Senator Wamakko Lambasts EFCC Petitioners, Reels Out Achievements in Sokoto
The Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum, Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, representing Sokoto North Senatorial District, says he had empowered more than 500,000 unemployed youths in the state in various skills, in the eight years he was the Governor between 2007 and 2015
This is contained in a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Bashir Rabe Mani and issued to newsmen in Sokoto on Sunday.
The statement said that Senator Wamakko spoke on Saturday night at his Gawon Nama , Sokoto residence, when he addressed the members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists ( NUJ), in the state.
Senator Wamakko was also reacting to a recent publication in some national dailies alluding to a planned investigation of him and Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former Governor of Kano State by the EFCC .
The false report had hinted the planned invitation of the duo by the Economic and Financial transactions Crimes Commission ( EFCC), over an alleged mismanagement of over N 18billion when they were the Governors of their respective states.
In the same vein, Senator Wamakko said that he had distributed over 10,000 vehicles and 75,000 motorcycles as loans.
Similarly, the former Governor of the state disclosed that he had empowered hundreds of thousands of traders and farmers with multi-billion naira loans between 2007 and 2015.
Senator Wamakko also said that, as a Governor, he had built five ultra-modern tertiary educational institutions in the state.
He noted that the institutions included a world class state University that had blazed the trail as the only University that commenced operations on its permanent site, with some of its graduates now undergoing the mandatory one-year national service, NYSC.
Senator Wamakko further recalled that such merchants of doom and retrogressive elements had hitherto petitioned the EFCC, to the effect that, the University never existed.
”But to their utter dismay, the EFCC came and saw formidable structures of the institution, fully in successful operations.
”Such frivolous petitions had also been sent to the commission that, i have never built the five hundred housing units each at Kalambaina and Mana, but the commission also found such allegations to be untrue.
”In fact, the five hundred houses at Kalambaina were even commissioned by no less other person than President Muhammadu Buhari,” he added.
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Senator Wamakko also said that, he had built over 5,000 houses in the eight years of his administration, constructed over 1000 kms of tarred roads, while 5kms of asphalted roads were constructed in each of the 23 local governments of the state.
In the same vein, he had built a General Hospital in each of the 23 local governments of the state, while each of the 244 wards got a type B, 20-bed capacity Primary Health Centre, with a new Ambulance, as well as staff quarters.
Senator Wamakko further averred: ‘” I had also redoubled all the shares of the state in some firms, while i bought 20million new shares for the state.
”On assumption of my duty, only about 6000 indigenes of the state were registering for the UTME examinations annually, but the figure soared to over 35,000, in the first fours years of my administration.
” I was also the first Governor to implement the N 18,500, new national minimum wage and i fully paid salaries and all entitlements of the workers up to May 29,2015, when i handed over to my successor .”
Senator Wamakko further submitted that, he never left any outstanding ISPO for his successor at any bank and had never stayed out of the state for up to consecutive seven days as a Governor.
Similarly, the former Governor of the state said that, in the eight years of his administration he only travelled once to the United States of America on the invitation of the US government.
In the same vein, Senator Wamakko averred that, as a Governor, he only travelled once to the United Kingdom to deliver a lecture at the Chatham House.
Similarly, he stated that, he was only travelling once a year to Saudi Arabia to perform his religious duty of the lesser Hajj.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic and Secondary Education said that, he owes the people of the state his lifelong commitment and dedication.
This he explained, was sequel to the tremendous love and ceaseless goodwill they had shown and are still showing to him.
He promised to continue to reciprocate the invaluable and unparalleled gesture by being more honest, diligent and patriotic to the service of the people of the state and the entire nation.
Senator Wamakko challenged the selfish and unpatriotic authors of such fabricated claims to come out clean, by publishing the details of such accounts in the national dailies, to corroborate their false claims.
He challenged Journalists to always endeavour to be objective, apolitical and God fearing, but, ”not be used to mar others who have excelled by divine Providence.”
Bashir Rabe Mani,
Special Assistant,
Media and Publicity,
