By Àminu Mohammed
Born on March 1, 1953 in a village called Gidan Kara in Wamakko local government area of Sokoto state, Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko is now 71 years old and this seasoned administrator, teacher, farmer and a firebrand and accomplished politician is worth celebrating not only on this but for days and years to come. In fact, till eternity.
As a teacher, he has imparted knowledge into so many pupils and students, as an administrator, he has trained some of the best and finest technocrats the state has immensely benefitted from and as a farmer he has for years been feeding so many individuals,families and communities not only in his domain but people who cut across the north west region. Wamakko as a politician is a leader like no other.
So far, his footprints are everywhere and as the years roll by, his good deeds are like snowball and they would continue to roll and roll until eternity.
In contemporary Nigerian political history, it would not be an understatement to say that Wamakko’s political philosophy can only be compared with those of late Senator Olusola Saraki from the north central and the Jagaba of Borgu, president Bola Ahmed Tinubu from the south west respectively.
From 1979 to 2015 the Oloye of Ilorin, late Saraki determined who ruled Kwara and later extended to Kogi while Tinubu had and still has the south west in his pocket.
In Sokoto, the past 24 years have been under the political influence of Wamakko who served as a deputy Governor for seven years from 1999 to 2006 and then governor from 2007 to 2015 respectively.
From 2015 to date, the immediate past governor and the incumbent were both his political “godsons” even though his immediate successor betrayed the trust and confidence given to him.
The best political days, weeks and months of Wamakko were after his resignation as a deputy governor on March 6, 2006 after several attempts to impeach him by his principal, Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa failed.
In the 1999 gubernatorial election in Sokoto, Bafarawa and Wamakko were elected as governor and deputy respectively and the political bond between the two crashed sooner than expected.
At a point, Wamakko was merely a deputy governor without official functions and despite the lingering political crisis, they were re.elected for a second term but when Bafarawa asked the state Assembly to impeach Wamakko just because he had indicated his desire to contest for the governorship seat, that was when it dawned on him that in politics there are no permanent friends or enemies because Wamakko had numerical strength among the members which divided the house into two.
When the then governor realized he couldn’t succeed with the impeachment saga, he was forced to accept Wamakko’s resignation.
The real political war of supremacy between Wamakko, Bafarawa and others began shortly after he resigned from office and declared his political ambition to lead the state and those days, weeks and months were the pinnacle of his political life.
The slogan Sai Alu became household anthem and within a short period Sai Alu was transformed into A bamu a huta Sai Alu and in April 2007 he was elected as the 5th Executive Governor of Sokoto state and so far the best among civilian administrators the state has ever witnessed.
As a former governor of Sokoto state and now Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Wamakko has always remained humble, simple and is easily accessible. He is the only politician whose doors remain open for 24 hours. in fact, 24/7.
The difference between Wamakko and other politicians has always been his Simplicity, Kindness, Gratitude Accommodative nature and Giving without border.
He respects the young and the old, the literates and illiterates, the rich and the poor and abled and disabled. In fact, as a governor he introduced a monthly allowance of N6, 500 to all registered people with disability in the state while Annual Ramadan Feeding was also introduced and to date the Annual Ramadan Feeding Program has been of great help to not only the poor but even those with average income.
Wamakko’s era as a governor is still the most memorable because his administration touched all sectors of human endeavor with education and human capacity building at the forefront.
He established the Sokoto state University, Sokoto state School of Nursing in Tambuwal, Sokoto state School of Legal Studies in Wamakko, abolished payment of school fees by non indigenes, built the Wamakko Orthopedic hospital, College of Agriculture in Wurno, Three Boarding Primary Schools in each of the Senatorial Districts and the Zakkah and Waqafi Board now Commission.
Again, he built over 2, 500 housing units in Bado, Kalambaina and Mana while each of the 23 local government areas has government lodges for visiting officials. Apart from the above, there are several projects on roads, health, agriculture and commerce implemented by his administration.
With regard to workers welfare, civil servants were gingered with several refresher courses while salaries and allowances were promptly paid. Several students were sponsored abroad to read medicine and other important courses which the state is still benefiting from.
The Wamakko era was simply Mega-super.
As we celebrate this Icon of all times @71, there are several lessons we need to learn from his rise to stardom because Rome was not built in a day. He laid solid human -relation foundation long before he joined politics and those good traits have been his guiding principles.
A politician has to be tolerant, kind, humble, simple, accommodating and most importantly, learn to give, give an give without looking back. Wamakko has combined all these attributes and that is the yardstick and basis for all the successes he has so far recorded.
As the clock ticks and ticks signalling retirement is getting closer and closer, the major focus for Senator Wamakko should be on Mentorship. Having built a solid political dynasty, succession is important for the legacy put in place and the Wamakko dynasty to continue.
The general public opinion so far has been, no one among his political disciples has the CAPACITY and what it takes to step into his big shoes and this is one area the former governor and now Senator needs to review and reconsider .
The Àminu Waziri Tambuwal era came with a mixed bag as human capacity building and bridge building were relegated. Although, the present disciple is yet to hit the ground running in the area of human relations and capacity building, it appears there would be light at the end of the tunnel but according to public opinion pressure is mounting that people are suffering, hungry and starving even though it appears like a national tragedy but Wamakko as the APC LEADER in Sokoto has a vital role to play in winning back the people’s confidence.
*The success and failure of the present structure would largely be attributed to Senator Wamakko as the APC LEADER in the state. From the voices of public opinion, If democracy is truly a government for the people, their voices are so far those of despair.
The structure which Wamakko greatly helped in putting in place just like the one before it has so far not been workers and masses friendly. Your Excellency, there should be avenues and room for the voices of despair to be heard and the people so much believe that human relations play a vital role in development.
Your Excellency the people also believe there should be a good Reward System to compensate and console as well as ginger all those who were part of the project that brought the present structure in place. It is only when collective happiness reigns that democracy should be seen as a collective choice.
Congratulations Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko @71 and May Allah in His Blessings and Favours continue to bless, favour, guide and protect you for the years to come so that there would be more celebrations but the reminder is still, *Kyawon diya ance su gaji ubansu* but for now the general feeling is that there is a big gap between you and your political students and they need to return to classrooms to learn more from you because for now the journey is not yet UHURU.
You have all but one area to tutor your political disciples, the philosophy of political attributes the first of which is building human bridges. A greater number of them would not make a pass in that area if public opinion is anything to go by.
This is an area your disciples have questions to answer. Frankly speaking, there is disquiet in the caliphate on the caliber of disciples you have groomed but have all failed you.
Another vital area that needs a serious review is the APC REWARD POLICY which at both national and state levels needs reappraisal. The APC needs to strike a balance between LOYALTY, POLITICAL EXPEDIENCY AND COMPETENCE.
Loyalty and competence should both be rewarded accordingly. The greatest value of having good people around you is not what you get from them but the better person you become just because of them.
In life, no one will remember how you looked, walked or talked or did but how you made them feel when they were with you. The most important ingredients in politics are building humanity and bridges with regards to human relations and these vital components are so far lacking in all your political disciples * Gyara kayanka ance …
Hip! Hip!! Hip!!! Hurraaaaaaaayyyyyy! The godfather @71 deserves Boza! Boza!! Boza!!!
