Its two days to May the 29th,
activities are in full gear, and the people of Sokoto like all other Nigerians
are full of anticipation, eager to see the direction in which you will steer
the state. While many are not in doubt about the leadership qualities you possess
given the manner in which you held sway as the Speaker of the house of
representatives, there are those who have expressed concern that you do not
have any previous record of experience and performance that is required to
govern a state.
Most of your critics have harped
so much about this especially during the recently concluded campaigns. They
also never fail to point out that you are an "Abuja politician" who
is relatively unknown at the grassroots level, and that the outgoing governor and astute politician Alu Wamakko is
largely responsible for any support you may have got from the people of the
state. This has given rise to the palpable fear that you may only be loyal to
Wamakko and not the people, or you might be an "elite" governor with
low tolerance for kauyawa who will concentrate
all his activities in the urban areas.
All these perceptions and more
are what you should try to disprove as soon as you get into office. In as much
as the challenges of governing a state as old as Sokoto are completely
different from what you encountered as a Speaker of the house of reps, you can
still tackle them with much focus, hardwork and determination. Be ready to
meet resistance from civil servants with narrow perspectives and bad attitude
to work.
You happen to be a very lucky person in the
sense that you enjoy enormous goodwill even from people who hardly know you,
who also believe that you will perform well as governor. So Mr. governor, go out there and make your
own mark. Chart your own course. Carve your own niche and do not make the
mistake of being a governor in the shadows of his predecessor. As much as I
think fighting with a predecessor is a waste of valuable time and not in the
overall interest of a state, I believe doing things your 'own way' will largely
determine how much you succeed. Don't get me wrong, If your predecessor gives a
valid advice or idea based on his past experience and you believe in it, by all
means take it.
Some of the areas I believe you
can give attention to as a governor include:
Education: This is the backbone of every society and one of the
most important areas your administration should focus on. Building blocks of
classrooms and parading them as achievements while having unqualified and
untrained teachers to teach is not a good way of developing education. I would
like you to put emphasis on quality. The citizens of the state will be very
happy if you can make Sokoto state move from an educationally disadvantaged
position to that of top positions in the country before the expiration of your
tenure.
Environment: Sokoto state lies in the Sahel region with very high
temperatures sometimes up to 460C. It is also among the states in
the country that are prone to desertification. From my last visit recently, It
was very disappointing to see that most of the trees that were planted many
years ago to mitigate the dangers of desertification are being cut down and
plots being allocated to people for building purposes. Most of the Trees that
line Kano and Kaduna roads are gradually being cut down. Please do something about this ugly trend.
Rather than cut down trees I feel the government of Sokoto state needs to plant
more and also encourage people to do so.
Anyone driving through the city cannot fail to notice the
dust and ubiquitous nylon bags that litter the sides of the
streets. Please endeavour to clean our city.
Energy: As a state with an abundance of heat, strong winds and sunlight,
It still beats my imagination as to why previous governments have not taken the
issue of renewable energy seriously. There is a huge potential in that area
that you can harness to make the state achieve sustainable energy development.
Youth employment: Sokoto
is gradually losing its name as one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria
largely because of the menace of area
boys who harass, intimidate and threaten
the peace of law abiding citizens. I would like to see you provide gainful
employment for these restless youths and take them off our streets. Many other
areas such as Health, Agriculture, and most especially Water resources need
your attention.
I believe there is no better time
to tackle these problems head on and bring rapid development to the people of
Sokoto state than now. With your exposure as a National politician who has friends
from all over the country, there is no better person that can propel our dear Sokoto
state and give it a National outlook than you. May Allah guide you as you do
so. On your marks, set, go!
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