Sokoto State is one of the APC states where the governor believes that people-oriented governance is the only key to getting the people’s loyalty and affection. In this exclusive interview with auwal sa’id Mu’azu, Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko laments the state of the nation, among other important national issues confronting the Nigerian state
It has been seven years since you became the governor of Sokoto. How has it been?
First, I welcome you to Sokoto and for taking your time to see what we were able to put in place. And now, coming to answer your question on how has it been. It’s not very easy, but we are trying our best to deliver on our promises.
In education, we looked at it from three dimensions; nursery/primary, secondary and tertiary. We looked at school environment, and we looked at students’ and teachers’ welfare. And along the way, we have been able to achieve all these needs individually. For example, we started by doubling the rate of feeding in all our boarding nursery and primary schools in the state. We provided all the necessary equipment, like clothing and all that are required for a comfortable school environment. We also went ahead to equip our schools with the best equipment that could be found around. We went the extra-mile to ensure that all the entitlements of our teachers are paid as at when due. We even went further to provide some incentives to motivate them to work harder.
For example, we have procured motorcycles and we gave them to our teachers at the cost of N40,000 per unit, which they will pay over a long period of time. It is a very simple loan package that they could hardly feel. We also endeavoured to put them on training and retraining, both within and abroad. Just last week, we sent about 500 students to Sudan, Uganda, India and Bangladesh. Most of those who were sponsored are teachers who are struggling to go for higher education. When we came in, only about 698 indigenes of the state sat for JAMB. Only last year, because of the efforts we have been able to put in place, about 6,570 students, who are indigenes of this state, sat for JAMB examinations. You can see how much impact has been made there. That applies to all our primary and secondary schools where enrolments have doubled. After renovating our primary schools and equipping them, we have also put in place five tertiary institutions across the state; namely, School of Developmental Studies in Sokoto metropolis near the polytechnic, College of Agricultural Studies in Wurno, College of Islamic and Legal Studies in Wamakko, College of Midwifery in Tambuwal, and the State University in Sokoto. Also as part of our plans to ensure that our youths are given the opportunity to get quality education, to aspire to grow their studies, to meet the state requirements in terms of manpower and maybe even serve our neighbouring states, we make sure that our youths are given the opportunities for good growth.
As you know, the best thing you can do as a leader is to prepare your future leaders in the good way that they will be ready for the challenges ahead. And that cannot be done without giving them the right education. We have a full book on what we have done in this sector. I am just giving you a summary of what we were able to do in the last seven years.
What is the secret of your success?
The secret is that; one, this is my 45 years in government. I am the 15th governor of this state, and I work under all the 14 governors of this state. So, I am not a stranger to the needs, challenges and other concerns of the state. But when I came in as the governor, I put up a think-tank committee to advise me on what best to put in place, why and how best, because my own knowledge alone cannot be enough to change the entire state. Therefore, I tasked all of them to give best advice on how we can be able to deliver.
Going round, I noticed that some of the structures you put in place can only be found in private concerns. Is it that you have high taste for quality rather than quantity as the case with most politicians in Nigeria?
Well, I could say yes and no. But the answer is yes. Like I said earlier, I am inspired to act from experiences I have had through years of my services. I have seen how shoddy jobs didn’t last and I have seen how quality jobs lasted longer and saved more cost, and I have seen the impact of low quality jobs and how they even affect all of you as leaders.
Equally, I call myself a local governor of Sokoto State, because for the last seven years, I didn’t go to America or England. I take inventory of all political activities on daily basis, and I still go around about 2:00am and come back 3 or 4:00am to monitor certain things for myself. Therefore, I know what is happening here and there. Whatever any commissioner or any officer may write to me in the file, I already have the true knowledge of it. I don’t just sit in the office to deal with files, I am a field man.
Of all the projects you’ve put in place, which one do you hold so dear?
