Nasarawa At 30: How A One-Road State Became A Mining Hub – Jega, Kukah

When Nasarawa State was carved out of old Plateau State on October 1, 1996, it had, in the words of Prof. Attahiru Jega, “one tarred road, no water board and no secretariat.” Thirty years later, in a banquet hall in Lafia, that same state was being described as Nigeria’s heart — geographically, demographically and economically.
The occasion was a public lecture to mark Nasarawa at 30, held on October 30, with two erudite scholars — Jega and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah — as speakers.
The lecture brought together all personalities who have held sway in the state, except the late Aliyu Akwe Doma. Jega, Kukah and Governor Abdullahi Sule used data and empirical evidence to show how a predo...