**Meets Tinubu at Aso Villa, hails economic reforms, rolls out HEARTS agenda for Nasarawa

The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for the 2027 Nasarawa State election, Senator Ahmed Wadada, on Thursday declared that the state could no longer afford “mediocre leadership,” saying the progress recorded under Governor Abdullahi Sule had raised the standard for whoever succeeds him.

Speaking with State House correspondents after a closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Wadada also applauded the administration’s economic reforms, arguing that key macroeconomic indicators showed Nigeria was on a stronger footing than when the President assumed office in May 2023.

The senator, who represents Nasarawa West Senatorial District, said he was seeking to build on the foundations laid by the Sule administration through a development blueprint anchored on what he described as the HEARTS Agenda.

“There cannot be any mediocrity after Sule,” Wadada declared.

“The present administration in Nasarawa State has raised the bar, broadened and deepened the scope of what Nasarawa State is. So much is expected of me and, by the grace of God, we shall deliver.”

He said his governorship ambition was rooted in a deep understanding of the state’s challenges and aspirations, insisting that years of engagement with the grassroots had equipped him with the knowledge required to govern effectively.

“I have been with my people. I am grounded. I know their problems, and I know their aspirations and wishes,” he said.

Highlighting Nasarawa’s historical significance, Wadada recalled the influence once wielded by the Keffi Emirate, noting that its authority stretched as far as the area now occupied by the Presidential Villa.

“My emirate, the Keffi Emirate, used to collect taxes up to this point. We have a lot to showcase and put forward for Nasarawa State,” he said.

On the national economy, the APC governorship candidate said President Tinubu’s reforms had begun yielding measurable gains despite the prevailing economic hardships.

“If the truth should and must be said, let us look at all the indicators. All the indicators that show economic growth and development are looking very promising and brighter than before,” he said.

He cited the increase in Nigeria’s foreign reserves, exchange rate stability following the unification of the foreign exchange market, improvements in the balance of payments and trade balance, growth in capital market capitalisation and ongoing infrastructure delivery as evidence that the economy was gradually recovering.

“When President Tinubu came in, the foreign reserves were below $30 billion, between $28 billion and $29 billion. Today, we are talking about $56 billion to $57 billion.

“Look at the parallel market. All the windows have been closed and unified, and that has greatly contributed to the stability of the naira against the dollar.”

Wadada, however, acknowledged that many Nigerians were still facing economic difficulties, stressing that the reform process was not yet complete.

“That is not to say all is well. Much more needs to be done. But for anybody to sit down and wish away this administration, that person is either ignorant, unrealistic or an open enemy, because opposition is different from being an enemy,” he added.

Unveiling his policy framework for Nasarawa, the senator said his HEARTS Agenda would drive governance if elected in 2027.

According to him, H represents Human Capital Development, with emphasis on education and healthcare; E stands for Energy and Mineral Resources, leveraging Nasarawa’s vast solid mineral deposits and new opportunities created by the Electricity Act that now empowers states to generate electricity.

He noted that Nasarawa hosts Nigeria’s first and second lithium processing plants, positioning the state as a strategic hub in the country’s emerging solid minerals economy.

The A component focuses on Agriculture and the Green Economy, with plans to establish three agricultural hubs, one in each senatorial district, based on their comparative production advantages.

R stands for Rural and Urban Development, while T represents Trade, Investment and Security, which he described as the foundation for sustainable economic growth.

“In today’s world, there is virtually nothing you can achieve significantly without energy. And when you talk about mineral resources, you are talking about Nasarawa State, they are synonymous,” Wadada said.