PROTOCOL:

It is with gratitude to Almighty God and a sense of service to the people of Nasarawa State, that I address you today, on the occasion of the 1st year anniversary of our Administration, which also coincides with the 9th anniversary of the attainment of stable democracy in Nigeria.

2.    Let me commence this address by joining all Nigerians to felicitate with His Excellency, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, GCFR, President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, on his 1st year anniversary. May the Almighty God continue to grant Mr. President the wisdom, strength and grace in the discharge of his responsibilities to the nation.

3.    Ladies and Gentlemen, today is another remarkable day in our march to greatness. On this occasion, we must once more pay tribute to our founding fathers. We must also thank those who stood by us in the struggle to actualise the 2007 mandate.

4.    How can we forget the sweet victories we have recorded at the April 2007 general elections, the Nasarawa State Governorship Election Tribunal in Lafia and at the recent Governorship Election Appeal Tribunal at Abuja?

5.    My dear people of Nasarawa State, I must admit that I feel challenged by these victories and the unqualified support across the State and the country. I assure you all that I will continue to draw from the storehouse of this support to provide the much-needed leadership to build the Nasarawa State of our dream.

6.    You will recall that I stood here in your midst a year ago and solemnly pledged to deliver on my promises and mandate. The vision I cherish, which I believe is shared by all of you, is to take Nasarawa State to greater heights in all aspects of physical and human development.

7.    Today is the day that the Lord has set aside for us to engage in self reflection, stocktaking and strategic reappraisal, in our journey to greatness. In this connection, and in keeping with my inaugural address, we outlined our policies in a 13-point Agenda. This Agenda, you will agree, charts a path for a focused and sustainable social and economic development for our State.

8.    In arriving at the agenda, we drew our strength and inspiration from:

1)    The requirements of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
2)    The vision and mission of the founding fathers of the state;
3)    The philosophy and direction of our great Party, the PDP;
4)    Our campaign promises; and,
5)    The imperatives of the Millennium Development Goals.

9.    My dear compatriots, I am happy to report that the implementation of our 13-point Agenda has already commenced with a well articulated 2008 fiscal budget, tagged “Budget of Transformation”. This budget focuses on economic empowerment, infrastructural development, as well as human and capital resource development. The core values of the budget are fiscal discipline, transparency, accountability and prudence in the management of available resources.

10.    Ladies and gentlemen, in our journey to the proverbial Promised Land, we must have to pass through valleys, deserts and mountains. In order to smoothen the process of this journey, this Administration has found it necessary to commission a 5-year development plan for the State which will serve as a roadmap for the sustainable development of Nasarawa State.

11.    My dear people of Nasarawa State, I will now proceed to give you a brief account of our stewardship in the past one year based on our 13-point Agenda.

12.    SECURITY: The primary responsibility of any Government is the provision of security for the lives and property of its citizens. To this end, we have continued to work in collaboration and cooperation with security agencies. We have also engaged in joint operations with the neighbouring States in the fight against crime and criminality. We are happy with this approach which is already producing remarkable results. Accordingly, our participation in Operation G6 will be sustained. I salute the dedication and professionalism of our security agents and count on the support of the general public in this endeavour.

13.    AGRICULTURE: Agriculture no doubt remains the dominant enterprise of our people. Eighty percent of our people are engaged in agriculture for livelihood. Our agricultural policy is therefore directed towards the attainment of food sufficiency and security as well as job creation and wealth generation. This is even more critical in the face of the current global food crisis. Our efforts in this direction include:

1.    Construction of Agro Processing and Marketing Centre at Keffi for the export of Yams, Sweet Potatoes and other associated crops to Great Britain and other European markets.
2.    Procurement of 630,000 bags of assorted fertilisers. This represents 400% increase over the last year’s supply. The fertilisers are currently being distributed to our farmers at the subsidised cost of N1,800.00 per bag;
3.    Purchase of 50 additional tractors, thereby bringing the total of Government fleet to 130 tractors;
4.    Micro-credit facilities were guaranteed for cooperatives and thrift societies through the Fadama III agricultural scheme;
5.    Mass inoculation was undertaken to protect livestock and poultry against deadly diseases;
6.    Promotion of large-scale production of Beniseed for international markets and encouragement of local industries.
7.    Sixty Million Naira (N60,000,000.00) was donated to the Nigeria Agricultural Foundation towards the construction of a permanent Nigeria International Agricultural Trade Fair Complex at Tudun Wada, in Karu Local Government Area of the State.

