Re: Now that Sokoto has an Exco
The article with the above title that appeared in the Daily Trust of Tuesday, July 2, 2019, written by one Squadron Leader Aminu Bala, is one in series of clear indications that the APC in Sokoto State and its disgruntled rabble rousers have not learnt anything from their defeat in the last governorship election. They […]
The article with the above title that appeared in the Daily Trust of Tuesday, July 2, 2019, written by one Squadron Leader Aminu Bala, is one in series of clear indications that the APC in Sokoto State and its disgruntled rabble rousers have not learnt anything from their defeat in the last governorship election. They are yet to realize the folly of their tactics and their negative politics. They still do not have an inkling that they and their false narrative have been ignominiously rejected by the people of Sokoto State.
The old song in Aminu Bala Sokoto’s write up has been over played to no effect. The lies he has often told about Tambuwal’s first four years in government have proved to be woefully ineffective as a strategy of bringing a good government down. But Squadron Leader, Sokoto is still behaving like a combatant, who remains dug in, not knowing that the war is over, won and lost.
He also is too deep in the trenches to be aware of what actually obtains beyond his confinement. By suggesting in his article that Governor Tambuwal’s executive council was long in coming, Aminu Bala is perhaps not aware that Sokoto State is the first in Nigeria to appoint a cabinet, while many states, especially those across the boundaries have not even sent nominees to their legislatures. And then, he incoherently contradicted himself by saying that the Exco was appointed in a haste.
It is not surprising that elements like Aminu Bala are dumbfounded and frustrated by the swiftness in the constitution of Tambuwal’s cabinet. Their party was poised to employ its fractional numerical edge in the state legislature to subvert the administration. They gave a promo of their malicious agenda by restraining APC members elect from attending the preparatory induction organised by the state government in Abuja and instead, commandeered them to Lagos and attempted to ram into their heads, the APC spirit of sabotage.
An aspect of Aminu Bala’s writeup that amazes readers is his harping on the issue of water supply in Sokoto State. His hyping up water shortage in Sokoto Metropolis to attack Tambuwal’s administration, is the worst affront on the people of the state.
The assumption that the masses have so soon forgotten the mess Aminu Waziri inherited in the name of water supply projects from Wamakko’s regime, is an insult on their collective intelligence. To the very last one, each of the “schemes” mentioned by the Squadron Leader as water supply legacies from Wamakko, the current Sokoto State APC leader, was a sham. And it is now that Tambuwal is incurring expenditure to turn them into reality, just like numerous other shoddy works bequeathed to him by Wamakko.
A sad example of such Trojan Horses is the Asare Water Project, located in Wamakko’s own home village. The project cost the people of Sokoto State about N2 billion and yet, they could not draw even two thousand litres of water from it before it went dry even before Wamakko handed over.
The Runjin Sambo Water Works, which has been salvaged and completed by Governor Tambuwal was a Wamakko white elephant that stood fallow for years without yielding a drop of water. Rescuing it is part of Aminu Waziri’s holistic water supply blueprint that includes the construction of 1.5 million litres water works in 18 local governments of the state, all of which are at 90% completion. That is in addition to the over 200 boreholes being provided all over the state, most of which have begun functioning, unlike the comatose but money grubbing “legacies” of Wamakko.
Sokoto State indeed has an executive council. And it is the best any state could hope to get. Tambuwal’s Exco is an ensemble of the most experienced and competent sons and daughters of Sokoto State. They were selected through the most democratic and participatory process in the history of Sokoto State that marks a complete breakaway from the godfather days when Aminu Bala’s master held sway.
With such an enviable team of enlightened personalities and professionals, Sokoto State looks ahead to a continuation of the good work from Tambuwal’s first tenure. Having cleared a substantial part of the socioeconomic mess bequeathed to him by Wamakko, Aminu Waziri is ready and determined to move Sokoto State to even greater heights. And he has got the right team to achieve that.
Abu Shekara is Director General, Media and Publicity to the Governor of Sokoto State.