Alhaji Yusuf Mohammed Maccido is the Sokoto State Commissioner for Water Resources. A Prince of the Sultanate, he is the son of the late Sultan Muhammadu Maccido. He had served as the Secretary of the Sokoto Local Council and Principal Private Secretary to his father. Maccido has a deep passion for service to the people and this must have informed Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto’s decision to bring him onboard his administration.  In this encounter with journalists, which featured The Guardian’s ADAMU ABUH, the commissioner shares key insights on the significant achievements recorded so far in the water sector by the administration, especially the improvement of water supply across Sokoto State with the completion of the 40 million gallons per day water project. He also speaks on other sundry issues in the state, including the shortfalls of the immediate past Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration in the state and how the governor is addressing them through well thought-out policies and programmes.

We know it would be extremely difficult to avoid reacting to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) orchestrated media attacks against the Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto administration. But can we start from what you have been doing as the Commissioner for Water Resources to ensure that the people of Sokoto State have access to potable water?
I want to reaffirm that my name is Yusuf Mohammed Maccido, the Commissioner for Water Resources, Sokoto State. I absolutely agree with you that we should as much as possible try to ignore the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and concentrate on the difference that Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto is making in governance unlike what our dear state suffered for eight years in the hands of Aminu Tambuwal. But like you know, they are mischievous and we have a duty to debunk their infantile lies. If we keep quiet, Nigerians would believe their propaganda.

It’s really unfortunate that PDP has refused to accept that we not only defeated them but have completely buried them by doing the things they refused to do like providing water for the people, building roads, schools etc. The PDP’s plan is to bury our efforts with their negative publicity but thankfully the good people of Sokoto State are well informed about our governor’s efforts to change their despondency to hope. Again, as much as I don’t want to talk about the opposition PDP, I really can’t keep quiet because they committed murder by their failure to work for the people.

When we came on board, the water supply system in Sokoto State had virtually collapsed; even the ministry of water resources lacked water. So, how can a ministry that can’t take care of itself take care of the people? What they (PDP) did in denying people access to water was criminal. Can you imagine a place like Sokoto State that’s very hot without water? The situation we met was a total disaster .

So, before appointing his commissioners, the governor constituted a committee to immediately restore water supply to the people. The other challenge was that the state account was in red but the governor had to source money to finance the committee to buy chemicals for water treatment and to fix broken down equipment that were critical for the operation of the water corporation. The governor deserves commendation for the immediate steps he took, including the immediate sinking of emergency boreholes and procuring water tankers to supply water to the people. This is what leadership is all about. And once I was appointed, the governor’s unambiguous mandate to me was to ensure that I resolve the situation and going forward ensure that this never happens again. The governor did fantastically in confronting the challenges.

So what’s the mandate of the Ministry of Water Resources?
The Sokoto State Ministry of Water Resources is responsible for improving water supply in the state. Its other statutory responsibilities include establishing an emergency committee to address water supply challenges, ensuring the smooth operation of water treatment facilities, providing safe drinking water to the public, extending and improving water supply infrastructure, collaborating with the Federal Government to improve water supply and ensuring that all the 72 dams in the state are fully functional.

Allow me to say, with all modesty, that we have so far given a good account of ourselves in terms of my ministry’s responsibility to provide clean, potable water for domestic, agricultural and industrial purposes. We are not where we want to be but there is a road map and an unflinching commitment by the governor to ensure that our people have access to water.

You talked about the emergency committee that the governor was forced to put in place…
The committee was a child of necessity and it performed creditably. As you know, the water in Sokoto State, like some other places in Nigeria, is hard. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Nigeria Standard for Drinking Water Quality (NSDWQ), the underground water in Sokoto State has a hardness that exceeds the permissible limits due to a number of factors. The most important takeaway is that it’s a matter of concern because hard water is not safe for drinking and impacts negatively on the efficiency and lifespan of appliances like electric kettles, baths and others that require water for operation. It even prevents soap from lathering. So, it is important that it’s treated because it also causes dry and itchy skin; it has taste etc. This is why treating hard water is very expensive. This background is very important so that people can understand the situation because even at the National Council on Water, most of my colleagues don’t seem to understand why the North gets some priority in water projects.