14.    EDUCATION: Education holds the key to the future of the State, and indeed, of any society. The condition of our educational system required immediate salvation. This is why this Administration saw the need to set up a high powered committee of distinguished professionals to guide government in repositioning and refocusing the sector. In the meantime, the following measures were undertaken:

1.    Regular payment of Teachers’ salaries and allowances;
2.    Procurement of 3000 collapsible desks and chairs and placement of order for additional 100,000 units for use in our primary and junior secondary schools;
3.    Payment of outstanding counterpart funds to the Universal Basic Education Commission;
4.    Construction and rehabilitation of additional classrooms in primary and junior secondary schools;
5.    Government has decided to takeover full payment of JSCE and SSCE examination fees for indigenes of the State with effect from the 2008/2009 academic session;
6.    We have paid all arrears of scholarship allowances to our students. Additionally, incentive packages have been put in place to encourage the pursuit of higher education by indigenes of the State in the public service and academia;
7.    Procurement of text books and teaching materials for primary and secondary schools at the cost of One Hundred Million Naira (N100,000,000.00);
8.    Provision of increased funding in our tertiary institutions for infrastructural development;
9.    Government has recruited over 200 teachers and promoted 350 others during the year;
10.    Donation of building complex and other infrastructure for the establishment of the National Open University of Nigeria Study Centre at Lafia, the State capital;
11.    Sponsorship of 15 students of Nasarawa State origin to undertake specialised training in the National Aviation University, Ukraine;
12.    Procurement of 2,000 double bunk beds for use in our boarding secondary schools.

15.    HEALTH: Health is Wealth. The deplorable condition of our health facilities necessitated urgent action. Consequently, a High-powered Health Care Assessment Committee made up of eminent practitioners was set up towards the general overhaul of the health sector. The committee has since submitted its report which is receiving attention;

1.    We have in collaboration with the Millennium Development Goals office, embarked on the rehabilitation and reconstruction of 58 Primary Health Care Clinics at various locations in the State at the cost of One Billion Naira;
2.    We have sustained free treatment for HIV/AIDS patients, pregnant women, as well as malaria treatment for children under the age of five;
3.    More medical personnel are being recruited for our general hospitals and other medical establishments;
4.    The School of Nursing and Midwifery, Lafia, as well as the School of Health Technology, Keffi, have been renovated and furnished to meet accreditation standards;
5.    Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital has been accredited for post graduate training of doctors.  

16.    URBAN AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT:

i.    We have started our urban renewal scheme with the construction of township roads and installation of street lights in Lafia, the State Capital. A new Nasarawa State Urban Development Board has been established to accelerate the implementation of the programme.
ii.    A revolution in rural road development has started in Nasarawa State with the first phase covering 334KM at the cost of Sixteen Billion Naira. The affected roads are:
a.    Gitata-Panda-Karu Road (64Km);
b.    Doma - Akwatta Road (50Km);
c.    Toto - Umaisha Road (50Km);
d.    Doma-Agyaragu; Kadarko-Giza-Keana; Agaza-Agwatashi and Obi-Assakio Roads (88Km);
e.    Kokona Junction - Agwada - Udege Beki road (52Km);
f.    Nasarawa Eggon - Mada Station road - 30Km.
iii.    At design stages are:
a.    Gudi junction - Ungwar Zaria - Nunku road;
b.    Adudu-Azara-Wuse-Akiri-Plateau border road.

