Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has explained that the recent gathering of governors in Lagos was primarily to brief President Bola Tinubu on pressing security concerns and to strategise ahead of the All Progressives Congress convention.
Sule spoke on the sidelines of his investiture ceremony as Patron of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations in Abuja on Monday.
He said, “First, let me apologise to our dear good people of Nasarawa, particularly our leaders, that this event is being held here in Abuja instead of our state. The reason was the tight schedule we had.
“We were willing to come to Nasarawa State. But yesterday, you were aware that most of the governors were in Lagos to meet with Mr President.
“After having lunch, we had a lengthy meeting, especially on areas of security, which we presented before the President.
“Also, we had our usual lengthy meetings of governors late into the night in preparation for our APC convention. The meeting lasted until after 2 am today.”
The governor said the tight schedule forced a last-minute change of venue for his investiture ceremony from Lafia to Abuja.
“So I realised it was going to be difficult to make it to Lafia. So I pleaded with them if they could have the meeting here, and they agreed that we could have the investiture here in Abuja. And I’m happy that our dear friend decided to donate the building for the meeting,” he added.
The PUNCH had reported that governors elected on the platform of the APC convened in Lagos on Sunday for a high-level meeting ahead of the governorship primaries scheduled for next month.
The meeting, held at Eko Hotel in Victoria Island, followed an earlier visit by the governors to Tinubu at his Ikoyi residence.
Although 31 governors were expected, 21 governors turned up as of 9:40 pm
The session was presided over by the Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, while Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, hosted.
Other governors in attendance included Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), Bassey Otu (Cross River), Agbu Kefas (Taraba), AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara) and Monday Okpebholo (Edo).
Also present were Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Sule (Nasarawa), Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers), Usman Ododo (Kogi), Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Abba Yusuf (Kano), Umaru Bago (Niger), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Namadi Umar (Jigawa), Dikko Radda (Katsina) and Douye Diri.
Speaking further at the investiture, Sule highlighted the role of leadership and innovation in national development, while expressing admiration for the institute.
“I have always wanted to know what the NIPR is all about, and discover that it promotes innovation. This is why I believe that leadership is one of the things required for Nigeria to excel, because all the potential is there.
“So, I developed a special interest in NIPR because of the fact that they are promoting, nurturing and looking at leadership. So my first recognition in NIPR was at their 60th anniversary. They found me worthy to receive the Institute’s Leadership Prize.
“This is different from leadership awards that we receive every day because when you talk about a prize, you are looking at something similar to the Nobel Peace Prize, O’Brien and, of course, the Zik Prizes, which I’m happy to have received as a governor in this project. So awards are usually given in recognition of some kind of performance,” he stated.
Earlier, President and Chairman of the NIPR Governing Council, Ike Neliaku, described Sule as a visionary leader whose support for the institute has been impactful.
He said, “This exercise is not futile. It is an improvement of our status, particularly to play our role as monitors of trends. We have been monitoring what is going on in Nasarawa State.
“Your Excellency, we acknowledge you as a leader of considerable vision and foresight. We deeply appreciate you, the people and government of Nasarawa State, for your immense support of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations.
“For the record, you accepted to partner with the institute. As a matter of fact, you brought out your chest to take the bullets for Nigeria to excel in two most significant global relations projects in 2026.”
Neliaku also cited improvements in the state’s governance perception ratings.
“In that independent study, among all the other six states of the federation, Nasarawa State had a weak score of 30.4 per cent overall.
“We drew your attention to this result and went further to highlight areas of shortcomings in your administration. I recall your face very clearly. You did not show anger as some would want to.
“But in your characteristic humble nature, you explained the challenges you faced at the time with funding and promised to take decisive steps.
“Distinguished royal fathers, ladies and gentlemen, His Excellency did exactly what he said he was going to do.
“I am delighted to say that the perception survey that was done recently saw Nasarawa rise from 30.4 per cent in 2024 to 83.6 per cent in 2026,” he stated.
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