It is Four days After 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 counter 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!
Faridah U. Maidamma
@faridah_m
Views expressed are solely that of author and does not represent views of www.omojuwa.com nor its associates
