“A budget is telling your money where to go, instead of wondering where it went” -Dave Ramsey
In the last one and half years, Dr Ahmed Aliyu, the amiable governor of Sokoto state, has proven that budget can be an effective tool to empower the good people of Sokoto state and create the conducive environment that would enable them achieve their full potentials. This is unlike the Aminu Tambuwal administration when they never saw the benefits of budgets, because the budgets didn’t change their fortunes.
For Governor Aliyu, budget is a critical tool and like all tools the results would be determined by the effective uses to which they are deployed towards the realisation of the laudable objectives of his 2025 budget of “Transformation and Infrastructural Sustainability”; especially the provision of roads, housing, healthcare, construction of schools and other critical infrastructure.
The governor, being a financial expert, equally understands that if his budget fails to meet the yearnings of the people, and address fundamental issues of governance, that it is a colossal failure and a betrayal of the mandate entrusted to him by the people.
On this premise, the governor has despite the crises he inherited on assumption of office on May 29, 2023, trudged on by first restoring hope of a despondent people in the capacity of government to deliver services, by actually doing so. He is, without doubt, on the right track to fix the broken state and has every right to beat his chest because of his solid accomplishments since assuming office as contained in his report on the performance of the 2024 budget.
Like budget estimates, budget performance review is equally critical. So how did Governor Aliyu’s 2024 budget of N270.1 billion with a N97.8 billion recurrent and N172.2 billion capital expenditures perform? It is important to stress that, being his first budget, it focused on the 9-Point agenda on which he had campaigned.
Though not yet uhuru, the signs of a better future for the people of Sokoto state are obvious due to a leadership committed to their welfare and security by ensuring that their interests are at the center of his budget implementation, which is what government is all about.
The objectives of the 2024 budget were a commitment to promote opportunities, accelerate human capital development, reduce inequality and the prioritisation of capital spending on key sectors like education and infrastructure.
Governor Aliyu clearly shares the same philosophy like American President Joe Biden of letting his budgets speak for him. According to President Biden, “Don’t tell me what you value, show me your budget and I will tell you what you value”, which is exactly what Governor Aliyu has done with the 2024 and 2025 budgets.
Considering the security challenges confronting Sokoto state and indeed the entire North-west zone, it is not surprising that improving the security situation along the eastern border with Zamfara state remains topmost in the government agenda. The establishment of the Sokoto State Community Corps, collaboration with security agencies, construction of military bases, procurement of over 130 patrol vehicles for security agencies to enhance operations, improved allowances and logistics support demonstrated a government that is more than alive to its responsibility, even though security enforcement is not the constitutional responsibility of state governments. The governor has also provided logistics support for the Nigeria Air Force which hastened the operationalisation of the Air force unit in Sokoto.
Governor Aliyu’s commitment to defeating the terrorists who have made life hellish for citizens is unwavering and total, contrary to the allegations of inaction by an opposition who escalated the situation in the first place, and made Sokoto state a nightmare.
There was an aggressive implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme with the various components in the year under review, which includes the construction of over 30 asphalt roads, expansion of potable water supply, installation of solar powered street lights and efficient refuse collection. These have given the Seat of the Caliphate a new look, while the erection of wire fence along major roads has helped reduce accidents and save lives.
The government, in its aggressive drive to transform the rural areas where a vast majority of its citizens live, constructed feeder roads to ease movement of people, goods and services and installed solar powered streetlights in the local government headquarters, as part of efforts to combat insecurity and drive commerce.
Governor Aliyu has, by words and deeds, shown that the provision of affordable housing is dear to his heart, same with the provision and expansion of water supply to the entire state. To bridge the housing gap, the government constructed 1,0000 houses in Gidan Salanke and Wajake, and purchased another 137 housing units from the federal government in the Kwannawa area of the capital.
In 2023, when Dr Aliyu came on board, Sokoto and environs were not only suffering from acute water shortage, but the state water board, due to funding challenges, was tragically pumping untreated water to public taps. Thankfully, that has become history. And to further ensure that other parts of the state enjoy water supply, the government has awarded the contract for the completion of four major water schemes in Tamaje, Mana, Old Airport and Rugar Liman areas of the capital. It is interesting to note that these projects were initiated by former Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, but abandoned by the Tambuwal administration. The projects are at various stages of completion.
Clearly, Governor Aliyu’s policies reflect what the Sokoto state people want.
Another area the governor has shown his humanity is in the settlement of the accumulated gratuity of over N15 billion by the Tambuwal administration. Governor Aliyu pays N500 million monthly to settle the backlog, while earmarking N300 million monthly for those retiring.