Working with the governor, the committee restored power after payment of the outstanding bills. They equally addressed the issue of obsolete equipment, which I met on my appointment. It’s scandalous that no pumping machine was working and this affected the pumping of raw water for treatment; same with other critical equipment and machineries. To worsen matters, these equipment cannot be bought off the shelf and they are extremely expensive. You need to open letters of credit and then the equipment will be manufactured to your specifications. So, in the interim we had to fix them because there was no budgetary provision to buy new ones.

I respect the governor’s prudence and insistence on due process and his appreciation of the challenges and finding solutions to the problems. He supported our efforts to get experts from anywhere to overhaul the equipment, which we did. The governor also ensured funding for the purchase of chemicals. Without treating the water, it is as good as not giving the people water.

So how have things changed?
Since my assumption of duty as commissioner, every month, without any delay, the funds for procurement of chemicals for water treatment are released as is expected of a responsible government. During the Aminu Tambuwal administration, funds were released whenever the governor felt like; because he was hardly around he didn’t know the state of affairs. That administration was a tragedy. Again because Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto cares about the people, he has entered into a partnership with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and luckily for us the former Minister of State for Water Resources is from Sokoto State and he was of tremendous assistance in several respects. The only problem is the delay in the procurement process.

The 40 million gallons per day water project was initiated by our father, Senator Aliyu Wamakko, during his administration. As at the time he left office the project was 70 per cent completed. Unfortunately, the Aminu Tambuwal administration that came after recklessly abandoned the project in the eight years it held sway. Governor Ahmad Sokoto has rightly decided to complete the project because completing the project will surely go a long way in addressing the lingering water shortage in the metropolis and environs. And again because if he refuses to complete the project not only would the tax payers money already sunk in the project be wasted, the cost would drastically increase.

The other project is the expansion of water supply to the new areas of the capital. As you know, Sokoto is rapidly expanding, and there is a need to service the new areas. I saw a report in one newspaper that the former administration of Tambuwal awarded the contract to a Chinese company for the supply of water to the people and for the construction of the 40 million gallons of water per day project, but he characteristically abandoned the project. Unlike Tambuwal who abandoned every project that he inherited when he took over, Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto has continued with the project and indeed every project that is of benefit to the people because it will help ensure constant water supply.

This government sees itself as a continuation of the Wamakko administration. So, we are completing the projects that he started, which Tambuwal abandoned for no reason. And this is the reason I am very angry with officials of the Tambuwal administration for criticising this administration when they achieved absolutely nothing. Quote me that the Tambuwal administration was a disaster. He was a big flop and this is why he lost in 2019. That’s why the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Wike mocked him. Wike couldn’t understand how an incumbent governor would win his reelection with a mere 342 votes. Tambuwal promised to build houses for the people but as usual failed to build one unit in eight years while governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto has completed the 500 housing units started by Wamakko and commenced the construction of another 500 housing units; bringing the total of number of houses under one and half years to 1,000. And remember that the governor bought some houses from the Federal Government.

So, the administration of Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto is not in any way comparable to the inept administration of Aminu Tambuwal. The governor is focused, responsible and God fearing, which is why he has achieved in less than two years what Aminu Tambuwal couldn’t achieve in eight years.

Can you kindly complete your answer on the water project…
I want to assure you that once the project is completed we will have the capacity to supply 100 per cent water to the people of Sokoto State. We are working on power supply, which is critical in water supply just like chemicals. We hope to get sufficient power because it is very important in our plans to deliver water round the clock. I want to use this opportunity to appeal to our consumers to promptly fix leakages and ensure that water is not wasted because it costs money to produce water and we can never recover our cost from their payment. I am extremely grateful to the governor for the unprecedented investment in the water sector. The last time we witnessed this was during the administration of Wamakko. We are embarking on an enlightenment campaign, using religious and traditional leaders to reach the people on the need to pay their bills.

