The Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal says the challenges facing Nigeria and the state today are very enormous and require people with zest, and divine interventions to be overcome.
He stated this in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Malam Muhammad Bello, on Saturday.
According to the statement, Tambuwal spoke when he hosted various youths organisations in the state to commemorate the Eid-el-Fitr festival.
The governor noted that the state wage bill has risen from between N1.4 billion and N1.5 billion to N2.7 billon, excluding allowances and cash allocations.
“Sokoto state is not like Lagos or Rivers where the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) is robust. We don’t have such high IGR. Hardly do we rake in N700-N800 million in a month.
“Moreover, most of these is not coming from the business community.
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“But now, with the reform, and working in concert with the people, we are striving to turn around the internal revenue service with the hope that there will be a rise in our IGR,” he said.
He urged the youths to work hard in whatever they chose as career to succeed, adding that they should hope and act as if the future is now.
Tambuwal noted that the youths have a lot to contribute in building the state and nation, as such should not be deterred by difficulties and challenges.
“We deliberately chose as our slogan; ‘The Future Is Now’ when we wanted to run for the Presidency in the year 2019.
“As such, I appeal to all of you to make up your minds on what you want as individuals and sustain your vision on the realisation of that, going forward,” he said.
Tambuwal also encouraged the youths to participate actively in politics and governance, noting that he joined politics in his late twenties.
The governor while outlining the trajectory of his personal experience in politics, encouraged the youths to give a shot at politics, saying “with God on your side, nothing will be impossible.”
“Our administration believe in the youths and that is why we are investing in education, healthcare and human capital development.
“This is why we have spent more than any previous government around here on students scholarship despite the economic challenges we are facing,” he added.