By Emmanuel Ado
For Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto, the main purpose of development is to help increase the choices and opportunities for the people of Sokoto State. Since his assumption of office on May 29th 2023, the governor has taken several initiatives that reflects this deep commitment to dedicated service and improvement in the welfare of the people, like the good shepherd that he is. His approach of an all inclusive, human-centered development has undoubtedly been shaped by this philosophy that the welfare of the people is paramount and the purpose of government. This explains Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto’s agenda as encapsulated in his well articulated 9- Point Smart Agenda that prioritizes infrastructural development, education, healthcare, economic development and empowerment. Even when it’s bricks and mortar, the end objective for the governor is and will always be about improving the standard of living of the people, and sustainable development. For him development is and would always be about man.
This underlying philosophy which has purposefully driven Governor Sokoto’s governance, is largely responsible for the construction of a network of roads in the long forsaken Mabera community, home to more than 300,000 people that vividly tells the story of the governor’s sincerity of purpose and humane approach to development better.
Until the coming of Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto life for the people of Mabera community was a nightmare as they had constantly lived in mortal fear of the perennial flooding that for years wrecked untold havoc. The residents of the area have been known to spend days in their flooded homes with nocturnal “visits” from reptiles and other dangerous creatures. The massive flooding also exposed the people to waterborne diseases such as diarrhea and malaria.Not even some fortunate owners of 4 -Wheel drive vehicles could dare attempt moving around either in pursuit of their daily activities or social visits whenever the heavens opened up.
Over the years, several houses in Mabera community were destroyed, with thousands of people rendered homeless and many tragically lost the sources of their livelihood. It’s an understatement to say that the flooding disrupted socio-economic activities, it did in fact destroyed lives.
It must be stressed that the plight of the Mabera people is not because their village is far flung, somewhere near the Niger Republic boarder with Nigeria, which must have made previous governments to forget them, no, the community is at the centre of the state capital, an earshot to the seat of power. Their plight is unfortunately a sad reflection of the failure of leadership and unconscionable neglect by some previous governments in providing critical infrastructure to the people.
Granted that government lacks the limitless resources to address the myriads of problems, clearly the lack of political will and the failure to prioritize good governance are the major factors that have created disasters like that of the Mabera community.
Today the people of Mabera can go to bed with their eyes closed. Apologies to late General Sani Abacha. Today they can drive in and out without fear of being unable to access their homes because the heavens had opened up, simply because Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto decided to be guided by his conscience and to keep his electoral promise to a people who had gotten used to failed promises by some former governors. Several unkempt promises had rightly caused the Mabera residents to take any promises with a pinch of the salt.
The neglect of the Mabera community was an open wound. Before Governor Ahmad Sokoto,only former governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wammakkao, had made a serious effort to solve the problem. The community acknowledged that he deployed experts to assess the situation, but unfortunately he couldn’t tackle the issue before the expiration of his tenure. And Aminu Tambuwal who succeeded him abandoned the project as was his operating tradition.
So why didn’t the administrations of Attahiru Bafarawa, and Aminu Tambuwal frontally address such a fundamental problem and several others like the lingering water crisis in Sokoto metropolis? Why did Aminu Tambuwal abandon the Mabera initiative by the Wamakko administration? Why wasn’t he moved by their plight? One must ask these questions despite the notoriety of Tambuwal in abandoning projects.
Going by facts, the difference between former governor Aliyu Wamakko, and his mentee Governor Aliyu Sokoto on one side and former governors Attahiru Bafarawa, and Aminu Tambuwal on the other side, is that while the two Aliyu’s genuinely love, and have empathy for the people the same can’t be said of former governors Bafarawa and Tambuwal. And these differences have shown in terms of their service delivery to the people and that their words are their bond.
Wamakko as governor executed numerous projects; housing ,water supply, roads etc that touched lives and initiated several projects; water schemes,roads and empowerment schemes that he couldn’t complete which Tambuwal for inexplicable reason abandoned and which have become the lot of Aliyu Sokoto to complete.
World wide, most politicians are tragically notorious for making exaggerated promises, which ab- initio they had absolutely no plans of keeping,reason why the people have often savaged and painted them as unreliable, hypocritical and as more propelled by what would win them the next election- political expediency. The unreliability of politicians like Tambuwal seems to be the main problem many people, including notable politicians like Adlai Stevenson I, a one time Vice President of the United States have with them. Stevenson, was known to constantly take swipes at his fellow politicians as hypocrites who after “cutting down a redwood tree would talk about conservation”.
The people of the Mabera community, shouldn’t be blamed for their wait and see attitude towards person of Governor Sokoto. Their attitude was as a result of the failed promises by former governors Bafarawa and Tambuwal. But like they say in the military, Governor Ahmad has cleared their doubts.
Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto, like his mentor Wamakko has proved to be an exception to the perception of politicians as “promise breakers” and has proved that to the contrary that there are politicians that can indeed be trusted to keep their word. And the people of Sokoto State have continued to attest to the fact that the governor’s word is his bond and that he doesn’t forget, as the people of the Original Symbol Road Network and the Mabera areas of Sokoto metropolis enthusiastically testify.
Like Mabera community, the Original Symbol Road Network area was a no go area during the rainy season for trucks delivering fruits. During the campaigns the governor promised to fix the road within his first 100 days in office and being a man of his word, delivered to the delight of the people.All the seven roads within that axis have been reconstructed and motorists are enjoying the brand new road, which they thought was never going to materialise. He made a similar promise during the campaign trip to Alkilla settlement. Today the 10 roads network in the settlement have been completed.
Nasir Dan Tsoho, the commissioner of Housing,and Planning has this to say about the governor:”Governor Ahmad is a born leader that God has blessed with a wonderful memory, a conscience and the love of people and he has proven himself equal to the task of moving the state forward”.
In the last few weeks Governor Sokoto invited some his colleagues to commission his myriad of conscientiously executed projects;water,roads,housing as part of the activities marking his two years anniversary and it must be stated that while every one of the single project touches lives, none of the several kilometers of road projects, the water schemes, healthcare facilities etc come close to the road network in Mabera community, because the governor didn’t just build a road,he saved an entire population from a problem that had threatened to wipe them out for over two decades.
While we commend the governor for what he has accomplished, the people moving forward help themselves,because part of what worsened the Mabera situation was the indiscriminate dumping of refuse and their failure to provide drainages. With the reality of climate change the people must understand the urgent action needed to protect the environment for future generations, and protect what they have, because they don’t know when an Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto will come their way again.
By addressing neglected communities and keeping his electoral promises Governor Sokoto has rescued the political class who like Will Rogers said is “their own grave diggers”. From the testimony of those who know the governor and his antecedents there is no fear that the governor would change because he is essentially someone who believes that government should be responsive to the welfare and security of the people.
