Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has criticised political office holders who present routine responsibilities such as salary payments and road construction as achievements, insisting that leadership should be measured by impactful and innovative solutions.
Sule spoke at the 59th inaugural lecture of Nasarawa State University, Keffi, where he reflected on governance and the need for leaders to go beyond conventional approaches in addressing citizens’ needs.
His comments come amid growing public scrutiny of governance at subnational levels, with citizens demanding tangible improvements in living conditions.
He said, “A rendered project that has no direct impact on the people you are leading is no service. Any time you see a governor saying that one of my achievements is that I pay salaries or provide water, power, building roads, even if they are flyovers, that governor doesn’t know the hell he is talking about.
He said the government replaced repeated financial assistance to affected traders with the construction of a modern market, which has since eliminated incidents of fire outbreaks.
The governor also highlighted efforts to tackle flooding in Auta, near Keffi, noting that improved internally generated revenue enabled the construction of a bridge that has curtailed flooding in the area.
Also speaking, the President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Dr Ike Neliaku, commended Sule’s development efforts, particularly ongoing infrastructure projects across major corridors in the state.
NIPR Vice President, Prof Emmanuel Dandaura, in his lecture, warned that poor alignment between communication and performance could erode public trust in institutions.
