NEWS

UNTIL WE SING YOUR SONG, NO ONE WILL
Nasarawa State is the home of solid minerals in Nigeria. This is not all. It has vast arable lands for farming. More to this, there is growing interest for productive engagement by citizens, youth and old, across gender.

Little wonder the State is fast becoming reliable source for supply of food commodities, solid minerals, charcoal, timber, other useful commodities and services. I am a living witness to mass sales of melon, sesame, cassava, yam, rice, maize, beans, groundnut, millet, pepper, cows, goats, charcoal, timber etc, to other States particularly in the Northwest, Southeast and South South, with much left for exportation. 

Foreign investors, especially ones dealing in solid minerals have found a second home in the State, given abundance deposits, relative security and hospitality of the people and government. Job creation, revenue generation, leading to increased IGR form part of the gains arising from minerals activities. 

The Nasarawa State Governor, Engr. Abdullahi A. Sule made bold to say that the State no longer rely solely on Federal Allocation, as against what is happening elsewhere. At the peak of discussion surrounding new minimum wage, he said the State can pay whatever amount was agreed on, just when his counterparts elsewhere were crying fowl, saying they cannot afford to pay N70,000. This is so because the Governor has liverage on investment reality of the State, opening doors to welcome interested individuals and companies, going as far as marketing tye State to this effect.

The State owned educational institutions, University, Polytechnic, College of Education, School of Nursing and Midwifery, School of Health Technology, Vocational Training Centers etc, including Federal Government's and privately owned ones residing with us have attracted people all over the world in search of knowledge and valuable skill. And they are happy for it. You can safely put, Nasarawa State is the country's emerging center of learning.

While this is the case, I have come to understand that very little of this is known to the outside world, save for those directly involved. My engagements on the cyberspace revealed so. On a number of occasions, I have come across people undermining the State's contributions to the national pull and its investment potential, nay reality, and this is giving me concern. 

A commenter on my Facebook book page, when I observed a report credited to NBS on unemployment rate of States in Nigeria, believed Nasarawa ranked lowest probably because we had zero or little employment rate from farming. I had to educate him to the contrary. I have met people with similar view on Twitter.

The largest lithium processing plant resides in my local government. This is aside many others. We contribute over a Billion Naira to the Federal Government from mining alone, on monthly basis. 

But then, I believe this is happening largely because we have not been singing our song. Until we do, no one will, which is why this is happening. It is high time we start doing so, please.

Yahaya Abdulrahman writes from Nasarawa, Nasarawa Local Government Area, Nasarawa State. He can reached on ibnyahya02@gmail.com

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