Dr Usman Mandula
Dear Governor A. A. Sule: There is no need for you to relocate to America or Saudi Arabia
I am compelled by the pressure of my conscience, fear of the negative judgment of posterity and driven by the passion for you to succeed, to once again write you another letter. I hope you’re in high spirit as you are battling with the challenges of making Nasarawa state better than when you met it.
I also pray that Allah will grant you abundant wisdom and the courage to take the profoundly giant steps towards achieving magnificent and gigantic successes. May Allah also save all of us from the ravaging Covid 19 disease.
This letter was conceived at the time the video on you saying “…you will relocate to the United States or Saudi Arabia…if you’re not given a second term in office” went viral in the social media’. Initially I took it for a prank which was why I delayed this letter. But I thought I should write you now just in case you were serious about it.
Although I’m not a historian, my little knowledge about world history taught me how the world is inundated with great leaders who had done greatly in changing their societies to some sort of Mecca, an industrial hub and tourist destination. Today we have places like China, Newyork, Dubai, London, Malaysia, the U. A. E, Paris, South Africa, Lagos, etc. All are great places in the world today because their leaders did the needful.
Your Excellency Sir, we can do better than those great places of the world, given the abundant resources in Nasarawa state. In fact, with you, an Engineer of global exposure as our Governor, it makes it easier. For the avoidance of doubt, let me share some ideas with you.
1) Greater Karu: this is your cash cow. The proximity of the area to federal capital gives you enormous opportunities for perpetual revenue generation and a place we can creat our modern city reminiscent of Dubai. For example, assuming one million vehicles comes goes out and another one million comes into Nasarawa state everyday and each is tasked #100 development levy per trip, it will give you #200m per day. It means the state will make approximately #6B monthly. By the time we do same on signboards and billboards, hotels, PAYE, and other neglected taxable areas, Nasarawa state will be one of the richest in Nigeria. Besides, we can lobby the federal government to pay us some compensation in billions of naira for the so much pressure on our infrastructure due to influx of workers residing in our state. But importantly, this will give us the profound collateral for massive foreign credit facility to creat a 3D modern cities around Mararaba, Gurku, Pyanku, Ara, etc. The regeneration of revenue from this can be utilized for further development e.g Farin Ruwa tourist reserve, Gudi dry port, Loko/Umaisha Riverside city and Lafia 3D city. We can even turn around the hills around Nasarawa Eggon to a befitting hillside tourist and sports centers of global attraction. Sir, by the time we do this, Nasarawa state will be another investment capital of the world. Then we cannot wait federal monthly allocation or pay workers in percentages. In fact, social problems like poverty, unemployment, indolence, political thuggery, hopelessness and crime would have been drastically reduced.
2) Keffi Abattoir: although I don’t know the status of the place right now, I guessed it was awaiting handing over. That venture if put to optimum use, it is capable of generating thousands of job and business opportunities especially for the youth around that geopolitical zone of the state. This is apart from generating millions of naira in revenue both for the state and local government.
3) Akwanga Packaging company: this does not deserve to be abandoned. The demand for packaging materials by man is not only inevitable but it has increased over the years. Even if it is for pure water pack leather packs and other jackets, there is no any industry that produces that around the north central including Abuja. This means that the market is readily available. We can put it into use and even leases it out. It will serve as additional source of revenue to the state. It will also help reduce the rate and levels of poverty, unemployment, indolence, political thuggery and hopelessness among our people especially the youth.
4) Lafia Rice mill: needless to say that we are a rice producing state. But with an improved Lafia rice mill which will be complemented by the Akwanga Packaging company we can become a force to reckon with in rice production in Africa. To do this is simple. We should bring the unemployed youths in Lafia together with rice millers and provide them with intensive training on the technical fundamentals of modern rice milling.
Make area environmentally friendly and invite investors to come in by also providing the take off capital and we hit the ground running. The revenue that will accrued to the state from this will stun you and that is apart from drastically reducing the rate and levels of poverty, unemployment, indolence, etc.
Sir, due to lack of space, I will like to stop here. I know you will agree with me that there is no need for you to relocate to anywhere.
May Allah continue to bless you. Thanks a lot.
Dr Usman Mandula