”I have set aside N300 million monthly to pay those retiring during my administration so that by the time we would have completed our tenure no retiree would be left unpaid”, Governor Aliyu said. This is unlike Tambuwal who refused to pay the entitlements of retiring workers throughout his eight years in office.
Also very impactful is Governor Aliyu’s State Social Protection Policy that addresses the needs of the poor and vulnerable. Under the various social intervention programmes the poor have been placed on a monthly allowance of N10,000, increased from N6,500, while some 9,000 physically challenged persons are to be provided with grants. In his sustained war on poverty reduction, thousands of youths have also been trained in various skills under the Community Development Department of the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
In Governor Aliyu’s 9-Point Agenda, religion occupies a proud No 2 position. This should not be a surprise to anyone that understands the people who proudly address their state as the Seat of the Caliphate. After all, governance is about doing what the people want. The governor’s huge investment in the promotion of Islamic affairs, the construction and renovation of mosques, the provision of boreholes, praying carpets as well as the installation of solar power, have all resonated well with the people by making worship more comfortable for them. So also is the re-introduction of monthly funding of Juma’at mosques and a better equipped, trained Hisbah (Islamic police) to address the alarming moral decadence and social vices in the society.
The government positively reacted to the adverse impact of the fuel subsidy removal on the people by taking several steps to ameliorate the situation. First, the government purchased 110 mass transit buses and cars for intra and intercity services. It also acquired 1,000 motorcycles and 500 tricycles which it is reselling to unemployed youths at highly subsidised rates. It also purchased 280 trucks of rice valued at over N14 billion, which is being resold at a subsidised rate in the 244 political wards of the state. Thankfully, it is not a one-off programme.
The governor’s premium on education is obvious from the re-accreditation of several courses in its tertiary institutions and the massive construction of schools, renovation of dilapidated buildings, provision of furniture, and instructional materials, the prompt payment of examination fees for students writing the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations, and the payment of outstanding scholarships for students undergoing various degree programmes.
Another area the governor has done well is the agriculture sector, which is a major employer of labour, aside the vital issue of food security. Landmark achievements of the governments in agriculture include the rehabilitation of the Lugu and Kware dams for dry season farming. The government also distributed fertiliser, pesticides, farm implements and seedlings to farmers in order to increase food production.
In the year under review, power received the attention of the government because of its desire to revive the industrial sector which has been adversely affected by energy crisis. The government has awarded the contract for the completion of the Independent Power Project (IPP) which has reached 80 percent completion, and the reconnection of eight local government areas that had been without power since the Tambuwal administration.
Again, budgets are about hard choices, and thankfully for Sokoto state people, Governor Aliyu, in 2024, decisively put his money where his heart and mouth are, with a budget that was realistic and clear in what it wanted to achieve, which it has achieved with its disciplined implementation.
The 2025 budget of “Transformation and Infrastructural Sustainability” with a pocket size of N526,882,142,484.39 would, without doubt, consolidate on the achievements of the 2024 budget. The Sokoto state budget has a recurrent expenditure of N176,295,602,130.14 billion and a whopping N349,386,540,354.25 billion for capital expenditure, a 34:66 percent recurrent to capital ratio.
Very impressive is the governor’s commitment from 2024 to progressively implement budgets that focus on the socio-economic development of his people. The 2023 budget of Tambuwal did not reflect the governor’s priorities.
The 2025 budget, like every good budget, has something for every Sokoto state citizen, because of the considerable input from robust town hall engagements by almost everyone whose life will be impacted by the budget.
Towards achieving the objectives, the state proposes to continue its investment in education, health, infrastructure and on the economic and social sectors, all in the bid to jumpstart the economy.
Sokoto state wil certainly witness massive economic growth with the largest capital investment in the history of the state. The workers and pensioners are equally guaranteed timely payment of their wages, pensions and gratuity because the governor has made the necessary provisions for the new minimum wage in the budget.
In spite of the achievements of the last year, the governor has consistently shown that it is not yet uhuru. He continues to place premium on key sectors that are the principal components of human capital development, and the huge investments in critical infrastructure for a state that is keen on changing its narrative as a backward economy to one of economic dynamism. The ultimate goal is to create jobs and promote the well-being of the citizens of the state.
The clear and unequivocal message by Governor Aliyu to the good people of Sokoto state and indeed Nigerians is “I am not in the mood to slow down” in the execution of laudable programmes and projects that have direct bearing on the lives of the people. His mood tells the story of one who understands that he must hasten his paces, because he does not have the luxury of time.
The accomplishments of the last one year could not have been possible without the support of Sokoto state citizens, despite the mischief of the defeated opposition. Having seen the difference, the people should continue to support the governor as he seeks to consolidate on what has been achieved, and do more in the years to come, insha Allah.
Ado writes from Kaduna, Kaduna state.
