By Deborah Hassan
Gov. Ezenwo Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has commended his Sokoto State counterpart, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, for being a dedicated democrat who works conscientiously to produce results without talking about his achievements.
The governor poured the accolades on Tambuwal on Thursday during the commissioning and foundation laying ceremonies for multi-million naira projects that his administration unveiled in the state.
Wike, who was the guest of honour at the event, commissioned a water supply scheme at Bodinga and laying the foundation for the construction of Waziri Abbas intra-city road and Sokoto State University Teaching Hospital (SOSUTH). He noted that the governor also did well to give premium attention to his constituency- the judiciary – by investing heavily in the construction of the Sokoto State High Court of Justice, where work has reached advanced stages.
At Bodinga, Gov. Wike commended the governor for executing people oriented projects in the state, noting that with the provision of water in rural areas, Tambuwal have been able to solve the problem of cholera disease. He also noted while flagging off the construction of the Waziri Abbas Road within the state capital, that it is a people oriented project, which once completed will ease traffic congestion and improve economic activitiies of the area.
“I am not surprised as Aminu is honest and up to the task,” he said, pointing out that what he saw in the state “is a clear testimony of Governor Aminu’s good leadership qualities.”
Urging the people of the state to rally round the governor for more dividends of democracy, Wike patted Tambuwal on the back for successfully upgrading the High Court complex to an international standard, stressing that it is a good legacy to be bequeathed to the judiciary.
Similarly, Sen. Ali Ndume, Mr Dan Orbih and Hon. Abdul-Rahman Kawu Sumaila also applauded the governor for his humaneness and commitment to his people.
In his remarks, Sen. Ndume said: “if we have leaders like him (Tambuwal), our country would have fared better because he is trustworthy. He is one of the politicians that I have closely associated with in the last twenty years, along with Hon. Sumaila, who has integrity and empathy for the common man.”
“It is more practical to praise somebody in public than do so in private. My dear Sokoto people, Aminu is a trustworthy person just like Wike here,” he added.
“Historically, the people of Gwoza, where I hail from, have had a long standing relationship with the late Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello and Sokoto Caliphate, and; that relationship still subsist,” Ndume noted.
Taking the August visitors through a virtual tour of the planned teaching hospital, Gov. Tambuwal said it is aimed at providing the facilities for the training and retraining of medical personnel in line with the standard of teaching hospitals that are established in Nigeria and duly recognised by the Nigeria Universities Commission (NUC) and other regulatory agencies.
He explained that the project, when completed, will reduce medical tourism embarked upon by people of the state and Nigeria at large, adding that government is doing a lot in the area of constructing general hospitals, renovations of primary health cares and dispensaries.
The governor also said the state government has constructed a brand new 200 bed capacity world class diagonstic centre which will be commissioned very soon.
Giving a run down on the Bodinga water project, the state’s deputy governor, Hon. Mannir Muhammad Dan’Iya, said similar projects are being executed in 20 out of the 23 local government areas in the state.
He said the contract for the Bodinga project was awarded to Afdin Nigeria Limited at the cost of N435 million and has the capacity to supply 1.5 million gallons per day.