By BASHIR ADEFAKA
Since 2015, visitors to Sokoto State from across the Niger, at individual or organisational levels, have confessed that the Seat of Caliphate is a home away from home like no other. A particular professor of sciences from a Nigeria’s premier university specifically said: “If you have not moved closer to these people, don’t form any opinion about them. As for me, right now, my opinion about them has changed completely.”
There was another experience of a group of people from Southern part, who said, “We don’t feel like going back to where we came from”.
Both instances, put together, point to reality about hospitality of the Sokoto State’s people exceptionally laced with good and charming character and attitudinal disposition towards other people.
It is possible that there have have been pockets of bandit attacks in the state, due to the fact that it is a big enclave situated along inter and intra-national boundaries, Sokoto – ruled as a state government politically by Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, OFR, and traditionally as well as religiously as a Caliphate by Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni, with territory as wide as that of Gobir of the old spanning up to Senegal, remains one (if not the only) most peaceful, most accommodating and most tolerant society of people in Nigeria.
It is no wonder that, with the co-operation of the globally recognised figure on the Usmaniyyah throne in the state, the political administration of Maigrima Tambuwal started off by building on the existing development, as far as achievements are concerned, and made his own mark more impactfully, though, and in an exceptionally bigger way.
With the look of things, by the time Aminu Waziri Tambuwal will be through with the massive projects of his government, in the next couple of months before the end of his tenure, Sokoto will become the destination of choice for all kinds of human desires in terms of education, medical, agric-based tourism and this is a fact that cannot be anywhere resembling to fiction.
“I set out with a FOUR-POINT AGENDA namely education, health, agriculture and infrastructure/industry,” Governor Tambuwal told The DEFENDER during a project inspection round the state, recently.
Asides the four pin-pointed programmes captured in the agenda, the governor has big plan of creating new cities within the state one of which has taken off with siting of a state-of-the-art sports stadium now at 50 percent completion.
In addition to llocation of the stadium, the well globally travelled, experienced state leader and versatile government administrator has awarded an over 12 kilometers dualised road system off the part of airport road that will not only provide easy access to the international standard stadium coming, but also will open up the new town and link it at the other end to other major towns in the state.
The DEFENDER can comfortably report that the governor plans to enable a hospitality business around the stadium’s host community to bring about training camp and other sports related businesses that will boost, not only social but also, economic activities of the area and fetch IGR, Internally Generated revenue, to the purse of government.
It is not yet time to discuss the huge successes that are about to unfold by the governor in the area of health with particular investment in an all-encompassing, comprehensive diagnostic system that will make Sokoto State a medical tourism destination, not only to the rest of Nigeria bit also across the continent of Africa and beyond.
What is despicable is that, much as Governor Tambuwal’s achievements are hugely kickstarted, his government has been under reported in that regards.
We have heard of a North East governor’s 500-project, seven of which were identified and commissioned during a state visit by President Muhammadu Buhari.
When completed, achievements of Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, the Mutawallen Sokoto, will tear many mouths of cynics apart when, in short time to come, they are completed and prepared for commissioning.
What is yet to be known is whether the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum Chairman’s achievements, some of which are ready, some receiving finishing touches and others ongoing, will be commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari. But, it can be clearly stated that Tambuwal’s spirit of statesmanship that transcends political boundaries will make him go to any length so long the overall interest of his Sokoto State people will be served. This is as far as peace, social security and economic development of the core Northern state is concerned.
By this work, achievements of the governor will be assessed point after point and that will start with Education in the next series. Just before then, it is pertinent to note that most of the huge projects that form the bulk of Governor Tambuwal’s achievements, captured in the headline of this introductory piece as “The Mutawalliyyah’s giant stride”, are done and being done by local contractors.
It is important to know how patronising goodhearted, patriotic local contractors stop capital flight from getting to developing other nations’ economies at the expense of one’s own people of Nigeria. By this, Tambuwal, a former number four citizen as Speaker, House f Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is helping build national economy through provision of enabling environment for industrial growth and economic development that, on the long run, lead to creation of direct and indirect employment for all categories of people.
Stay connected to The DEFENDER as Tambuwal’s achievements are set to be reeled out to the public glare.
