There is unanimous consent among development experts that Nasarawa is today one of the fastest developing states in the federation. From a modest local government headquarters created out of old Plateau State, it has become a signpost from which other states now draw inspiration.
As Nasarawa turns 30 on October 1st, 2026 – sharing its birth date with Nigeria itself, having been created by the late General Sani Abacha in 1996 – its citizens and government have every reason to celebrate in grand style. Analysts say its founding fathers have every reason to be proud.
The Twin Flyover That Tells The Story
The story of new Nasarawa is written in concrete, steel and asphalt. Across its major cities, flyovers, underpasses and interchanges now criss-cross the skyline, linking local government headquarters and opening up rural communities that were once cut off.
The most strategic of them all is gradually taking shape as an architectural masterpiece in Mararaba, Karu Local Government Area – the gateway between the Federal Capital Territory and Nasarawa State.
The 2.6-kilometre twin flyover, designed to ease chronic traffic congestion, recover lost man-hours and improve security and economic flow on the busy FCT-Nasarawa corridor, will feature two roundabouts underneath at Abacha Road and Technology Village Junction.
Valued at N39 billion with an 18-month timeline, the project being handled by Triacta Nigeria Limited has reached an advanced stage, with delivery promised for December 2026.
Lafia: From Trading Post To Mega City
Nowhere is the transformation more visible than in Lafia, the state capital. Once dismissed as a mere trading post, Lafia is today a mega city – adored by its inhabitants and admired by travellers. At its heart is the new State Secretariat complex housing all ministries – a state-of-the-art edifice yet to be matched in any state capital.
Commissioning it alongside other legacy projects, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu described it as a “towering beauty,” telling a cheering crowd that “Nasarawa represents a new hope that transformative leadership is possible.”
Six Leaders, One Trajectory
Nasarawa’s 30-year journey has been piloted by six leaders – two military and four civilian: Wing Commander Abdullahi Ibrahim, Col. Bala Mande, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, Alhaji Aliyu Akwe Doma, Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura and the incumbent, Engr. Abdullahi Alhaji Sule.
Veteran journalist and public affairs analyst, Victoria Ngozi Ikeano, who has chronicled the state’s evolution, notes that each administration left its mark.
According to her, Wing Commander Ibrahim started literally from scratch, building a governance structure from a local government headquarters. Senator Adamu consolidated governance and pushed rural infrastructure, with a standout legacy in education – the establishment of Isa Mustapha Agwai Polytechnic, Lafia, the College of Health Technology, Keffi, and Nasarawa State University, Keffi [NSUK], institutions that now supply the state’s manpower needs.
His successor, the late Alhaji Akwe Doma, she said, made his mark in agriculture, with his farming programme leading to the export of Nasarawa yams overseas. Senator Al-Makura, on his part, changed the physical face of Lafia and gave it the semblance of a state capital.
“Although all past administrations did their bit, the incumbent stands out,” Ikeano observed. “The state is lucky to have someone of Engr. Sule’s calibre piloting its affairs at this critical juncture of the 21st century with its peculiar challenges that call for new, intellectual and creative ways of doing things.”
She commended Governor Sule for anchoring development on industrialization while consolidating infrastructure, noting that “industrialization is a faster route to wealth creation and poverty eradication because of its multiplier effects in the value chain, both up and down the chain.”
This view is echoed by the government itself. Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Nawani Aboki, said the state has “never had it so good.”