Well, as you are all aware, I must say it is the university. There are so many of them, but the university is the future for the state and even this country. That university, as it is now, is not just sited in Sokoto, but it is an international university. That university is going to bring back the state’s image as a state of learning in the country. We have already opened the gates for so many indigenes to aspire and actualise their dreams. The university would soon become an important research centre, because when it was commissioned, we gave the university authorities the free hand to operate. Even when we were about to recruit our lecturers, we gave them the mandate to go all over the world to recruit quality lecturers. They went to about seven to eight countries including Nigeria to recruit the new staff members.
Also note that, whatever they required, we give them and it is a strike-free university, as part of the agreements we had with those that are going to run the university. You and I know what is called a university, and you know there are so many other projects which I feel proud about, among them is the agricultural skill acquisition centre, where farmers are trained on the modern skills of farming. Of course, we are a farming state; therefore, a farmer needs to know the new methods of farming and how to achieve maximal output. We are training our people from all over the state; men and women, in fishery, poultry and livestock as well as all other sectors of farming are being taught to them.
Have you had cause to revoke any contract or sanction any contractor?
Yes, on four occasions, I had to do that. I even had to get the government supervisors withdrawn and replaced, because of the compromising standard on how the project is being executed. You visit physically, you ask questions, if anything happens there, you will be able to understand whether what you are getting is equivalent to what you are putting in or otherwise. And if you are getting there, you will know who is to be blamed; is it the contractor or your own supervisors that compromised?
You see, it is a pity that at times we blame contractors, but contractors alone on their part cannot compromise a contract unless there is a foul play from the government official who awards the contract. And government officials on their own part cannot compromise a project unless they have the support of the contractor. You have to locate where the problem lies and give it the right punishment where it is necessary and also reward where it is needed.
Can you recall some of the contracts you have revoked?
Oh yes! I had cause to revoke Katami Fila road project. I also had the cause to revoke road contract for Gidan Sale-Mailale road. I also had the cause to revoke state secretariat project which we are doing right now. It was a nine months’ contract, with all the recommendations being met, yet after three to four months, the level of work was not commensurate with what we bargained for. So, we had to revoke the contract, and then re-awarded it. And there were so many of them, even smaller ones like boreholes, electrification and other projects.
What would you want to be remembered for?
I would want to be remembered for all the good works that I have done when I was the governor. I want people to remember that during my time as the governor, I remained with them. He was not a hidden governor, they had access to their governor, sat with him, talked with him, shared feelings with him, and even advised him on what should be done for the betterment of the people freely without any hindrance.
So, wherever I go, I try to be accessible, not because I am a governor, but right from my childhood, I loved understanding people, to know how they feel and what they feel about me. But one problem is that, at times, we the elite feel we know everything, and we don’t even allow people to tell us what they want. We assume we know what they wanted.
At times, we may think a village needs a good road, whereas the people may need market where they can sell their goods and make their income. At times, they need an ambulance van to help them move a patient quickly to a nearby hospital. And if we don’t try to share their concerns, we end up duplicating services where they are not necessarily needed. We may end up doing just what people don’t appreciate. So, there is the need to understand what the people need.
In the cause of our tour, we noticed multitudes of people coming to cheer you as if it is an electioneering campaign. What’s the secret?
You were with me throughout the day, and we drove over seven hours, and you saw how we related with the people. They are friendly crowd and you saw how we related with them. When you came to my house here, you saw how many people you met. And up till now, you also see the number of people that are inside the house and also outside. During the Ramadan, we normally go and meet with the people up till 4:00am, and that is how I have been relating with them since seven years ago that I became the governor. Once human beings like the treatments they are getting from you, they tend to respect you the more. Let people feel respect, let them feel loved. The thing is for the people to be loved, because there is no respect when there is no love, and love is what we are doing in Sokoto.
