By Abdallah el-Kurebe, Editor
The Sokoto State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has described the 2020 state budget of N202,444,458,429 as bulk of unfulfilled promises by Governor Aminu Tambuwal-led administration.
Making the allegation at a press conference on Monday, the APC state chairman, Isah Sadiq Acida, said the budget meant nothing to the people of the state.
According to him, the budget only highlighted a list of unfulfilled promises that characterized Tambuwal administration, while opining that “the 2019 budget of N169.184 billion was virtually swept under the rug at the 2020 budget presentation, without mention.
“This is completely contrary to the established tradition where governments review their performances on the ongoing budget, highlighting their achievements, before presenting a new budget,” he stated.
The APC listed some projects proposed in the 2019 budget that, according to it, had not been commenced as at December.
“These include the renovation of Sultan Abubakar III Airport access road at N548 million, additional structures, road networks and children’s playground equipment at the International Conference Centre, Kasarawa, at N128 million, construction and equipping of a new advanced diagnostic centre at N2.443 billion, among others.
“It is also disheartening to note that our Civil Servants have continued to bear the burden of being taxed to fund the running of education in the State, while the huge budgetary allocation to education continues to remain unaccounted for.”
However, reacting to the allegations on Tuesday, the State Commissioner of Information, Alhaji Isa Bajini Galadanci described them as not only baseless but also “hopeless and helpless grief for power, which they have serially lost at the polls and the courts.”
Bajini stated that in spite of the opposition party’s control of power for many years in the state, the “leadership does not seem to comprehend what the concept of budget connotes”, adding that budgets are estimations and intentions that do not translate into 100% reality.
“Budgets are basically expectations and intentions, which do not usually translate into 100% reality. Therefore, the list of approved projects by the Executive Council are only achievable with corresponding availability of funds,” the Commissioner stated.
Bajini pointed that “the Assembly is aware of the achievements of the administration despite financial constraints.
“Nonetheless, if the APC had checked well, it would have known that the state assembly in which it has majority, confirmed that the administration of Gov. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal had performed creditably well in its execution of the 2019 budget, which it erroneously lampooned before you gentlemen yesterday.
“You would recall that at the signing of the2020 budget on December 27, 2019, the Speaker of the Sokoto State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Aminu Muhammad Achida, himself a staunch APC member, affirmed that “the assembly is aware of the achievements of the administration despite financial constraints,” the Commissioner stated.
He reiterated that in spite of the battle against shortage of funds to execute projects that would add value to the lives of the people of the state, “many projects that we initiated are already at advanced stage.
“You are invited to visit the Sokoto International Diagnostic Center at Farfaru. You may also wish to verify from the Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto on the issue of the supply of books to it among other issues that the APC raised.
“Perhaps the APC in Sokoto has lost its memory following the heavy knock down it suffered from Mutawalle at the polls. This could be why they can’t see any project worth N500 million executed by our administration,” the statement read.
Bajini referred to some members of the APC that served under Tambuwal on projects executed within Tambuwal’s first tenure, if it would be true that the administration had not done anything since its inception.
“Find out from Tukur Alkali who was the immediate past Commissioner of Animal Health and Husbandry how much was spent by this administration on the cattle breeding project abandoned by Wamakko’s administration. You may also wish to find out how much was the cost of reconstruction of the Deputy Governor’s residence in Sokoto and who was the contractor.
“The purchase of fertilizer and its distribution under Gov. Tambuwal is another area we want the APC to provide us with the details of the amount spent. I am sure Ummaru Na-Gwari, the former Commissioner for Agriculture can tell the APC if it is less than N500 million or more under his stewardship.
“Similarly, we would like Hon. Bello Sifawa to inform the world how much was spent by Tambuwal’s administration on environmental issues when he held sway as the commissioner in that ministry.
“Last, and really not the least, the state Chairman of the APC may wish to enumerate programmes he supervised as Commissioner for Home Affairs under Governor Tambuwal,” Bajini further stressed.
According to him, Tambuwal’s leadership policy is to continue with viable projects or programmes his administration may have inherited by any of his predecessors.
Listing some uncompleted projects allegedly left by the Wamakko administration, Bajini continued thus:
1. Independent Power Plant
2. Cattle Breeding Project
3. International Conference Center (which received scant attention from Wamakko’s administration but was done by Tambuwal from scratch to finish)
4. Kalambaina Housing Project
5. Sokoto City Projects at Asaro, Nakasari and Runjin Sambo.
6. College of Nursing Sciences, Sokoto.
7. College of Agriculture, Wurno.
8. College of Legal Studies, Wamakko
9. College of Midwifery Sciences, Tambuwal.
10. Gidan Salanke Housing Project.
11. Completion of 7 Local Government Secretariat buildings.
12. Completion of 5 kilometer road network in some local governments.
In addition to all these, the Tambuwal administration started and completed some of the following projects:
1. Ultra-modern library complex fully equipped and functional at the state university
2. An office complex with 60 Nos office in the state university
3. International Diagnostic Center and Specialty Hospital
4. Renovation and upgrading of general hospitals in the state
5. Semi-urban water supply scheme in all local governments in the state
6. Gudu Secondary School
7. 500 portable water schemes in 500 rural communities across the state
Torch-bearer on Educational Development Award
The APC in Sokoto are not only disturbed by how Gov. Tambuwal dislodged them, but also for the recognition of his achievements nationally and internationally. With the following commitments and achievements inn the educational sector, who on earth can fault the Nigerian Tribune for recognizing Governor Tambuwal as the torch-bearer of educational development in the country:
1. Reduction of the rate of out of school children by 15% (as recognized and certified by UNICEF)
2. 50 blocks of 6 classrooms in schools across the state under SDG (100& funded by the state)
3. Additional 500 blocks of 6 classrooms, administrative blocks and libraries in schools all over the state via SUBEB/UBEC counter-part funding.
4. a) Completion of College of Midwifery Sciences, Tambuwal
b) College of Legal Studies, Wamakko
c) College of Agriculture , Wurno
5. Construction of Ultra-modern Library at the state university, Sokoto
6. Construction of 60 Nos office complex in the state university
7. Payment of accreditation fees of colleges and courses in various institutions
8. Payment of WAEC/NECO examination fees
9. payment of conditional cash transfer to mother of girls enrolled into primary 1 in order to boost girl-child education
10. purchase of 15,000 JAMB UMTE/DE forms for the less privileged in the state
11. sponsorship of Sokoto state students to Ukraine, India, China, Ghana, Sudan and Uganda to study medicine and other paramedical courses as well ass other professional courses
12. Awarding scholarship grants to Sokoto state students in higher institutions of learning inn Nigeria.
13. Upgrading of some schools from primary to junior secondary schools.
14. Feeding of students in various across the state
15. Sponsorship of teachers to further their education in order to have adequate and qualified teaching personnel.
Gentlemen of the press, these are not all about the story of our achievements over the years. We are striving to do more. Our call to the APC is that it should shield its parochial politics of condemnation and work with us to make the Seat of Caliphate a better place for all and sundry.
