The rowdy celebrations, crowd pulling solidarity visits and hilarious jubilations, which followed the inauguration of new administrations where fresh leaders were sworn into office in many parts of the country have almost died down. Such crowd movements and triumphant festivities are already being replaced by media congratulatory messages to different individuals brought in by the last general elections who were sworn into office to serve the people with truth and justice. Expectations are high among the people, especially supporters of the new party in government, the All Progressives Congress [APC], for the fulfillment of the campaign promises made by politicians while they were seeking the people’s votes.
Public expectation in Sokoto, the seat of the Caliphate, where former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal took over the mantle of leadership as the 6th civilian Governor of Sokoto state from Dr. Aliyu Magakarda Wamakko, are exceptionally very higher based on the style of leadership established in the state before the advent of the new administration. Unlike in other parts of the federation, the success of northern politics and politicians as well as their ability to achieve anything in governance depends largely on the “stomach infrastructure” and what the teaming population can get daily from the administration in office or the politicians in power. Former Governor Aliyu Magakarda Wamakko understood the northern political space and the existing style of leadership perfectly and set up what many administrators would regard as a very unenviable welfare system that enabled him relate closely with the people in a manner that boosted his popularity beyond the roof tops.
Aides of the former governor disclosed that Wamakko chose three groups of disadvantaged persons within the society namely children between two years and above, the teeming unemployed youth population the old and neglected women folk to benefit from weekly financial gifts or alms called “sadaka” in Hausa. The former governor allegedly sustained the practice throughout the life time of his administration and every group knew the days in the week when they should gather to collect between N200 and N500. Any time from 7am in the three days, the people whose turn it is for the day would assemble in their hundreds at Wamakko’s residence for their weekly sadaka. This practice allegedly solves the immediate feeding needs of beneficiaries but however benefit it may have produced, the practice has already engendered in the lives of the ordinary people of Sokoto state the culture of begging to the point where even visitors are embarrassed and constantly harassed on the streets by bands of youths, old women and unkempt-looking children known as “Almajiri” who ask for free money from any well dressed people.
Wamakko, like many northern politicians, obviously jettisoned his party’s programmes and manifesto and adopted this individual style of sharing money to the less-privileged and able-bodied youths to enable him relate better with the people and govern the state in peace. In the process, development suffered and unemployment rates peaked even as the youth population quadrupled in the state. It is surprising that Sokoto state, despite its ancient history and the role it has played in the nation’s political evolution, has one of the highest cases of illiteracy in the northern states. Unbelievably, there are no industries [government or private] and the majority of the indigenes resident in the state are involved in petty trading, subsistence farming and fishing. For obvious reasons, emphasis has been placed more on Islamic rather than western education in the public school system.
Observers of the trend of life in the state believe that the new administration can do well by empowering the youth population with skills rather than sustaining the weekly practice of sharing rations of pocket money. Providing practical skills for the youths will enable them build a better future through self employment that would encourage less dependence on the part of the people on politicians and the government for survival. Alhaji Ibrahim Wali, a visiting politician from Abuja who witnessed the inauguration and swearing-in ceremonies of Governor Aminu Tambuwal and his Deputy Governor, Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto at the Shehu Kangiwa Square on Friday, May 29th 2015 and also saw the way a crowd of youths swarmed on visitors at the venue said: “this is the time to exploit the opportunities in Sokoto state to enable the new administration tackle the numerous challenges presented by modern realities.
“This state needs to tackle things such as unemployment and the growing number of idle youths, old men and women ignored for a long time, who have turned the practice of “maulla,” [a form of aggressive, area-boys begging process], into a normal culture.” Alhaji Ibrahim Wali wondered whether the former speaker can sufficiently withstand the pressure from local politicians and the ordinary people to practice the “stomach infrastructure” type of politics observing that any leader who is interested in developing the state cannot just be sharing development funds anyhow to the people. Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Matawallen Sokoto, assured doubting Thomases that he understands the problems and politics of Sokoto state very well and would eagerly do everything humanly possible, like he promised during his inauguration speech, to solve or tackle the challenges. The governor should not waste much time in naming and swearing-in members of the state executive council, special advisers and administrative management committees of local governments and development areas.
The inauguration and democracy day celebrations were observed as low-keyed events in the state as a result of the desire of the past administration to conserve scarce resources. Governor Tambuwal has indicated that he will be banking on the support of the people and the advice of His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, the immediate past Governor, Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, Sarkin Yamman Sokoto as well as other eminent religious, traditional and community leaders in the state to enable him hopefully transform Sokoto into an industrial, agricultural and tourist hob of the north. He promised such things in his speech after receiving the handover notes from Wamakko and he must be reminded that the people will look forward to the fulfillment of those promises made at the campaign period and the handover venue. For example, Tambuwal promised to invest heavily in agriculture, education, and industries, youth and women empowerment as well as encourage small scale industries apart from raising the living standards of the people. The politician promised to run an open, all-inclusive administration and while urging opponents who contested the governorship elections to join hands with him in rebuilding the state, Tambuwal described the task of developing Sokoto as a very hectic one which he hopes would be surmounted.
While promising to run a government driven by honesty, transparency and the desire for progress and development, Governor Tambuwal commended the former governor and his administration for sustaining peace and public order in the state to the point that Sokoto can be regarded as one of the most peaceful states in the far north. Meanwhile, local residents have continued to troop into the private residence of the former governor and the new one several days after the inauguration ceremony to express solidarity and present them with individual problems that require assistance and solutions.
This reporter was at Wamakko’s residence few days after the handover process and witnessed that party supporters, especially youths in their hundreds and women were still mill around the premises at 2am defying every intervention by security personnel with the hope of getting the former governor’s attention and favours. Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal who was the immediate Speaker of the House of Representatives, a position he held since 2011 until he was elected governor, disappeared from his residence after so much pressure from the endless visitors who cam with tones of problems. Aminu was born in Tambuwal town on January 10, 1966 and had his education at Tambuwal Primary School after first studying at an Islamic school in the town. He was admitted into Government Teachers College, Dogon Daji in 1979 and went further to the Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto to study law after graduating with a Grade [2] Teachers Certificate at the teacher’s collage. He came out of the university with a Bachelor of Law degree in 1991 and proceeded to the Nigeria Law School from where he obtained a BL degree after which he was called to the Nigeria Bar.
Aminu practiced law and was part of the state and national political structure of the Nigeria Bar Association [NBA] serving in such capacities as the Assistant National Secretary and later National Financial Secretary before veering into mainstream politics and contesting the 2003 general election winning the Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal Constituency seat to serve in the National Assembly. He was returned to the House in the 2007 and 2011 general elections and was elected speaker in the 2011/2015 session of the assembly. Aminu served on various committees of the house within the period. Tambuwal is a member, Board of Benchers of the American Bar Association and was honoured by the Abdullahi Fodio Foundation and Gwandu Emirate.
He holds the National Merit Award title of Commander of the Federal Republic [CFR] and the Honourary Doctorate Degree in Law [LLD] Honoris Causa from the Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto. Admirers of the young chief executive are looking up to Tambuwal to succeed in governance based on his vast experience as a well travelled politician whose exceptional performance in leadership, legal practice and administration made him excel as the longest serving speaker for several years of the Green Chambers.
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