By Suleiman Adamu, Sokoto
GOVERNOR Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto state on Wednesday night insisted that restructuring would enable Nigerians believe in the country and benefit from efficient and more productive system that guarantees opportunities for equal development .
Tambuwal who made the remark in Sokoto while interacting with reporters maintained that ” is not just restructuring but to make and change things for the better so the citizenry would profit from it.
” So long as there is good governance braced by patriotic and nationalistic spirits , we can achieve a lot if the country restructures.
” It will help address so many socio- economic , political and cultural agitations from all directions”, he pointed out.
According to the former HoRs Speaker, ” leaders need to be good listeners in order to fine tune a path way to accommodate the concerns of Nigerians . This can last the test of our quest to surmounting the yearnings and aspiration of citizens “, he reiterated.
Though noted that, Nigerians have different interpretations and perception of restructuring in its face context, Tambuwal while sequentially citing examples as viewed by the different geo-political zones said ” to some they dwell on resource control, some fiscal federalism while others state creation .
All these are mere promotion of agitations that may not truly represent restructuring which stands for new ways of doing things that promotes efficiency and productivity for the prosperity citizens and the country.”
On his administration’s priority to education which yearly budgetary allocation remained the highest, Tambuwal said it was key to all facets of human development , adding that ” we believe if our children are given qualitative education , we are building good future for them to be able to serve the state and nation productively as well promote standards and excellence .”
Besides, the PDP Governor Forum Chairman who also doubles as deputy Chain, Nigerian Governors Forum disclosed hat his administration has achieved a lot to reverse the discouraging records of Out of School Children ( OOSC) in the state theough massive enrollment and retention policy.
” We have significantly inroad by also establishing Female Education Board, in addition to upgrading to Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation including ensuring compulsory , free primary education in the state.”
Tambuwal hitherto said to deepen he state love for education, his government had since began the process of establishing a University of Education as which will also serve as a training front for teaching career and other related courses in education.
” We have decided to upgrade the existing SSCOE to the University of Education and will be well equipped to provide the required knowledge and renovated, constructed ad rehabilitated a number of basic and secondary schools with the required facilities as in the case of the state of he art boarding secondary school in Gudu “, he said.
On human development , the governor noted that the state government was not just focussing on loans and empowerment schemes, rather bracing up its attention on health , education as drivers of human capital development.
Turning to the health sector, Tambuwal
said his government left no stone unturned in reversing the negative indices inherited on immunisation, vaccinations, maternal mortality among other mind boggling health issues .
This, he said informed the government need to make provision for more facilities and medicament that would assist in treatment of women and children .
” We have established a number of additional dispensaries , PHCs, General Hospitals across the local governments and communities including the establishment of 3 premier hospitals across the senatorial zones to adequately serve the demand for health facilities “, he outlined.
In furtherance to that , the governor disclosed that already the state government was constructing a star of the art State University Teaching hospital with over 1, 200 bed capacity in addition to the recently commissioned diagnostic centre.
” All these are geared towards making Sokoto a medical hub where citizens from across the state and country can access medical the best medica facility . We have mapped out our recruitment process that would provide opportunities for professionals to serve in the facility.”
Turning to security, the governor who expressed concerns over the spate of bandits attacks on and killings of unsuspecting locals , said there the urgent and frantic need to as leaders work with security agencies in collaboration with other stakeholders to nip the trend in he bud.
” I suggest that a special force independent of the conventional security forces be established and recruited from the areas where bandits operations are thriving to face them head on.
” This will impact positively towards dealing with the situation as those to be recruited know the terrains.”
However, he explained that the state government on it’s part had been working closely with security agencies and extending the necessary support to size up their demands .
” We recently donated 500 motorcycles to vigilante groups in the state who will be working with the conventional security personnel( police) after receiving the basic training by the police in order to curtail attacks by bandits especially in the eastern axis”, he said .
Meanwhile, Tambuwal disclosed that his government has key in to fast tracking the domestication of modern agricultural and husbandry activities in order to boost food production and security using modern techniques.
” We have invested heavily in husbandry with the breeding of special cow species from South Africa which can stand our climate for cross breeding with our local Gudale.
” We already in the second phase of production . It is a PPP project that allows private herders to come in .
” As we do that, we have Alps taken farmers into consideration by providing adequate farming tools and improved seeds as hand tillers, Tractors, water pumps and fertilizer inputs “, he said.
