Stakeholders Commend Tambuwal for Making Giant Strides in Sokoto
- Governor Aminu Tambuwal has been hailed for his achievements as he rounds off the third year of his second term in office in three months’ time
- Experts say Tambuwal of Sokoto state could as well begin to roll out the drums ahead of the May 29, 2022 date in celebration of his laudable achievements
- A political economist stated that since he was sworn in, the governor has left no one in doubt that he was committed to a broader policy direction for Sokoto
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FCT, Abuja - Sokoto governor, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has been commended for his giant strides in the northwest state.
The commendation of Tambuwal was by some experts who say the governor is one of the poster boys of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Source: Facebook
An educational expert, Dr. Aisha Mukthar said:
“Tambuwal’s scorecard not just in three years but seven could be seen in all sectors, but more appropriately premised around three critical spheres: education, economy, and infrastructure.
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“And instructively, the remarkable improvements in all sectors since he took over as governor of Sokoto state in 2015 are testaments to his careful policy choices and diligent implementation.
“When he mounted the saddle in 2015, Tambuwal saw deplorable education indices across the state. He saw that the decay in the educational sector had almost engulfed the state. Thus, he was determined to arrest the ugly situation.
“Barely six months after he assumed office he declared a state of emergency on the education sector in December 2015. Early in the following year, the Right to Education Bill 2016 was signed into law. The new law made education a justiciable right and made it illegal for children to be out of school by the actions of their parents.
“For proper implementation of the new order, the fledgling administration embarked on massive school renovation and building of special schools. These were promptly handed over to the local government councils to manage while the state provided funds.”
Dr. Mukthar listed Tambuwal’s transformation in the education sector to include:
1. Between 2016 and 2019, two Junior Secondary Schools were built in each of the 23 Local Government Areas in the state while four Junior Secondary Schools were built in the State Capital.
2. Renovation of 1500 Primary Schools and 180 Junior Secondary Schools are currently ongoing and have reached over 70% completion.
3. The administration has consistently provided not below 26% of yearly budget for education. This is above UNESCO’s benchmark of between 15% and 20% for education.
4. Over 600,000 children have been enrolled in school since 2016 with a consistent rise in the number of children getting back to school. Most importantly Tambuwal’s government has focused on getting more girls into school, improving the lives and chances of women within the state.
5. Between 2016 and 2017, there was a 4.4% increase in the enrolment of girls into primary schools.
6. The administration created an agency for girl child education that focuses on getting more girls into school by engaging with their parents and communities on the importance of educating the girl child.
7. The government achieved a remarkable increase in enrolment of girls into school with the government constructing more girls-only schools across the 23 local government areas.
8. Government Science Senior Secondary School has been built in grand style across the three senatorial districts which would allow direct entry for girls who had finished from the junior secondary schools within the state.
9. Barely a year after he took over, the number of girls enrolled at junior secondary schools within the state stood at 71,132 in 2016 compared to 22,021 in 2012.
10. Enrolment into senior secondary had also increased from 22,755 in 2014 to 27,004 in 2017.
11. Recognising that early marriage is a setback to girls’ school enrolment, in November 2021, 18 years after the passage of the Child Rights Act 2003, the Sokoto State Government joined the rest of Nigeria in domesticating the Child Rights Act.
On his part, a political economist, Dr. Chidi Orjiakor said in the past six years, the Tambuwal administration has frontally confronted the infrastructure deficit in Sokoto.
He said before Tambuwal's emergence on the scene, Sokoto and Kebbi states had the lowest levels of access to potable water at 38 percent and 39 percent respectively, stressing that the governor is now tackling the problem.
He said in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, the administration has provided safe drinking water for over 30 formal and non-formal primary schools and learning centres in the state.
He added:
“About 700 towns and villages across the 23 local government areas now have potable water. This is in addition to the 1.5 million litre per day of water projects provided in all the headquarters of the 23 local government areas.
“The health sector has received considerable attention as well. Last year, the government inaugurated launched, and completed the multi-billion naira Sokoto State Advanced Medical Diagnostic Centre in Farufaru.
“The diagnostics centre was set up to intervene in providing first-rate medical services in the state. It boasts cutting-edge medical equipment and technologies to rival some of the best across the world.
“The previous year, in late 2020, work commenced on the 1,060-bed space Sokoto State University Teaching Hospital project. Work is ongoing at a very fast pace. The sum of N10 billion has been set aside by the state government for the hospital. Instructively, the Teaching Hospital will be the largest in West Africa.
“It is linked to three 150-bed capacity new premier hospitals situated in each of the senatorial districts in the state, which are in Binji, Sabon Birni, and Tambuwal, and would serve as an accessible referral for patients from the rural areas.
“Hitherto, the hospitals served the rural demographics at the mercy of primary health care centres or the distant urban hospitals.”
Dr Orjiakor further said Tambuwal has made similar progress in tackling erosion, building roads, paying salaries and pensions on time, and clearing the debt of the Sokoto state government.
2023: Tambuwal is PDP’s best bet for presidency, says GNC
Meanwhile, the Generation Next Collective, a group of youth and women’s organisations, has Tambuwal as the finest candidate the PDP can field for the 2023 presidential election.
As a result, the groups urged the party’s leadership to act quickly and be more explicit about the path the party plans to take in selecting its presidential candidate for the 2023 race.
GNC’s position was contained in a statement sent to Legit.ng by its co-conveners, Barrister Ruth Edehemon and Malam Rufai Abdulahi, on Thursday, February 17.
Source: Legit.ng
