KEY POINTS
- Nasarawa government spending claims were disputed as misleading.
- ₦707 million covered multi-agency operational costs, officials said.
- Nasarawa government spending includes ongoing water infrastructure projects.
The Nasarawa State Government has rejected claims that it spent ₦707 million on refreshments and meals while neglecting rural water provision, describing the report as misleading and detached from budgetary realities.
In a statement issued Monday in Lafia, the state capital, the government said that SaharaReporters took the cited figures out of context and that they did not reflect discretionary spending on meals. The response was signed by Peter Ahemba, Senior Special Assistant to Governor Abdullahi Sule on Public Affairs.
The rebuttal follows a report alleging a sharp imbalance between administrative costs and spending on water infrastructure, an issue that has drawn public attention amid complaints from residents about water shortages in parts of the state.
Nasarawa government spending figures explained
According to the statement, the ₦707 million figure represents aggregated expenditures recorded across multiple ministries, departments and agencies over a nine-month period. These costs, the government said, covered statutory and operational activities, including meetings, trainings, workshops, security operations and programme implementation.
“It was not a single discretionary expense on refreshments and meals, as portrayed by the publication,” the statement said, adding that the report created a false narrative by isolating one budget line without context.
The government described the claim that it had neglected rural water provision as “laughable,” insisting that the Sule administration has prioritized water infrastructure since 2019.
Nasarawa government spending on water projects
The statement pointed to reforms and interventions carried out through the State Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, the Ministry of Water Resources and the State Water Board, supported by development partners and coordinated through a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene taskforce.
It said the government has executed and rehabilitated water projects across several communities, including Doma, Keana, Awe, Lafia, Nasarawa Eggon, Keffi and Karu. These interventions reportedly include grid connections, pump replacements, dredging works, borehole rehabilitation, plant renovations and the procurement of operational equipment, running into billions of naira.
“These interventions are visible and verifiable across rural and urban areas,” the statement said, arguing that they contradict any suggestion of neglect.
The government further urged the public to disregard the report, which it described as malicious and inaccurate, and said it remained committed to transparent budgeting and improved service delivery.
