By Gbenga Onayiga
With over one hundred different solid mineral deposits ranging from industrial to precious stones, many of which are yet to be explored, Nasarawa State is indeed the true home of solid minerals in the country. Created on the 1st of October, 1996 from the bulk of the southern part of the old Plateau State, Nasarawa State came into being, following many years of agitation arising from strong political feelings of marginalization and neglect.
Expectedly, the people have been striving to get the State out of the yoke of backwardness and fast track its socio-economic and political development. Their aspiration is fortunately being met with the special interest shown in the development of Nasarawa State by President Goodluck Jonathan's administration. This has been demonstrated in the construction and rehabilitation of federal roads in the State and the citing of federal projects. They are the Lafia-Doma Road, Lafia-Obi-Awe-Tunga Road, Nasarawa-Karshi-Ara Road and the Loko-Oweto Bridge linking Nasarawa and Benue States.
The other Federal Government projects include the Central Bank, Lafia, Federal University, Lafia, Karshi Power Transmission Station, Lafia Power Sub-Station, Doma Dam, Federal Secretariat, Lafia and the Federal High Court Complex. The Federal Government has also touched on the lives of the people of Nasarawa State through the employment of thousands of youths under the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, SURE-P and the distribution of computers and internet broadband to schools in the three Senatorial Districts of the State.
An insight into some of the projects shows that work is progressing steadily on the construction of the eighty-four kilometre Lafia-Obi-Awe Road. When the National Good Governance Team visited the project late last year, it observed that fifty-seven kilometres of the road, awarded at a cost of 7.9 Billion Naira, had been completed. The team expressed delight at the pace of work on the strategic road which leads to the agricultural heartland of Nasarawa State.
Another of the five major roads being constructed by the Goodluck Jonathan's administration in the state is the twenty-two kilometre Doma-Lafia Road jointly financed by the Federal Government and the World Bank to the tune of eight hundred million Naira.
One other clear example of Federal Government presence in the state is the Federal University, Lafia which has already embarked on rapid development of projects with emphasis on the deployment of ICT infrastructure to encourage e-learning and research. One impressive feature of the lecture halls in the University is the provision of multi-media facilities to promote e-learning. The University's laboratories and main auditorium are 75% completed.
Observers of the infrastructural and human development in the area see Federal University, Lafia as the greatest project, President Goodluck Jonathan would site in Nasarawa State, in view of its obvious positive effect on the manpower and intellectual development of the youths.
Doma Dam has the capacity for 37.5 Million cubic meters of water and capable of irrigating two thousand hectares of land. The Lower Benue River Basin Development Authority is collaborating with UTC Technical to rehabilitate the pumps which have been dormant since 1987 to commence sprinkler system of irrigation. Four 500 KVA generator sets have been procured to power the pumps, while plans are underway to connect the pumps to public power supply for massive rice production. At the moment 250 hectares of land are being irrigated from the Doma Dam for vegetable, melon and maize farming. About ten million cubic meters of water are being extracted and treated for the supply of water to the Doma community from the dam. About 80% of the farm access roads had been constructed in addition to the completion of 75% drainage infrastructure.
The Minister of Information Mr. Labaran Maku hinted during the National Good Governance tour of Nasarawa State that the Federal Government would by the end of this year, commence massive rice production from Doma Dam under the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P). Because of the potentials of the dam, the Government also plans to rehabilitate all the infrastructure and irrigation pumps to start rice production on the bank of Doma Dam.
To demonstrate commitment to providing befitting office accommodation for federal agencies in the State capital, the four-storey Federal Secretariat, Lafia edifice was awarded in December, 2011 at a cost of N2.23 billion. With the completion target of the middle of next year, the Secretariat is designed to have 402 offices, with additional facilities like banking hall, reception, exhibition hall, post office, conference hall and four committee rooms.
To ease the movement of cash and stimulate the economy of Nasarawa and neighbouring states, the Central Bank of Nigeria is constructing an office complex in Lafia at a cost of N6.6 Billion Naira.
The Karu Power Transmission Station generates about 90 megawatts of electricity being transmitted to address power shortages in Mararaba, Keffi, Karshi, Karu and some other parts of Nasarawa State and Abuja. The $6 million World Bank-assisted project had undergone some level of upgrade and is now a load centre. Areas linked to the station now enjoy 18 hours of power daily, against the previous three hours.
Nasarawa State University, Keffi is a good example of the enormous intervention in tertiary institutions in all the States by the Jonathan Administration through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund). The projects include the construction of the Faculty of Arts Lecture Theatre awarded at a cost of over N108 million; the project is 80% complete; construction of the N80 Million Faculty of Administration Lecture Theatre; N97 Million Faculty of Social Sciences Lecture Theatre which is at 50% completion stage and the construction of Academic Staff Office Complex, awarded at the sum of over N127 Million.
Similarly, under the CBN Intervention Project, the Central Bank of Nigeria is constructing a complex for the School of Postgraduate Studies at the University. The over N460 Million project is at 70% completion stage.
As the people of Nasarawa welcome President Goodluck Jonathan to the State, where he made the historic flag-off of his presidential campaign on the sixth of February, 2011, it was hoped then that the visit would consolidate Federal Government's efforts to transform the economic and social life of the people of the State and this hope has not been disappointed.
Gbenga Onayiga wrote in from the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria Headquaters in Abuja.Print PDF
Federal Ministry of Information (FMI) Nigeria
Nigeria is definately blessed with so many things so we just need to EXPLORE it...That's why i love my country.