…as Governor consolidates on partnership with TBI
Nasarawa State Governor, Engineer Abdullahi Sule has hosted former UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, where the two leaders discussed issues on how the state government will improve on delivering dividends of democracy to the people.
Engineer Sule hosted the former UK Prime Minister in Abuja, on Wednesday.
The two leaders equally discussed on ways to assist Nasarawa State harness its potentials especially by attracting investments to the state.
Addressing journalists shortly after holding a breakfast meeting, Engineer Sule expressed appreciation that the former UK Prime Minister accepted to pay him a visit.
“We are very happy that the former Prime Minister agreed to visit us.
“We have been working with his team here in Nigeria. He has a team in so many countries around the world,” he stated.
The Governor used the opportunity of the meeting to inform Blair about what his administration is doing to turn around the economic fortune of Nasarawa State, while also opening up on areas where the government will need assistance from the Tony Blair Institute (TBI).
“When we came in, we came with a document called the Nasarawa Economic Development Strategy, which we believed will help us drive our economic strategy. Nasarawa State has great potentials in mining. In fact, we are called the Home of Solid Minerals.
“Why are we coming to you? Two things. One, it will help drive our governance structure. Nasarawa State is a state considered more or less a civil service state. It’s a state that is in a hurry to catch up with global trends. Secondly, you are a global person and you touch everywhere. You can assist us in the area of attracting investors. We are also an oil and gas state now,” he said.
Engineer Sule explained that the Nasarawa State Government is seeking to consolidate on its partnership with the TBI towards improving governance structure and attracting investments.
“He has been doing a lot and his team has been doing a lot to assist us in that. He just came to discuss further in those areas,” the Governor added.
In his response, Tony Blair thanked the Governor for hosting him.
The former UK Prime Minister commended Engineer Sule for his leadership qualities and for what he is bringing to the table as governor.
“I am a great admirer of what he is trying to do. Obviously there is huge potentials in the state. There are many great things happening and can happen there.
“Mine is to work with governments round the world and help them deliver. Since what you will find about governments the toughest thing is getting the job done. It’s a great pleasure to be with him, to exchange views and we look forward to working with his team,” he stated.
According to Blair, the biggest challenge in government today is delivering.
“You may have grand schemes and ideas and at the end, as a politician you got to make things work. We focus much on how we can help governments deliver. We built over the years some connectivity right around the world and it helps.
“Today, with many countries and states, the biggest thing is to ensure that people understand what is available in their country, in their state, how they can build the right partnerships,” he stated.
The Tony Blair Institute (TBI), commonly known by its trade name the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, is a non-profit organisation set up by former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair to provide advice to governments and “to help political leaders build open, inclusive and prosperous societies in an increasingly interconnected world.”