For example, when I came in 2007 as the governor, my first priority was to ensure free primary and secondary education for anyone living in the state, whether you are a Muslim, Christian, Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Idoma, or whatever tribe. No matter where you came from, nobody is paying any fee in Sokoto. Since I came, I made all the tribal chiefs in the state to be on my payroll. I do have consistent meetings with them to share their feelings and to know what it is that they needed. These and many, among other processes in my governance, make people to understand where we are going and they therefore pray for us.
Looking at your achievement, you must be concerned about who takes over from you as we approach 2015. Who do you want to succeed you?
Well, to be honest with you, I have tried to make that not much of a business for me now. I am only trying to make sure that all the projects that I have started are completed, while inside me I try to ask God to lead us on who is going to take over from where we stopped. I pray to God to guide us on who is best to take over from where we are going to stop. Only God knows who will take over from me. I will not claim monopoly on that. All I want is that whoever is coming in as the governor should be somebody who respects our people, who will love our people, and who will work for our people. Someone who will do his best to continue on the laudable projects we have put in place, and those we intend to initiate as time goes on. In governance, you don’t finish, you do your own part and allow somebody else to continue from where you stopped. There are so many good hands in this state, there are people who are capable of leading well, and I always pray to God to choose for us who is the best for the state.
Among the numerous aspirants in the state, have you been approached by anyone?
Well, I have been seeing some signs, I have been seeing some posters, but I don’t think anybody has told me that he wants to contest for governorship. But I have been seeing so many posters by the roadside. I know that there are many people who must have been indicating interest, and they are right, because it is their right to aspire, no matter who they are, so long as they are qualified, they can aspire. But sometimes, we serving governors get ourselves involved in this politicking that we even forget that it affects the position of our services to the people. That is why we say, when it is time for politics you play politics, but now, it is time to work and I want to believe that from now till September, all my key projects will be completed Insha-Allah.
Is it not suicidal not to make succession a priority?
Well, there is a difference between priority and consideration. We are not thinking of making it a priority. We wanted to make it part of what we would be doing. While we are doing that, we are still doing other things. Here in Sokoto since I came in, we normally engage all stakeholders whenever we are considering state matters. We even sought opinion on all issues and then we sit together and analyse them in a simple and transparent way that everybody is carried along. The current governance in the country has failed in so many aspects, and we need a change. By the grace of God, the change we are talking about will be that of good governance, a change that will put up a transparent government. A government that believes in accountability, a government that will not condole corruption, a government that will ensure the safety of Nigerians wherever they are, a government that will change the image of this country at the global level for better, a government that will guarantee Nigerians steady progress, and that is what our party stands for.
How possible is it for the APC to dislodge a central government under PDP … (cuts in)
Well, the PDP has already gotten itself out of the system. And this is not because of the APC, but the entire Nigerian masses are fed up with the PDP. And the issues are what we have said earlier; bad governance, outright corruption, and lack of security. Everything is simply not working. The government lacks vision for this country. For almost seven years or more, our image globally is going down. For almost seven years, Nigerians are being killed on daily basis. But like I told you earlier, when there is transparency in government, fairness in government, then security of Nigerians will ever be there. That will have to redeem the image of the country globally, and we have to make Nigerians clear some of the bad images that have been created by the PDP-led government. Let’s take a typical example, tribal politics had been out of the polity for so many years. But it has been brought back by the PDP-led government. Religious sentiment had been taken out of the polity for so many years, but has now been long brought back by the PDP government.
Looking at ongoing impeachment galore against the opposition governors, are you not scared? Won’t it deter you from your plan to unseat the PDP government?
No, no, no! Look, PDP is a party in Nigeria. Nigerians are yearning for change. Even if they impeach all the APC governors, Nigerians are not going to vote for the PDP in 2015. They are going to vote for somebody else, not PDP. They cannot compel Nigerians to vote PDP in 2015. They can go and do what they did in Ekiti, by bringing thousands of policemen and soldiers and so on. They started bribery. They can do it in one state, but they cannot do it in the whole of the country. Nigerians are tired of PDP, and they are tired of the way and manner they are being governed, and they are yearning for a change.
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