Our attention has been drawn to a malicious and scandalous publication credited to one Abdullahi Ibrahim Aibro on his Facebook wall, accusing the former governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Umaru Tanko Al-makura of leaving behind huge debts while he served as governor. While buttressing his points, AIBRO tried to give reasons why the unity of Senator Al-Makura and his successor, Gov. AA Sule is not beneficial to the state. This is clueless!
It is unfortunate that a politician like Aibro who runs from one political party to another as desperation for power who should dwell on the unity of the people of Nasarawa state, has been found fanning the embers of division amongst our leaders.
The first claim made by Hon. Aibro that the administration of Sen. Al-Makura bequeathed a debt profile of over N90billion was incorrect.
According to the statement, Hon. Aibro had allegedly revealed in his malicious report that the Engr. AA Sule administration inherited over N90billion debt from the administration of former governor Tanko Al-Makura. It’s on record that through the tenure of former governor Al-Makura, the government obtained only one commercial loan and a Bond facility for the provision of infrastructure (Lafia, Akwanga, Karu-completion-, Hostel development in tertiary institutions and Hospitals in Lafia, Akwanga and Nasarawa. All these loans/Bonds were repaid years before the expiration of the tenure of Almakura’s Government. We however acknowledge the receipts of various intervention loans from the federal government. These were concessionary loans by federal government to especially to states with heavy financial burdens and lean purse. All states were beneficiaries except Lagos and Akwa Ibom states. For example, the government benefited from bailout loans, infrastructure loan, and budget support facility loan.
Before its tenure ended on May 29, 2019, the government of Sen. Al-Makura ensured repayment of FG intervention funds. Such refund was effected despite the machinations of detractors, some of whom are very visible now.
At no time was the government of Sen. Al-Makura spendthrift or engaged in frivolities in the management of very lean resources. It is therefore uncharitable for Hon. Aibro to consider unpaid pensions and gratuities that were accrued right from the then plateau state as debt. As government is a continuous process, Sen. Al-Makura was able to clear backlogs of these pensions and gratuities. His successor is therefore expected to continue from where he stopped.
On the issue of payment of salaries in percentage, I expected Hon. Aibro to avail himself with facts and figures as comparison from one state to another before coming to social media to prove his ignorance. Aside being the first state government to implement the national minimum wage of N18,000, former governor Al-Makura has been applauded for approving the salary table slightly above the federal government. This has clearly shown his commitment towards bettering the lives of the civil servants which he was recognised, appreciated, and emulated across the country. To make the record straight, Almakura has never paid State Government staff in percentages throughout his tenure. Percentage salaries was paid to LG staff because their Statutory allocations cannot pay their staff salaries, let alone embark on Development efforts. He only intervened to save the LG system, for which he has no Constitutional duty, by ensuring that LG staff are not left suffer. It is not the Constitutional responsibility of Almakura to pay LG staff salaries, please
It is also completely unfair for Hon. Aibro to say that there was aggressive effort to execute or complete projects at wee hours of the administration of Sen. Al-Makura. Contrary to what Hon. Aibro said, the Lafia cargo airport was ready for use and there was test flight before Sen. Al-Makura vacated office on May, 29. The school of nursing was occupying a ramshackle environment at Makurdi road, until the intervention of Sen. Al-Makura who provided them a befitting teaching and learning environment at Akurba road, Lafia. On the Nasarawa House in Abuja, it is not always about writing or making false claims to confuse the gullible public, but I want to advise Hon. Aibro to do his research very well. Before Al-Makura exited office as governor, Nasarawa House in Abuja was commissioned and put to use, which is today one of the cash cows of the state government. If we cannot say thank you to Sen. Al-Makura for what he has done for Nasarawa state, I think we should be fair to him by keeping mute.
On the issue of insecurity, if Hon. Aibro would be fair enough to himself, I expected him to give the background history of insecurity in Nasarawa state. This is an issue that predate Nasarawa state. Right from the then plateau state, the issue of insecurity has continued to bedevilled our people. All administrations in Nasarawa state have had their shares of different security situations. Not to talk of Bassa/Egbira community clashes, fermers/herders clashes, kidnapping, etc. which are recurrent decimal right from the days of Benue/Plateau, Plateau and now Nasarawa state. Therefore, it’s uncharitable for Hon. Aibro to single out Senator Al-Makura that he was not able to provide solutions to these problems that predate his existence on earth.
I call on Hon. Aibro to desist from concocting fake reports that could divide the state.
The choice of Engr. AA Sule by the people of Nasrawa State was a reward for Al-Makura’s integrative dispositions, a situation which has won him the confidence of the generality of the people of Nasarawa state.
For 8years as governor, Sen. Al-Makura has displayed uncanny commitment to the unity, oneness and greatness of our dear state. We therefore urge members of the public and great people of Nasarawa state to dismiss the fabricated report by Hon. Aibro as figment of his imagination.
We also call on Engr. AA Sule to begin to deploy the big stick on incubators of falsehood, villains and agents of destabilization like Hon. Aibro whose primary motive is to see him and his predecessor at loggerheads with one another so as to enable them achieve their personal interests.
Senator Al_Makura Team