Sokoto to use N65.7bn loan for massive infrastructural projects, investments in agriculture, health, housing, education —Tambuwal

The Sokoto State Government has announced plans to utilise the loan of N65.7 billion it will raise to embark on massive infrastructural projects and investment in critical projects in agriculture, health, housing, urban renewal projects, construction of roads and bridges as well as education.

Unveiling the economic development plan at the management retreat of Sokoto State Ministry of Finance held at the weekend in Lagos, Commissioner for Finance, Hon. Abdussamad Dasuki said this would be achieved through a multi-faceted approach.

Dasuki said the state government was embarking on the massive infrastructure development to make Sokoto an investment destination.

The Commissioner said the proposed N65.7 billion loan earmarked for critical projects in agriculture, health, housing, water resources and education, would fast track the economic transformation of the state and position Sokoto as a leading economy in Nigeria and Africa.

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Muhammad Bello, Special Adviser Media and Publicity to the Governor, disclosing this in a statement, said, the commissioner noted that central to the objectives of the Governor Tambuwal administration are human capital development, remodelling of the state into an investment destination, and establishment of enduring socio-economic infrastructure and institutions, the commissioner stated that the efforts of the government were already yielding fruits.

“Our efforts to transform the economy by making the environment private sector driven are already yielding many fruits among which include the attraction of the biggest fertilizer blending company in the world to Sokoto and the biggest rice mill by Alhaji Aliko Dangote.

“In addition, we are advancing the ease of doing business in the state by making it easier for an established business to scale and enabling new ones to spring up,” Dasuki said.

According to him, this would, in turn, translate to empowering families in the state and the effects would trickle down to everyone.

“We have witnessed a rapid growth of business enterprises as more organisations now have the capacity to meet more market needs, resulting in increased revenue and a more prosperous economy,” he said.

Dasuki also said that Governor Tambuwal administration had reformed the Payroll Systems which had removed ghost workers and helped  Sokoto to implement the new minimum wage of N30,000 for workers in the civil service.

Speaking further, Dasuki said, “As a government, we believe it is important to invest in the education of our people. It is the greatest investment we can make towards the attainment of a more prosperous future. For this, posterity would be grateful to us. In this light, we have continued the renovation of secondary schools across the state. Already more than 100 secondary schools have been remodelled and renovated. Recently, we completed an ultra-modern secondary school in Gudu LGA, which was previously the only local government in Nigeria with no secondary.

Dasuki added that: “the Tambuwal administration has gone far in a social intervention program in which N4 billion has been set aside for distribution to indigenes of the state to enable them to engage in and enhance any business of their choice.

“In that regard, each and every indigene so selected got N 20,000 each. So far, the disbursement has been done in 9 out of the 23 local government areas of the state,” Dasuki noted.