Gov Ahmad Sokoto has restored public confidence in govt by delivering services —Maccido, Water Resources commissioner

Alhaji Yusuf Mohammed Maccido, the Commissioner of Water Resources, Sokoto State and son of the late Sultan Muhammadu Maccido, is a former Secretary of the Sokoto Local Government Council and Principal Private Secretary to his father. In this interview with newsmen, he speaks on the state of the government treasury when Governor Ahmad Sokoto assumed office, abandoned projects, among other issues relating to governance.

It will be extremely difficult for the commissioner to avoid reacting to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) criticism of Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto administration. But, can we start from what you have been doing as the Commissioner of Water Resources to ensure that the people of the state have access to clean water? 

I absolutely agree with you that we should as much as possible try and ignore the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and concentrate on the difference that Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto is making in governance, unlike what our dear state suffered for eight years in the hands of Aminu Tambuwal. Like you know they are mischievous and we have a duty to debunk their infantile lies. If we keep quiet, Nigerians will believe their propaganda. It’s really unfortunate that PDP has refused to accept that we not only defeated them but have also completely buried them by doing the things they refused to do like providing water for the people, building roads and schools, etc. The PDP plan is to bury our efforts with their negative publicity, but thankfully, the good people of Sokoto State are well informed about our governor’s efforts to change their despondency to one of hope. Again, as much as I don’t want to talk about the opposition PDP – I really can’t keep quiet because they committed murder by their failure to work for the people. When we came the water supply system in Sokoto State had virtually collapsed, even the Ministry of Water Resources lacked water…so how can a ministry that can’t take care of itself take care of the people? What they (PDP) did by denying people access to water was criminal. Can you imagine a place like Sokoto State that’s very hot without water? The situation we met was a total disaster. So, before his appointment of commissioners, the governor constituted a committee to immediately restore water supply to the people.

The other challenge was that the state account was in red; the governor had to source money to finance the committee, to buy chemicals for water treatment and to fix broken-down equipment that was critical for the operation of the water corporation. The governor deserves commendation for the immediate steps that he took, including the sinking of emergency boreholes, and procuring water tankers to supply water to the people. This is what leadership is all about. Once I was appointed, the governor’s unambiguous mandate to me was to ensure that I resolved the situation and move forward to ensure that this never happened again. The governor did fantastically well confronting the challenges.

I see that there is no way we can resist talking about the past, so what’s the real mandate of your ministry? 

The Sokoto State Ministry of Water Resources is responsible for improving water supply in the state. Its other statutory responsibilities include establishing an emergency committee to address water supply challenges, ensuring the smooth operation of water treatment facilities, providing safe drinking water to the public, extending and improving water supply infrastructure, collaborating with the Federal Government to improve water supply and ensuring that all the 72 dams in the state are fully functional. And allow me to say with all modesty that we have so far given a good account of ourselves in terms of my ministry’s responsibility to provide clean, portable water for domestic, agricultural and industrial purposes. We are not where we want to be, but there is a roadmap and unflinching commitment by the governor to ensure that our people have access to water.

You talked about the emergency committee that the governor was forced to put in place.

The committee was a child of necessity and it performed creditably well. Like you know the water in Sokoto State, like some other places in Nigeria, is hard. By the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Nigeria Standard for Drinking Water Quality (NSDWQ), the underground water in Sokoto State has a hardness that exceeds the permissible limits due to a number of factors. The most important takeaway is that it’s a matter of concern because hard water is not safe for drinking and impacts negatively on the efficiency and lifespan of appliances like electric kettle, baths and other appliances that require water for operation. It even prevents soap from lathering, so it is important that it’s treated because it also causes dry and itchy skin; it has taste, etc. This is why treating hard water is very expensive. This background is very important so that people can understand the situation because even at the National Council on Water, most of my colleagues don’t seem to understand why the North gets some priority in water projects. Working with the governor the committee restored power after payment of the outstanding bills. They equally addressed the issue of obsolete equipment, which I met on my appointment. It’s scandalous that no pumping machine was working and this affected the pumping of raw water for treatment. The same with other critical equipment and machinery. To worsen matter, these equipments cannot be bought off the shelf and they are extremely expensive. You need to open letters of credit, and the equipment manufactured to your specifications. So, in the interim, we had to fix them because again, there were no budgetary provisions to buy new ones. I respect the governor’s prudence and insistence on due process and his appreciation of the challenges and finding solutions to the problems. He supported our efforts to get experts from anywhere to overhaul the equipment, which we did. The governor also ensured funding for the purchase of chemicals. Without treating the water, it is as good as not giving the people water so they don’t trust you and consume untreated water.