What other critical projects are you working on?
The other project we are working on is a rural scheme that would ensure that the rural areas where our people live have access to water, which the governor promised during the campaign.

Hopefully, by December, the project will be completed. Apart from water supply, this government has done a lot in building roads, in the rehabilitation of healthcare facilities and has invested billions in agricultural projects because our state is largely an agrarian state. We are definitely keying into President Bola Tinubu’s agricultural policy. Under the programme, about 5,000 acres of land would be prepared for farming. The programme – Sustainable Power and Irrigation in Nigeria (SPIN) – which is a nationwide scheme, is a joint initiative of the state government, the Federal Government and the World Bank. It is about 780 million dollars and when converted into naira would be running into trillions. Officials of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources have been to Sokoto to identify the dams that we are going to use for the project.

We have applied to use four dams of which two are owned by the Federal Government – the Goronyo and Kware – and the other two by the state government – the Lugu Dam. Part of the project is the repair of the dams and reinvigoration to make the land more arable.

If we are able to make it work the impact would be massive in terms of food production. And it would definitely improve the standard of living of the people.

What are the other achievements of your ministry?
The other achievements of the ministry under my watch include the installation and reconnection of pipelines for water supply, replacement of submersible pumps, and ensuring the availability of safe water for the people and industries despite the challenges of operating the plants; like the high cost of diesel due to lack of electricity and the vandalisation of critical equipment by hoodlums. The governor hates excuses; he wants the job done and then you can explain. And he has shown us the way by moving the state forward despite the Tambuwal administration leaving behind an empty treasury, unpaid pensions and gratuity and several other crises.

Still on the water projects, are you just targeting the Sokoto metropolis?
There is the water scheme for the local councils so it’s not like we have concentrated on the capital. It’s just that some local councils fall within the metropolis. Again, because of tight resources, we are following our programme strictly. When we are done with this programme, we would have effectively covered at least four local councils and some part of the old city of the capital.

We are constructing boreholes everyday but it’s still not enough because the last administration refused to provide the people with water and schools; even when it awarded contracts for roads they were abandoned after full payment. We have already started the rehabilitation of some earth dams across the state. The governor intends to rehabilitate all the 72 dilapidated earth dams before the end of his first term.

Is dam management under your ministry? If so, what is the status of the dams in your state?
Dams are supposed to be under my ministry but the problem is that dams have multiple uses – agriculture, power generation and for domestic use.

We have a department of dam in my ministry but because it’s interwoven, we all cooperate to ensure that our people derive the full benefits. At the Federal Government level they are trying to work out which ministry will drive the president’s agricultural programme. Meanwhile, there is a committee headed by the Vice President, with the Ministers of Water Resources, Agriculture and Environment as co-chairmen. The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Power is the Secretary. These are all part of the efforts to ensure a smooth implementation of the SPIN programme, which is a collaboration between the federal, state governments and the World Bank. Under the scheme, the existing dams in the state will be used for irrigation of more than 50,000 hectares of land for dry season farming across the country. There’s also an electricity component that would hopefully increase hydro electricity power.

As I said earlier, about 780 million dollars has been earmarked for these projects.

The government just finished the programme on Irrigation Against Cutting Plants. It was executed by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with the World Bank, the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and the World Bank.

What else has the government of Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto done for the people considering the harsh economic situation?
You really need to know Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto to understand his philosophy of governance and politics. For instance, the governor is someone who constantly looks at the impact of any policy from the perspective of how it would benefit the people. This is critical for the governor. This is why he spent heavily in procuring trailer loads of rice and fertilizers that were distributed free of charge to the good people of Sokoto State. The end objective of his policies is the improvement in the quality of their lives. He would rather spend the resources of the state on the people than use them to hire private jets like Aminu Tambuwal. And being an accountant, he knows that the government would ultimately benefit from what might look like waste in better health for the people, which would invariably mean less visits to the hospital and other spin offs like increase in internally generated revenue. The governor has positively touched every part of the state with projects and every sector like he promised during the campaign.

