Aliyu’s transformative actions in the health sector exemplify how targeted investments in health can facilitate broader social progress and offer a new growth framework for states in the north of Nigeria. With sustained momentum, Governor Aliyu’s vision promises to be a legacy of resilience, progressivism and accountability.
Achilleus-Chud Uchegbu
Recently, the Commissioner for Health in Sokoto State, Dr Faruk Umar Abubakar, stated in widely publicised editorials that Governor Ahmad Aliyu has practically resurrected the health sector in the state from the doldrums that it was when he assumed office. Specifically, he said the health sector was on its knees, forcing residents of the state to travel far to access health services. Talking about the health sector that Governor Aliyu met, Dr Abubakar said: “I equally found a health system that was on its knees due to the neglect by the Aminu Tambuwal administration. The infrastructure at the hospitals was practically non-existent, with obsolete equipment and uninhabitable wards. Even the mattresses were torn into pieces and the beds broken.” He also said that “I have visited the specialist hospital and the orthopaedic hospital. I must say that I was scandalised that the entire maternity ward was without light. How can doctors operate without power?”
However, not given to too much rhetoric, the governor turned the sod and began a regime of reforms that is driving a new story for the health sector of the state. “The first thing we did was to urgently provide critical equipment and mattresses. We have equally procured nine ultrasound machines that will be distributed to the general hospitals – three for each senatorial district. Same with X-ray machines, one for each geographical zone, so that investigations can be carried out at that level. Our people don’t have to travel to Sokoto for such investigations. To date, we have also procured about 240 beds, 240 mattresses, and 240 stands… The governor has since approved the installation of solar power; we now have 24-hour light at the labour room, in the post-natal ward, and in the pre-natal ward. We have also acquired incubators for premature babies. There is also 24-hour power. We have embarked on a comprehensive rehabilitation of the wards. We have provided functional toilet facilities for families and visitors; the era of open defecation is past. We sank boreholes with overhead tanks to ensure availability of water 24/7… Maternity wards lacked electricity, operating theatres were looted, diagnostic equipment was outdated or absent, and basic amenities like toilets and water supply were non-existent in many facilities,” the Commissioner had said.
He capped his comments about the future of the healthcare sector in Sokoto with this: “We are going to tackle 10 general hospitals in the first instance, and we have sent requests to the Ministry of Works to carry out an assessment… I want to assure the people of Sokoto State that the governor has just started because he is more than determined to change the story. The governor means business when he says that health is a critical component of his Nine Point SMART Agenda.” And, this is because of no other reason than the fact that the neglect contributed to Sokoto’s high ranking in multidimensional poverty indices, with over 90% of its population negatively impacted by limited access to quality healthcare, malnutrition, and preventable diseases.
This assurance is not a fluke. Governor Aliyu has indeed turned the game on its head, succeeding where his immediate predecessor failed. Interestingly, no one from the vocal opposition in Sokoto state has faulted the claims made by the Health Commissioner about the sort of health sector that was handed over to Governor Aliyu. Sadly, rather than apologise to the people of Sokoto state for its wasteful reign, the opposition and its leadership are working hard at derailing the transformative and result-oriented leadership of Governor Aliyu, who has made good and inclusive governance his watchword.
The secret of Governor Aliyu’s successes so far lies in his strict adherence to accountability. As Commissioner Abubakar said, “he will always remind you that it is the people’s money.” This is a mindset that drives results from every kobo spent by the government. This mindset also does not encourage frivolities like the preceding government enjoyed, nor does it engage in profligacy and heavy spending on non-consequential projects. Governor Aliyu ensures that every penny spent by his government is linked to the delivery of good governance and life-impacting projects from which the people will be the ultimate beneficiaries. Aliyu’s background as a seasoned administrator, commissioner for health under former Governor Aliyu Wamakko and as deputy governor, prepared him for the present task. He came prepared not only with information about the rot in the sector, but with a clear vision about what needed to be done to rescue the state and bring in a new lease of life for the people. It was about making government accountable and responsible to the electorate –ideally, it was about government serving the people rather than the people serving government.
Aliyu’s policies are deliberate shifts toward a people-centric governance model, which places the needs of the people first, be they in the education, agriculture, water supply, security, youth empowerment, local government autonomy, religious affairs, and economic development fields. These have also enabled the governor to work out a partnership with the people, which emphasises strategic investments for their good. For instance, in August 2025, the state government approved the employment of 1,600 nurses and midwives into the state’s health system. This reinforced an earlier engagement of 845 such professionals, alongside improved salary and emoluments to address staffing deficiencies. He also created new incentives to foster the retention of health personnel in rural locations. The retention of critical health staff comes with improved training and capacity building frameworks, which are fostering upscale among the staff.
Currently, the state government has embarked on free vaccination and community health campaigns to boost awareness and participation with the aim of disease eradication. The efforts of the governor in this regard have also attracted support from UNICEF, which, alongside the state, has created a N1.5 billion funding package targeting malnutrition through homegrown strategies, including the compulsory monthly cash transfer of N10,000 to physically challenged persons and the most vulnerable persons in the state under the Sokoto Social Protection Policy.
No doubt, Governor Aliyu’s transformative policies have pulled Sokoto’s health sector from the brink, impacting over five million residents through deliberate infrastructure renewal, workforce bolstering, and social service integration. These efforts, which are rooted in the 9-Point SMART Agenda, have yielded healthier communities, empowered the economy of the state, and also restored trust in government. It is a practical attestation that visionary leadership can reverse decades of decline. And as Dr Abubakar said, “the era of reactive governance is over.” Aliyu’s transformative actions in the health sector exemplify how targeted investments in health can facilitate broader social progress and offer a new growth framework for states in the north of Nigeria. With sustained momentum, Governor Aliyu’s vision promises to be a legacy of resilience, progressivism and accountability.