So, to what extent have there been changes? 

Since my assumption of duty as commissioner, every month without any delay, the funds for procurement of chemicals for water treatment is released as is expected of a responsible government. During Aminu Tambuwal’s administration, funds were  released whenever the governor felt like, because he was hardly around; he didn’t know the state of affairs. That administration was a tragedy. Again, because Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto cares about the people, he has entered into a partnership with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and luckily for us, the former Minister of State of Water Resources is from Sokoto State and he was of tremendous assistance in several respects. The only problem is the delay in the procurement process.

The 40 million gallons per day water project was initiated by our father, Senator Aliyu Wamakko during his administration. As at the time he left office, the project was 70% completed. Unfortunately, the Aminu Tambuwal administration that came after our leader abandoned the project in the eight years it held sway. Governor Ahmed Sokoto has rightly decided to complete the project because completing it will surely go a long way in addressing the lingering water shortage the metropolis and the environs are experiencing and again, because if he refuses to complete the project, not only would the taxpayers money already sunk in the project be wasted, the cost would escalate.

The other project is the expansion of water supply to the new areas of the capital that are developing. Sokoto is rapidly expanding, and there is the need to service the new areas. I saw a report in one newspaper that the former administration of Aminu Tambuwal awarded the contract to a Chinese company for the supply of water to the people and for the construction of the 40 million gallons of water per day, but he characteristically abandoned the project. Unlike Tambuwal who abandoned the every project that he inherited when he took over, Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto has continued with the project and indeed every project that is of benefit to the people because it will help ensure a constant water supply.  This government sees itself as a continuation of the Senator Aliyu Magatarda Wamakko administration, so we are completing the projects that he started but which Tambuwal abandoned for no reason. This is the reason why I am very angry with officials of the Aminu Tambuwal administration for criticising this administration when they achieved absolutely nothing. Quote me that the Aminu Tambuwal administration was a disaster. He was a big flop and this is why he lost in 2019. That’s why the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom  Wike mocked him…Wike couldn’t understand how an incumbent governor would win his reelection with a mere 342 votes. Tambuwal promised to build houses for the people but as usual, failed to build one unit in eight years while governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto has completed the 500 housing units started by our father and leader, Senator Wamakko and commenced the construction of another  500 housing units, bringing to a total of 1,000 houses completed under one and half years. Remember that the governor bought some houses from the Federal government. So, the administration of Governor Ahmad  Aliyu Sokoto is not in any way comparable to the inept administration of Aminu Tambuwal. Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto is focused, responsible and God-fearing, which is why he has achieved, under two years, what Aminu Tambuwal couldn’t achieve in eight years.

On the water project, I want to assure you that once the project is completed, we will have the capacity to supply 100% water to the people of Sokoto State. We are working on power supply, which is critical in water supply like chemicals. We hope to get sufficient power because it is very important in our plans to deliver water round the clock. I want to use this opportunity to appeal to our consumers to promptly fix leakages and ensure that water is not wasted because it is a huge cost to produce water and we can never recover our cost from their payment. I am extremely grateful to the governor for the unprecedented investment in the water sector; the last time we witnessed this was during the administration of our father, Senator Wamakko. We are embarking on an enlightenment campaign, using religious and traditional leaders to reach the people on the need to pay their bills and fix burst pipes.

What are other critical projects you working on? 

