My successor must be ready to listen to the electorate – Gov.Wamakko

With 42 years of public service tucked under his belt, Governor
Aliyu Magatarkada Wamakko, hit the ground running when he
became the helmsman in Sokoto state. Almost eight years
down the road,the man popularly called Alu has touched every
facet of the life of his people. The Sun Man of the Year 2014
shares the story of his challenges and successes.
I will like to start by asking how you received the news that
you’re The Sun Man of The Year. How do you feel?
When I was told through a text message, I felt very honoured
because I know what The Sun newspaper stands for in this
country. The Sun newspaper is one of the most widely
circulated newspapers in the country and it is very informative
and a very objective paper. I really feel honoured not as
person, but on behalf of the entire state and it also tells me to
work harder that somebody out there is watching.
Which of the projects you have done in the past eight years
gladdens your heart most?
Well, there are too many of them but the one that gladdens
my heart most is the state university which I have upgraded
and which would be helping children long after we have gone
and which has the potentials of addressing the many needs of
the state. In terms of children getting enrolled in schools, our
priority has been getting youths educated. Now the youths are
in the right place they are supposed to be rather than being
drug addicts and the likes. There are so many reasons the
university is so dear to me. Honestly, there are so many
projects that are so dear to my heart and among them is the
problem of potable water. I believe in life, we all need water to
survive. So, when I came, the state capital needed about 40
million gallons per day but we were providing 7 million to 9
million or there about. Then I started thinking of a way to
provide adequate drinking water in a good environment and a
modern day water system for the rural areas. So,
I had to revive all the water works plants. I put in place new
machines and appointed a task force . Within a year, we were
able to achieve as high as 33 million gallons per day . We
then began to bring in a modern day water system . Most of
the water ways we had before had done 30 to 40 years and so
they were no longer in tune with the modern ones. So, I began
with the one in Asari which produces 20 million gallons per
day and which was commissioned by former President
Obasanjo. It has taken care of all the environments around
Sokoto West , all the GRAs , the police , army barracks, all the
bigger parts of Sokoto even the interior parts and the city
centre benefits from this Asari Water Scheme. In the second
phase of this project, I also awarded a contract which was
allocated to different settlements in Sokoto , like Gaji, Rounja
Sambo and Rogaleman. There is another along Mana area ,
little ones and so on. They are little ones like five million, ten
million gallons, so that there won’t be any problem where the
whole city does not have water, so we have decentralized it in
such a way that different communities have different sources
of water supply. In fact, we have decided to go underground
for water now because we get more quantity, neater, odorless
and safer water there. All our new water projects are
underground water systems. Some have been commissioned
and some will be any time from now. So, we are really getting
there.
This is the city of the Caliphate, how easy or difficult is it to
govern Sokoto State?
In governance there cannot be anything like cool or easy in
the sense that the demands do not tally with the income and
that is what makes it not easy. But it can be easy if the
people are understanding, well informed and well carried
along. When I first came, I had it mind that I will be a
governor with a listening ear. A governor that will respect the
feelings of his people and I have done that. I made sure that
there was no segregation, no one will be called a non-Sokoto
indigene or settler. No matter where you come from, you will
be treated equally and you are entitled to some basic things in
the state . I have gone a long way in doing this. For instance
Ibos ,Yorubas and other tribes are in my cabinet and
everybody is treated with respect and it is so lovely. There is
so much love in the state that is why we live in peace in this
state. As human beings, one thing is important and that is
mutual respect and once we have mutual respect we have
peace , you can have unity and you can have harmony in the
state.
You are going to Senate?
I hope to.
What do you want to achieve in the Senate?
No, this country has the need for people who will go and
provide the basis for youths to govern this country. We need
people who will go to provide checks and balances for this
country. If you can see in the last five years, it is only the
House of Representatives that has been making any attempt
to provide checks and balances for us . The Senate has been
a sell-out, most times they always submit to whatever the
government says. There must be checks and balances which
is the reason democracy is important and why we have the
three arms of the government. We feel there is a need for
people who have experience in governance at that level;
people who are not looking for money to build a house or buy
a beautiful car. At a certain age, you are only thinking of
service and your grave. That’s why it’s good to spend the
remaining days of one’s life serving mankind and not looting
the treasury. The services should be provided adequately and
effectively to taste. For instance, Nigerians cannot have
access to good roads in this country after 54 years, it has
never reached Sokoto. I just went to see the Emir some
months ago. See Niger for instance, the President is
constructing a railway from Niamey to Ouagadoudou and then
to Maraba while we are always talking and talking all the
time, we have all these resources but they are not been used
wisely. We want a situation where we can confer with the
government at different levels and ask questions. We want
government to provide services where they are needed and
when they are needed.
With the falling oil price and the austerity measures starring
us in the face what has your government put in place in
Agriculture to ensure that there is an alternative so that your
government won’t be taking the bowl to Abuja every month
for allocation?
Long before now, I am one of those educating people on
diversifying the economy, I was never happy the way we were
depending on oil money. Oil money has made us all lazy and
useless. Before oil came, Nigeria was a rich and vibrant
country. We were exporting cocoa, groundnuts, palm oil,
cotton and so on. When I came here, I tried to see how best
we can revive the agriculture sector by providing them all the
modern facilities, equipment, high yielding seedlings , fertilizers
and exposing them to various schemes and training that will
help them know and understand modern farming techniques.
We don’t just give them equipment, we also teach them
modern ways of farming. Before we were doing it in a very
conservative way but now, we’re doing what we can to fully
get into mechanized farming .How I wish tomorrow you can
drive around and see how engaged our people are in farming.
And with that, issues about development is carefully and
neatly addressed. All these problems of rural-urban migration
is being addressed, all the issues of agronomy are being
addressed. If youths in their local governments are gainfully
employed there won’t be any need to move from rural to
urban areas because the basic things like water, good roads
and electricity are also available . There won’t be any need for
people to move again to the cities.