Nasarawa agog as Buhari visits today

From Francis Nansak, Lafia
All is now set for President Muhammadu Buharia��s visit to Nasarawa State today.
Ahead of the visit, the first by President Buhari since he assumed office on May 29, 2015, Lafia, the state capital is wearing a new look.
The routes, which the President will pass in the state capital and other places, where he will commission projects executed by Governor Tanko Al-Makura, have been well paved.
Most of the major public buildings, such as the Government House on Shendam Road, have been adorned with the national colour while the posters and banners with pictures and portraits of Buhari are placed in strategic locations.
Apart from the state government and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), workers, traders and other residents of the state have joined in the preparations to make the Presidenta��s visit memorable.
The sites of the projects executed by Governor Al-Makura which Buhari will inaugurate are painted with blue to give the environment a colourful look.
When The AUTHORITY went round Lafia, the state capital, most residents expressed joy that at last Buhari is visiting the state, popularly known as the a�?Home of Solid Mineralsa�?.
They promised to join the state government to make Buharia��s visit a memorable event.
One of the residents, Alhaji Muhktar Wakeel, a public analyst and traditional tittle holder from Wamba Local Government Area, told The AUTHORITY that the visit has a lot of implications for the people of the state.
He said that Buharia��s visit is beyond performing public functions because it will serve as a morale booster for the electorates who supported him at the last presidential election.
Wakeel added that based on Governor Al-Makura’s solidarity with Buhari since their days in the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and as the only governor that followed the President to form the APC, the visit will further cement the cordial relationship between the two leaders as well as bring the dividends of democracy to the people.
Also, the state chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Alhaji Abdullahi Adeka, said that the President will also enjoy his stay in the state because Governor Al-Makura has not deviated from the Federal Governmenta��s stance on good governance and its anti-corruption crusade.
Adeka added that civil servants in Nasarawa are full of expectations that Buhari will speak out on the issue of increasing minimum wage as being agitated for by workers.
A retiree who spoke on condition of anonymity appealed to Buhari to tackle security, human capital development, and infrastructural challenges, which remain the cardinal programmes of his administration.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Musa Elayo, said that the state government has concluded plans to give the President a befitting reception.
He said that apart from commissioning projects in the state capital and Karu, such as the Karu International Market now named after him, Buhari will also open the School for Physically Challenged Persons, a primary health clinic and a 3.30KVA power station.