The other project we are working on is a rural scheme that will ensure that the rural areas where our people live have access to water which the governor promised during the campaign. Hopefully by December, the project will be completed. Apart from water supply,  this government has done a lot in building roads, in the rehabilitation of healthcare facilities and has invested billions in agricultural projects because our state is largely an agrarian state. We are definitely keying into President Bola Tinubu’s agricultural policy. Under the programme, about  5,000 acres of land will be prepared for farming. The programme, SPIN, which is a nationwide scheme,  is a joint initiative of the state government, the Federal  Government and the World Bank. It is about US$780 million and when converted into naira will runs into trillions. Officials of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources have been to Sokoto to identify the dams that we are going to use for the project. We have applied to use four dams of which two are owned by the Federal Government – the Goronyo and  Kware, and the other two by the State Government, the Lugu Dam. Part of the project is the repair of the dams and reinvigoration to the land more arable.  If we are able to make it work, the impact will be massive in terms of food production. It will definitely improve the standard of living of the people.

What are the other achievements of your ministry? 

The other achievements of the ministry under my watch include the installation and reconnection of pipelines for water supply, replacement of submersible pumps, and ensuring that availability of safe water for the people and industries despite the challenges of operating the plants like the high cost of diesel due to lack of electricity and the vandalization of critical equipment by hoodlums. The governor hates excuses; he wants the job done and then you can explain. And he has shown us the way by moving the state forward, despite the Aminu Tambuwal administration leaving him with an empty treasury, unpaid pensions and gratuity and several other crises.

One cannot ask you to assess your boss or an administration that you are part for.

I agreed to serve under Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto because I believe in his capacity to deliver the goods. He is committed and passionate about our dear state and he hasn’t disappointed me. I’m not in any way assessing him, but saying what I know as a member of the Sokoto State Executive Council, which debates policies and approves contracts. Normally, many administrations use their first year to lay the foundation for projects and not for the commissioning of projects, but the governor has commissioned several projects. First,  he was determined to restore hope and because he understood that the state, having suffered from lack of governance in the last eight years, there was an urgent need to deliver. When Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto lost the 2019 election, it’s still being contested by many that he didn’t, he did not leave Sokoto State. He was always with his people, and that has helped him in addressing their problems and the challenges facing the state.

Was this why the PDP boycotted the local government election held in the state?

Absolutely! The people are not stupid, even though some people see or take them for granted. But they paid the price. Why couldn’t Aminu Tambuwal win with a landslide in 2019?

So, do you expect the PDP attacks to stop? 

No, the PDP will continue throwing everything at Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto administration. They are masters of propaganda and mischief. The PDP is shameless; they ought to have buried their heads in shame for squandering the opportunity presented them to make a difference in the lives of the people. But rather, they have continued to engage in cooking up one lie or another every other day.

What is your honest assessment of the implementation of the 9 – Point Agenda of Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto? 

Now you are asking me to assess my boss.  want to believe that you are convinced that I will be sincere as a prince and a good Muslim. To be honest with you and indeed Nigerians, I have not seen any governor since our father and leader, who is committed to improving the quality of life of the people like Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto. He might be young, but he is determined to making a difference in governance. Like the accountant that he is, he is very prudent with the resources of the state; he insists on value for money. He consults widely and is very decisive.

What are the other qualities of the governor that are endearing? 

I want to commend the cordial working relationship between the governor and his deputy, especially because the governor who constitutionally has enormous powers has decided to treat his deputy with utmost courtesy. The deputy governor is in charge of the Ministry for Works. Our deputy governor is not a spare tyre. He is a good man.

But the governor was deputy to Aminu Tambuwal? 

Yes, he was but he resigned on principle…when he noticed that Aminu Tambuwal wasn’t interested in developing Sokoto State and was more preoccupied with his doomed presidential aspirations. He definitely had wished that Aminu Tambuwal took his job more seriously. He contested against him in 2019 because he knew that the state was going to suffer if Aminu Tambuwal was to govern it for another four(4) years. And he has been proved right. In the court of public opinion, everyone believes that Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto won the 2019 election but was denied his victory by the judiciary. As a man of faith, he didn’t give up and the result is a man committed to making the state better. It’s his way of paying back the people who stood by him in the 2023 elections.

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