17.    WATER AND ELECTRICITY SUPPLY

1.    The lingering problem of water supply in the State is being addressed. We have commenced the rehabilitation and upgrading of water schemes in Lafia, Doma, Keana, Nasarawa Eggon, Akwanga and Nasarawa. Other urban and semi-urban centres shall also be provided with water schemes in due course.  Arrangements are also being made for all on-going rural water supply schemes to be completed by the end of the year.
2.    Contract worth One Hundred Million Naira (N100,000,000.00) has been awarded for the supply of additional transformers to boost electricity supply to Lafia and environs. It is envisaged that power supply to these areas will double with the completion of this project.  Other major urban centres will be similarly treated, while the completion of on-going rural electrification schemes in the State is being accelerated.

18.    COMMERCE AND INDUSTRIES:

1.    Construction works at the Lafia and Keffi markets are progressing steadily, while negotiations have reached advanced stage for the repossession of Karu International Market.
2.    The lease agreements on all Government-owned companies are being reviewed with a view to deriving maximum benefit from the investments.
3.    It is gratifying to report that a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the State Government and Harbin Cement Nig. Ltd. for the establishment of a Cement Factory in the State. 
4.    Another Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the State Government and Siman Hotels Ltd for the construction of a 5-Star hotel in Lafia, the State capital.
5.    The Nasarawa Investment and Property Development Company hotel project has been completed and commissioned in the name of Conference Hotel, Lafia.
6.    Nasara Water Bottling Plant which is also a project of the same company, has similarly been completed and commissioned with the product name of Nas Spring Water.
7.    A micro-finance bank with branches in all the Local Government Areas of the State is being established in partnership with Oceanic Bank Plc to promote commercial activities and wealth creation.

19.    HOUSING:

1.    The Nasarawa Investment and Property Development Company Limited, Site and Services Scheme in Karu has been completed and is ready for allocation to successful applicants.
2.    Nasarawa State Government, in partnership with the Federal Government has finalised arrangements for the construction of 1,000 housing units in the Greater Karu area.
3.    Construction of 500 units of houses in Lafia for civil servants in the State will soon take off.

20.    TOURISM AND CULTURE:

i.    Grand Parks Ltd and Imani Resorts Ltd have shown interest in developing tourism facilities in Greater Karu in partnership with the State Government.
ii.     Plans and designs for the construction of Eco-Tourism Resort at Farin Ruwa have been completed. Funds are being raised from the capital market for the take off of this world class project.
iii.    We have continued to excel in the field of arts and culture. The State won first position in NIFEST 2007. We have represented Nigeria at the International Tourism Fair held in Berlin this year and shall do same in Spain come July, 2008.



21.    SOLID MINERALS DEVELOPMENT:

1.    Nasarawa State is the Home of Solid Minerals. Although solid minerals development is fundamentally a federal project, we are at our level encouraging the promotion of small-scale mining and checking the menace of illegal miners.
2.    The Nasarawa State Mineral Development Company is being revived and restructured to meet the challenges of this sector of our economy.  In the mean time, we have continued to win awards of excellence at national and international exhibition of mineral resources.

22.    CIVIL SERVICE REORGANISATION:

i.    The State Civil Service has been reorganised and restructured for effective and efficient service delivery.
ii.    Civil servants are being trained and exposed to modern management techniques.
iii.    Salaries are being paid as and when due, while the release of overhead costs to all ministries and departments has been revived and is now being paid regularly.
iv.    Provision of conducive working and residential environment is being stepped up, starting with the commissioning of the State Planning Commission and Water Board headquarters, as well as office complex for Special Advisers, among others.
v.    Ultimately, the desire of this Administration is to construct a befitting state secretariat for all public servants.
vi.    Government House, Lafia has been comprehensively renovated and refurnished befitting the image of the State Government.
vii.    The office and residential accommodation of the Deputy Governor have similarly been renovated and upgraded.

