Why resource-rich states are poor

All the thirteen local Government areas in the state are blessed with one form of solid minerals deposit or another in large quantity; tourism potentials as well as fertile soil for improved agricultural production. The local government areas include Lafia, Doma, Obi, Awe, Keana, Karu, Kokona, Akwanga, as well as Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Areas.  […]

All the thirteen local Government areas in the state are blessed with one form of solid minerals deposit or another in large quantity; tourism potentials as well as fertile soil for improved agricultural production. The local government areas include Lafia, Doma, Obi, Awe, Keana, Karu, Kokona, Akwanga, as well as Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Areas.  Others include Nasarawa Toto, Wamba and Keffi.

There are large deposit of varieties of solid minerals such as cassiterite, clay, columbite, ilmentite, mica, granite, baryte, galena, limestone, salt, copper ore, bentonic clay, silica sand, gemstone mica, chalcopyrite, gemstone, tourmaline and aquamarine, tantalite, aquamarine gold among others.

While in agriculture it is observed that every household engages in one form of agricultural production or the order, some of the farm produce cultivated in the state includes soya beans, ginger, melon, palm kernel, vegetables, cassava, sesame seeds, rice, maize, sugar cane, sorghum, yams, cashew and mango- all the crops are cultivated in large quantities.

Similarly, the forestry potentials that abound in the state can provide materials for the establishment of saw mills, furniture and allied wood manufacturing ventures, the trees include malena and teak, mahogany, Iroko and Obeche.

Talking about tourism, Nasarawa State is another state with enormous tourism potentials. The magnificent Farin Ruwa falls, the Doma Dam, Eggon rolling hills and caves, Fefe Ruwa lake, the Akiri warm spring, Ara rock, Bakeno game reserve and Matoney tomb hills in Keffi and a host of others.

The Farin Ruwa falls if properly harnessed can attract investment opportunities not only to the government and people of Nasarawa State but to the entire country. It is in recognition of this that billions of naira was expended by past administrations of Abdullahi Adamu and Governor Akwe Doma in the construction of Farin Ruwa tourism centre, but today the centre only remains on paper without any physical structure on ground.

With all these great potentials abounding in the state, fourteen years after the creation of the state one begin to wonder why Nasarawa State is still battling to provide its people with portable water and good roads, industries for the processing of fruits and farm produce?

The return of Democracy in 1999 provided hope to the people of Nasarawa State who have lots of expectations that things may turn out for good. But surprisingly, eight years after the reign of Governor Abdullahi Adamu, the first Executive Governor of the state, Nasarawa State cannot even measure up to the least developed state in the federation.

The emergence of Governor Aliyu Akwe Doma as the second Executive Governor of the state in 2007 was celebrated by the people of the state considering his track records as the former Deputy Governor in the old Plateau State as well as Permanent Secretary in the State Civil Service. Surprisingly, Governor Aliyu Akwe Doma turned out to be a disappointment to his people. He initiated a thirteen- point agenda which couldn’t see the light of the day but remain on billboards across the state. Monies that accrued to the state within the four year tenure of Doma amounted to over three hundred billion naira, that is two times what Governor Abdullahi Adamu received in his eight year tenure but could not utilize the money for the development of the state except backlog of debt to the tune of over thirty billion naira.

Yet, having suffered such fate, it will surprise readers that the debate in Nasarawa State about the way forward has largely been insincere. All attempts are being made to dodge the salient parts of the argument, basically that the state has not really been placed at all by previous administrations on the path of development. The challenge facing all the people of Nasarawa State now is how the state can be placed on a path that will guarantee that it harnesses and benefits from all the resources enumerated above.

Even those who manage the public space in the state have also betrayed the expectations of the people with the nature and manner of their interventions. When we all should be analyzing the facts of the state’s underdevelopment, we are all busy playing politics with our future. Most debates in the public space are usually aimed at undermining the efforts of the current government in power even though it has hardly taken off. In the same vein, attempts are being made to revise history by trying to blame a new government for the woes of the past. This to me is a wrong approach.

I think a genuine debate will focus on contemporary happenings in the state, not focus on criticizing a governor who is just few months in office with a backlog of debt to pay to the tune of over thirty billion naira; except someone is trying to be mischievous.

A reason why resource-rich states like Nasarawa are underdeveloped is basically the absence of leadership. And one reason why leadership is absent is because those who could influence the decision of government either as citizens, intellectuals or traditional leaders are busy being sycophants and playing politics with our future. We should as much as possible acquaint ourselves with the knowledge of how government is run. Going by the debates in the public square, you get the impression that some people who make noise have no clue at all about this fact, they are only eager to satisfy primordial interest which at best only benefits them, but not the state at large. With a mindset like this, we will never develop.

Yakubu wrote from Millionaires’ Quarters, Lafia