We can’t ask you to assess your boss or an administration that you are part for…
(Cuts in) I agreed to serve under Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto because I believe in his capacity to deliver the goods. He is committed and passionate about our dear state and he hasn’t disappointed me. I am not in any way assessing him, but saying what I know as a member of the Sokoto State Executive Council, which debates policies and approves contracts.

Normally, many administrations use their first year to lay the foundation for projects and not for the commissioning of projects. But the governor has commissioned several projects. First he was determined to restore hope; this is because he understood that there was an urgent need to deliver, the state having suffered from lack of governance in the last eight years. When he lost the 2019 election – it’s still being contested by many that he didn’t lose – he never left Sokoto State. He was always with his people, and that has helped him in addressing their problems and the challenges facing the state.

Was this why the PDP boycotted the local council elections?
Absolutely! The people are not stupid even though some people see or take them for granted. But they paid the price. Why couldn’t Tambuwal win with a landslide in 2019?

So do you expect the PDP attacks to stop?
No! The PDP will continue throwing everything at the incumbent administration. They are masters of propaganda and mischief. The PDP is shameless. They ought to have buried their heads in shame for squandering the opportunity presented to them to make a difference in the lives of the people but rather they have continued to engage in cooking up one lie or another every other day.

How soon would the Justice Muazu Abdukadari Commission of Inquiry complete its assignment?
The commission is working. Every citizen of Sokoto State is interested and looking forward to the commission completing its assignment. But we have heard testimonies that the Aminu Tambuwal administration sold all the shares bought by our forefathers. We are definitely interested in knowing what they did with the money because they borrowed against all IGR accounts of the state and the FAAC account yet they left the state accounts in red with nothing to show. To say that the people of Sokoto State and some important Nigerians are scandalised by the trails of that administration is an understatement. The real problem of Aminu Tambuwal was his presidential ambition. No state in Nigeria would have survived the back to back presidential aspirations of Aminu Tambuwal because it’s money gulping. In 2018, he ran and failed and in 2023 again.

What does the government intend to do with the Justice Muazu Abdulkadir Commission of inquiry report?
I think what Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto is trying to do is to let the people see and know what the Aminu Tambuwal administration did with their resources. Personally, I would like to see how much he spent on hiring private jets for his frivolous trips; he was a visiting governor.

Can you give us your honest assessment of the implementation of the Nine-Point Agenda of the governor?
Now you are asking me to assess my boss. I want to believe that you are convinced that I will be sincere as a prince and a good Muslim. To be honest with you and indeed Nigerians, I have not seen any governor since our father and leader Wamakko left office that is committed to improving the quality of life of the people like Governor Ahmad. He might be young but he is determined to make a difference in governance. And as an accountant, he is very prudent with the resources of the state. He insists on value for money. He consults widely and is very decisive.

What are the other qualities of the governor that are endearing?
I want to commend the cordial working relationship between the governor and his deputy, especially because the governor, who constitutionally has enormous powers, has decided to treat his deputy with utmost courtesy. The deputy governor is in charge of the Ministry for Works. Our deputy governor is not a spare tyre. He is a good man.

But the governor was deputy to Aminu Tambuwal?
Yes he was, but he resigned on principle when he noticed that Tambuwal wasn’t interested in developing Sokoto State and was more preoccupied with his doomed presidential aspirations. He definitely wished that Tambuwal took his job more seriously. He contested against him in 2019 because he knew that the state was going to suffer if Tambuwal was to govern it for another four years. And he has been proven right. In the court of public opinion, everyone believes that Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto won the 2019 election but was denied his victory by the judiciary. As a man of faith, he didn’t give up and the result is a man committed to making the state better. It’s his way of paying back the people who stood by him in the 2023 elections.