last month.

This, he said, has enabled the government to undertake more projects without borrowing, and has necessitated a supplementary budget currently before the State House of Assembly.

“Things have actually improved significantly, and that’s the reason why you are seeing all the work you are seeing without us borrowing anything from anywhere,” he stated.(Daily Trust)