Bobby Nasution Alternates Office to Nias to Accelerate Development

Medan (ANTARA) - North Sumatra Governor Bobby Nasution will take turns holding office in the Nias Islands alongside Deputy Governor Surya for three months in order to accelerate development and catch up the region’s shortfalls.

Head of the North Sumatra Provincial Communications and Informatics Agency, Erwin Hotmansah Harahap, said in Medan on Friday that the policy is a form of the provincial government’s presence in speeding up the resolution of various development problems in the Nias Islands.

According to Erwin, during his office stint in the Nias Islands from 15–20 July 2026, Bobby Nasution pushed forward a number of strategic programmes, including the construction of SMK Negeri 1 Gido in Nias Regency and SMA Negeri Unggulan Sukma Nias in Gunungsitoli City.

The North Sumatra Provincial Government is also accelerating repairs to the Nias Barat–Nias Selatan road section, construction of the Mo’awo River Bridge in Gunungsitoli City, and the building of a logistics warehouse in the Ro-Ro Port area of Gunungsitoli.

Erwin said that entering the second week, the agenda of holding office in the Nias Islands will be continued by Deputy Governor Surya. After that, Bobby Nasution is scheduled to return to Nias to continue completing various development programmes.

According to Erwin, the policy of holding office in the Nias Islands is the first such move by a governor since North Sumatra Province was established around 78 years ago. Previously, governors only conducted working visits to the region without setting an office agenda.

He said that to this day, four regencies in the Nias Islands — Nias, Nias Utara, Nias Selatan and Nias Barat — still hold disadvantaged region status. This condition is one of the reasons the provincial government is prioritising accelerated development in the Nias Islands area.