Abdullahi Sule to governors: Take responsibility for security… FAAC allocation has now quadrupled

Abdullahi Sule, governor of Nasarawa, says Nigeria’s subnational governments now have unprecedented resources at their disposal and must channel them into sectors that can transform the economy.

Sule spoke on Monday at the 2025 northern Nigeria investment and industrialisation summit (NNIIS) in Abuja.

Discussions at the summit focused on the theme, ‘Unlocking Strategic Opportunities in Mining, Agriculture and Power’.

Sule said monthly allocations to the three tiers of government have quadrupled under President Bola Tinubu’s reforms.

“For the first time in our history, all tiers of government are sharing more revenue than they ever imagined,” the governor said.

“Over N2.2 trillion was shared this month alone. When I became governor in 2019, we were sharing between N590 billion and N620 billion. Today, it is four times that amount.”

On September 17, the federation account allocation committee (FAAC) announced that it shared a total of N2.22 trillion among the three tiers of government in August.

The allocation was from a gross total of N3.63 trillion.

Further speaking at the event, the governor said Nasarawa has leveraged reforms to insist that investors in solid minerals set up processing plants, leading to the commissioning of a 3,000-metric-tonne-per-day facility and the completion of another 6,000-tonne plant awaiting inauguration.

He also confirmed oil fields in the state with reserves estimated at five to seven million barrels, and outlined plans to expand rice cultivation from 3,300 hectares to as much as 8,000 hectares before the end of his tenure.

Sule urged northern governors to focus on areas of comparative advantage, take responsibility for security, and avoid a culture of blame.

“Every state now has the resources to secure its people,” he said.

“We should stop blaming anybody for our security. If we are blaming anybody, blame ourselves.”

‘ADOPT TRANSPARENT, INVESTOR-FRIENDLY POLICIES’

Delivering a goodwill message Jani Ibrahim, deputy president of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), said the summit’s focus was timely.

“Mining, agriculture and power represent the most solid pillars upon which the economic revitalisation of northern Nigeria must rest,” Ibrahim said.

“However, unlocking these opportunities requires more than vision. It demands leadership and commitment at sub-national levels.”

He urged governors to adopt “transparent, investor-friendly policies, streamline regulatory processes, and guarantee security of life and property.”

The NACCIMA official also called for industrial clusters around mineral belts, investments in infrastructure, and partnerships to improve education and skills.

‘NIGERIA’S ECONOMIC ENGINE HELD BACK BY POOR INFRASTRUCTURE’

In his welcome address, Inuwa Yahaya, governor of Gombe and chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum, said the region was historically Nigeria’s economic engine but was being held back by poor infrastructure.

“The backbone of Northern Nigeria’s economy from glorious times through the early years of independence was agriculture, supported by an extensive network of rail lines,” Yahaya said.

“Today, the realities remain unchanged. We are blessed with mineral wealth, fertile land, and vibrant human capital, but without railways, roads, power, and storage, the full value cannot be realised.”

Yahaya called for reforms in project financing to give northern entrepreneurs access to credit.

“The current practice where businesses can only qualify if they provide collateral outside their land and enterprises is exclusionary. Government and financial institutions must change this,” he said.

On his part, Dauda Lawal, governor of Zamfara, said security and harmonisation of policies are crucial to attracting investment.

“Investors are not philanthropists. They will not commit capital where it is not safe,” Lawal said.

“We must integrate our security architectures, share intelligence in real time, and foster collective policing.

“Beyond that, we must also harmonise policies across the north to avoid conflicting regulations that discourage investors.”

He said northern states are working on a unified investment policy to streamline land administration, tax incentives, and regulatory approvals.

“By presenting a united, predictable, business-friendly front, we will be more attractive than any single state acting alone,” he said.

The governor added that reliable electricity is non-negotiable for industrialisation.

“No nation or region has ever industrialised with generators,” he added.

“In Zamfara, we are developing solar power plants to service agricultural processing zones and mining operations. This is a model we can replicate across the region.”

Lamis Dikko, chairman of the New Nigeria Development Company (NNDC), said the north must embrace technology to drive development.

“We either innovate or we stagnate,” Dikko said.

“The north has the scale, the youth, the resources, and the will. What we need is the method and that method is technology. Let us change the method, and we will change the outcome.”

The NNDC chairman also urged universities to recalibrate their curricula to reflect advances in artificial intelligence and pledged the company’s support for partnerships with governments and investors.