23.    INTERGOVERNMENTAL COOPERATION:

i.    We have facilitated the presence of the Central Bank of Nigeria in the State by providing necessary infrastructures for the take off of its Currency Centre at Lafia, the State Capital.
ii.    We have signed a Concession Agreement between the Federal Government, Kogi State, Nasarawa State and Messrs Swede (Nig.) Ltd for the construction of the Guto-Bagana bridge across River Benue.  Nasarawa State equity participation in this N24 billion project is 10% amounting to N2.4 billion. The socio-economic benefits of this project are enormous, as it will open up this landlocked part of the State to the world for Tourism, Commerce and Industry.
iii.    The year under review also witnessed the establishment of the NNPC Mega Filling station in Lafia and the ongoing construction of the Federal Government Skills Acquisition Centre in Lafia.
iv.    The Federal High Court has already arrived in Lafia awaiting commissioning.

24.    SPORTS DEVELOPMENT:
    Our sportsmen and women have continued to shine in both national and international competitions. 

i.    King Osanga, MON, is a member of the Nigerian Golden Eaglets that won the 2007 FIFA Under-17 World Cup Championship in South Korea.
ii.    Similarly, having won a number of competitions here in Nigeria, Agwada United Under-16 Football Club has qualified to represent Nigeria at the 2008 World Youth Under-16 Football competition in Oslo, Norway.
iii.    At the 2007 National Wrestling Competition, our wrestlers won 5 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medals.

25.    My dear people of Nasarawa State, at this juncture, I need to point out that our achievements in the past one year did not come to us on a platter of gold. They came as a result of focus, dedication and commitment to build a socio-economically viable State.

26.    In the process, we faced enormous challenges. Challenges which were difficult to overcome, but which, with determination and the help of God, we forged ahead. Some of these challenges included:

1.    Inadequate and unsteady inflow of funds for the smooth implementation of programmes and projects;
2.    Inadequacy of indigenous professional and technical manpower necessary for the execution of projects;
3.    A weak private sector capacity incapable of playing significant role in economic stimulation, especially in the light of Government initiative on Public Private Partnership;
4.    General apathy regarding private sector driven investment opportunities;
5.    The weight of liabilities inherited from previous Administrations. The challenge in this regard was how to manage these liabilities in the face of a compelling need to accelerate our development efforts;
6.    Poor infrastructural facilities, making it difficult to attract investors to the State.

27.Ladies and gentlemen, these were some of the serious challenges we met and are still facing in our march forward. However, in spite of all these, we remain focused and determined to move Nasarawa State forward in the struggle for progress and development. All these call for greater sacrifices from everyone.

28.I need to point out however, that for as long as there are still families with no roofs over their heads; children learning under trees with no classrooms or instructional materials and qualified teachers; women who wonder where the next meal for their orphaned children will come from; youths who roam the streets looking for employment; villages with no source of good drinking water or electricity, - that long, there is more work to be done and more sacrifices to be made by all of us.

29.Accordingly, I call on all and sundry to rededicate ourselves to the Nasarawa State Project. On my part, I will continue to work till I see large scale farms cultivated by our tractors; I will only sleep when patients in our hospitals receive the best medical attention; I will smile when our children survive the 5 killer diseases. I will feel fulfilled when I see our produce in international markets; when our farmers get the worth for their labour and our workers own their living apartments. Yes, that is when I will say that we have lived the Nasarawa dream.

30.Ladies and gentlemen, let us make more sacrifices so that when future generations ask about the leaders of our time; when the history of this State comes to be written someday, our names can be written in gold. My dear brothers and sisters, this can only happen when we put our differences behind us and come together for the common good. This is the only way forward.

31.There is a silver lining ahead of us. There lies before us a land of milk and honey. To reach there we must continue this journey with unity, vision, purpose and collective resolve to wrestle ourselves from Poverty! Poverty!! Poverty!!!

32.My dear people of Nasarawa State, we all know where we are coming from and we all know where we want to go. With God on our side, and a bold determination to achieve, we shall surely reach our destination, in honour of our founding fathers. To God be the glory! Alhamdu Lillah.

33.Your Excellencies, Your Royal Highnesses, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I thank you immensely for your individual and collective support and understanding. I wish you all a joyous Democracy Day and celebration of our 1st Year in office.

34.Thank you and God bless.