For Sokoto, doom turns to boom

Gov. Aliyu Wamakko
Sokoto StateWhile most state governments are complaining about the adverse effects of the present global economic crisis on their finances, the Sokoto State government believes that with its new economic blueprint, things can only get better in the state. BELLO GUSAU reports.

Even as most governments in the fed-eration have been forced to review downwards their planned budgets for the year in response to the global economic depression, the story seems to be different for Sokoto state whose Governor, Alhaji Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, says he has enough of resources in the treasury to embark on new development programmes and projects to better the lot of the people of his state.

The governor was obviously talking from the view- point of the new financial and economic blueprint of his administration that has laid emphasis on human capital development through economic emancipation and self-reliance.

The new financial and economic blueprint encompasses a scientific approach towards micro and macro entrepreneurship with the sole aim of propping up commercial businesses in the state as a departure from the lingering economic doldrum that befell the state due to the late 2006 fire disaster at the Sokoto central market.

Despite the huge financial and material losses incurred by traders at the market, the immediate past administration of the state took the decision of forcing the affected traders to build temporary shops at the newly-acquired land for the relocation of the market along Western bye-pass area in Sokoto metropolis, pending the reconstruction of the burnt central market. This amounted to double losses on the part of the affected merchants.

Some traders, who were without capital, after losing their money and property to the inferno, resorted to displaying their wares along major roads in the metropolis, including the already busy and chaotic road leading to the burnt market. This crippled sales at the relocated market, thereby paralysing their business activities. They had to, in addition, contend with dust, as there was no concrete floor in the market.

The indolence and poor business activity in the relocated market affected the economic well-being of the people of the state due to absence of smooth flow of money in and out of the market. The Wamakko-led administration had to face the challenge of injecting capital into existing businesses, provide financial support for entrepreneurs, give skills acquisition and training to the state’s teaming unemployed youths, as well as grant soft loans to small and medium-scale industries that hitherto closed down, with a view to turning around the economy of the state. All these necessitated the formulation of the new financial and economic blue-print for the state.

The person saddled with implementing the new blue-print is the 40-year-old Alhaji Faruk Malami Yabo, the state commissioner for finance. He is a certified public accountant and holds master’s degree in public policy, and is as well an Ambassador of the International Youth Federation. Yabo is also widely travelled and has business connections in and outside Nigeria .

During his recent exclusive interview with the Nigerian Tribune in Sokoto, the commissioner said as a way to encourage business activities at the rebuilt Sokoto central market, the state government gave N2 billion Naira soft loan to the traders. He said the loan was negotiated with Oceanic Bank plc at the minimal interest rate of 9 per cent as against 21 to 23 per cent rates obtainable in the market.

“You see, what we are trying to do here is to make the best use of the little resources at our disposal to the benefit of majority through the principle of accountability and due process, as enshrined in the economic blueprint of the Magatakarda administration”, he said Similarly, he said the government procured 20,000 irrigation machines at the cost of N830 million to be distributed to existing onion farmers in the state using the Goronyo dam project. He said the gesture was with a view to making farming an important economic variable in the state. He added that the machines would be given on loan through Skye Bank plc.

Yabo further disclosed that 20,000 sprayers had been bought for distribution to people of the state at subsidized rates in a bid to rid the state of pests and ensure bumper harvests. He said apart from these, the Wamakko–led administration purchased 1,000 shoe-making machines to be distributed on soft loan basis to shoe cobblers in the state. He, however, said this project was yet to take off as a recent survey conducted revealed that between 30 and 40 per cent of shoe cobblers operating in Sokoto state were from the neighbouring Niger Republic . He said a verification exercise would soon be carried out to ascertain Sokoto indigenes that engage in the business so as to pencil down their names for the programme.

The Sokoto State commissioner for finance also stated that the government bought 1,000 embroidery machines to be given out on soft loan basis to the people of the state. Faruk further explained that his ministry would set up committees to monitor all beneficiaries of loans in the state so as to ensure that their businesses did not fail. He said in cases where it was discovered that some of the beneficiaries were not doing well, they would be advised properly and where they were found to run short of capital, they would be further assisted until they succeeded. He added that the aim was to develop the entrepreneurs to the level of becoming employers of labour.

The commissioner, however, said the Wamakko-led administration was not unmindful of the critical role of the state civil servants in the success of government policies and programmes. He said it was in view of this that at its inception, the government replenished the slashed three salary steps of civil servants and paid seven years arrears.

In addition, he said the state government provided junior civil servants with 30,000 motorcycles on loan at the unit price of N47,000 rather than N120,000 as sold by the out-gone administration in the state. He said the beneficiaries were given two years within which to repay the motorcycle loan.

Alhaji Faruk Malami Yabo said plans had reached an advanced stage for the procurement of 1,000 cars to be given on loan to senior civil servants. He explained that just as in the case of the motorcycles, the state government had started negotiations with the manufacturers of Kia and Hyundai motors using the economics of scale in which a car whose unit price in the market is N1.5 million would be purchased at between N850,000 and N950,000. He said when this was done, the state government would go further to reduce the prices to make the cars easily affordable to their beneficiaries.

He said only recently, the state government approved the sale of the Gwiwa low-cost houses at affordable rates to their occupants. He said 3-bedroom houses were sold at N900,000, 2 bedrooms at N 750,000 while 1-bedroom houses were each sold at- N600,000.

The Sokoto state finance commissioner said the measures were with a view to increasing the purchasing power of the civil servants, on the one hand and provide them with the basic necessities and luxuries of life ,on the other hand, with a view to making them to give their best for the overall development of the state.

Observers are expressing optimism that these measures would serve as the foundation for entrenching the principle of justice and social transformation in the state in consonance with the promises enshrined in the philosophy of positive change.