THESHIELD Garkuwa
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The attempt by the Sokoto State Commissioner of Information in far away Abuja to mitigate the scandal over his principal’s self-declared expenditure of N1.2 billion on the repair of 25 boreholes in the state and the questionable award of contract for the fencing of streets in Sokoto Metropolis has again proved to be an exercise in futility. The confusion created by the contradictory explanations on two different occasions between the State Commissioner of Environment and the State Governor, as to whether the contract is for the repair of or the construction of new facilities is yet to be resolved.
Sambo Bello Danchadi, Sokoto State Commissioner of Information has granted an interview to the Daily Trust Newspaper in Abuja, to cause a new twist to the imbroglio, by ascribing the crisis to what he described as “a slip of tongue” by his principal, the State Governor, Ahmed Aliyu, on the status of the project, which had not been admitted by the Governor himself in his previous effort to explain away the scandal.
In his feeble and belated attempt at damage control, Danchadi, simply repeated the unsubstantiated claim of his boss that the project is a tripartite intervention involving the state and federal governments, and the World Bank. But he too failed to meet the demand of proof by going to the Daily Trust empty handed, without the relevant documented evidences of the true status of the boreholes project, which include the contract award papers, MOU, specific locations and costs breakdown of the boreholes in question.
The persistent question is, even if the project was a joint initiative and the boreholes were newly constructed, would the Federal Government and World Bank be so imprudent, as to pay N48 million for the drilling of a single borehole? Or was Governor Ahmed Aliyu’s quoted contract sum also inadvertent?
Danchadi also tried without success to justify the contract for the erection of wire fences in major streets of the state capital, claiming that the wire mesh is installed to save the people’s lives and property. The issue with this explanation, which is already being raised by a generality of the people, is whether spending bilions on fencing off the streets of Sokoto should be the greater priority on security than commiting adequate resources to dealing with banditry in Eastern Sokoto and other areas of the state ravaged by insecurity.
This clearly indicates the cluelessness or lack of commitment of the Sokoto State Government to the problem of banditry in the state. It is indeed, a gross lack of concern for the plight of the unfortunate communities in the state that are living in peril and constant terror of bandits.
An equally salient issue with the street fencing project that the Commissioner ought to have addressed is the implication of the details of the contract award document obviously being circulated by the state government. The letter by its dating, indicated that the job was awarded in March 2024 but the fences were already being installed as early as February 2024 and State Government’s social media handlers had already started covering them on Facebook.
This fact raises the weighty issue of pre-emptive contract awards, a serious financial crime, which the relevant anti-graft agencies should discharge their statutory duty of investigating. The Sokoto State House of Assembly is also constitutionally obligated to probe this possible breach of due process and the rules guiding public procurement by the Executive, which is an impeachable offence, as enshrined in the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The APC government in Sokoto State is, through its conduct, projecting an image to the people of the state and the nation at large, that raises serious concerns about the respect for good and credible governance, under the tenets of democracy. And the need for all concerned agencies and institutions to turn their attention to the state is exigent to avert a possible administrative tragedy.
SIGNED:
Hassan Sahabi Sanyinnawal,
Publicity Secretary,
PDP Sokoto State
