Governor Abdullahi A. Sule in the Eye of History: A Democracy Day Valedictory
By SANI IBN SALIHU
As Nigeria marks Democracy Day 2026, a page of history quietly turns in Nasarawa State. For Engineer Abdullahi A. Sule, this June 12 is his last as sitting governor. When the chronicles of the Fourth Republic are written, his name will stand not merely as the 4th democratically elected governor of Nasarawa, but as the technocrat who proved that competence, restraint, and vision can coexist with politics.
*1. The Engineer as Governor: From Industry to Statecraft*
When he took the oath on May 29, 2019, Sule came with a private sector CV few Nigerian governors could match: Harvard-trained, former MD of Dangote Sugar, Group MD of African Petroleum. Skeptics asked whether boardroom logic could survive Lafia politics. Seven years later, the answer is etched in steel, tar, and policy documents.
He branded his agenda _“Exceeding All Expectations”_, anchored on Security, Economy, Education, Health, Agriculture, and Infrastructure. The genius was not in coining slogans, but in tying each pillar to measurable deliverables that even opponents now cite.
*2. Infrastructure: Connecting a Landlocked State to Prosperity*
History will remember Sule as the governor who ended Nasarawa’s reputation as a “pass-through state”. Under him:
- *Roads*: Over 600km of rural and urban roads completed, including the landmark 25km Mararaba-Udege Road, the 15km Sisin Baki-Keffi Road, and the Shendam Road dualization in Lafia. These are not just tar; they are arteries for farm produce from Awe, Doma, and Toto LGAs.
- *Karshi-Abuja Bypass*: Though a federal project, Sule’s persistent lobbying unlocked it, cutting travel time to the FCT from 2 hours to 40 minutes and opening Nasarawa’s western corridor to real estate and industry.
- *Airport & Cargo Terminal*: The Lafia Cargo Airport, inherited at 20% completion, was finished and certified. It is already positioning Nasarawa as an agro-export hub for sesame, yam, and solid minerals.
*3. Economy: The “Nasarawa is Open for Business” Revolution*
Sule ran Nasarawa like a CEO courting investors. The results:
- *IGR Growth*: From N10.8 billion in 2019 to over N47 billion by 2025 — a 335% jump without imposing punitive taxes. The Nasarawa Investment and Development Agency, NASIDA, became the template other states copied.
- *Solid Minerals*: He ended decades of illegal mining. By partnering with the FG and private firms, Nasarawa began formal lithium processing in Udege and marble exploitation in Keana. The state’s “Lithium Corridor” is now in national discourse.
- *Agriculture*: The Olam Farms 4,000-hectare rice project in Rukubi, the Flour Mills of Nigeria sugar project in Toto, and over 100,000 smallholder farmers enrolled in Anchor Borrowers. Nasarawa moved from “food basket neighbor” to actual food basket.
*4. Human Capital: Education & Health as Legacy Assets*
Sule’s technocratic bent showed in how he treated data.
- *Education*: He declared a state of emergency in 2019. Over 1,200 classrooms built or renovated. Teachers recruited strictly on merit through CBT. The Wing Commander Abdullahi Ibrahim Vocational & Technology Institute in Lafia trains 5,000 youths yearly in mechatronics, ICT, and solar tech — a direct bridge from classroom to industry.
- *Health*: The Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, DASH, was upgraded and accredited for postgraduate training.
- Later it handed over to Federal University of Lafia to transform it into Federal University Teaching Hospital Lafia.In the meantime Dash was moved to Akwanga to operate as the State owned Specialist Hospital.In addition,147 Primary Healthcare Centres were revitalized, cutting maternal mortality by 22% between 2020-2024, per NBS data. During COVID-19, Nasarawa’s testing and vaccination rate was among the top 5 in North-Central.
*5. Peace & Security: The Quiet Achievement*
Before 2019, Nasarawa headlines were about Ombatse, farmer-herder clashes, and banditry along the Benue border. Sule’s approach was disarmingly simple: don’t politicize security. He strengthened the Community Policing initiative, equipped Operation Whirl Stroke, and ran a “Traditional Conflict Resolution Committee” chaired by emirs. The result: from 2021-2025, Nasarawa recorded the lowest incidence of violent conflict in the North-Central, according to Nextier SPD. Peace became infrastructure.
*6. Governance: The Politics of Restraint*
Perhaps Sule’s most enduring legacy is temperamental. In an era of combative governors, he rarely raised his voice. No running battles with the Assembly. No feuds with predecessors. He signed the Local Government Autonomy bill early, and conducted LGA elections without interference. His press releases never abused opponents. In a democracy still adolescent, that dignity matters.
*7. The Last Democracy Day: What History Will Weigh*
No tenure is perfect. Critics cite slow civil service reforms and the unfinished Farin Ruwa dam. But history judges on balance. On June 12, 2026, Sule leaves behind:
1. A state with an economy 3x larger than he met it.
2. A capital city, Lafia, with traffic lights, a modern bus terminal, and a skyline beginning to change.
3. A political culture where succession debates focus on continuity of projects, not dismantling of legacies.
Democracy Day celebrates the triumph of ballots over bullets. Sule’s tenure celebrates the triumph of competence over noise. As he takes his last salute on June 12, Nasarawa’s files show roads, revenues, schools, and, most importantly, receipts.
Engineer Abdullahi A. Sule did not govern Nasarawa like a politician seeking the next office. He governed it like a man who knew history was taking notes. On this Democracy Day, history’s pen is already writing: _“Here served a governor who exceeded all expectations.”_
