The former governor of Sokoto state, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, has donated N1 billion to the people to help cushion the effects.
The disclosure was made in a statement made available to LEADERSHIP.
At the event on Tuesday in Sokoto organised by Attahiru Bafarawa Foundation, Bafarawa said the donation was in appreciation of the trust and confidence the people of Sokoto State had in him by voting him into office to serve as their governor for eight years. He said it was a give back to the people, adding that there was no other time to give back to the people than now that hunger and hardship were ravaging the land.
He said it was a time to give back, saying, “At no time can this giving back philosophy of mine be more optimistic and compelling than now that the people are passing through hard times occasioned by the harsh economic climate in the country. Against this background, I have decided to make the sum of N1 billion available for the welfare and well-being of the people of Sokoto State.
“The management of this fund has been entrusted to a committee that I set up. The committee is headed by Alhaji Lawal Maidoki (Sadaukin Sokoto), known throughout the country for his insight, experience and honesty in dealing with issues of a similar nature, especially the distribution of Zakka and waqafi. Alhaji Maidoki will be assisted in this assignment by equally trusted members drawn from different strata of society”.
According to the former governor, though he left office about 17 years ago, he still had some mixed feelings, hence the desire to do more, saying, “In the years that I served as governor, I did my utmost best to ensure that dividends of democracy were delivered to the people. My government recorded infrastructural landmarks, particularly in the area of road construction. I ensured that the resources of the state were prudently managed. Against this background, I left a whopping N13 billion in the coffers of the Sokoto state government by the time I left office in 2007.
“However, I must confess that I entertain mixed feelings each time I look back to my years as governor.
While acknowledging the people’s love and solidarity, I feel I can do more to give back to the people. As the executive governor of Sokoto State, I was entrusted with the people’s resources. Given the enormous powers of an executive governor, the temptation to transgress is always there. It is, therefore, possible that one may have taken one action or the other that did not serve the best interest of the general public.
“In other words, one could misappropriate funds that could have gone into productive and rewarding ventures through acts of omission or commission. Thoughts of scenarios such as this could be troubling. They prick the conscience. This situation, in my opinion, calls for restitution. I feel the urge to reconnect with people in some other way for a lost opportunity. I consider this necessary to make peace with the people and the Almighty, ” Bafarawa said.
He said, “A little over 25 years ago, an overwhelming majority of the voting population of Sokoto state gave me their mandate to serve them as their first executive governor after the locust years of military incursion into politics. They renewed the mandate four years later by electing me for a second term. I did not take this show of love by the people for granted. I appreciate the historic opportunity they gave me to serve them as governor for eight years.
“This latent sense of missed opportunity drives my giving back philosophy. Regardless of whatever effort I may have made to improve the number of people while in office, the fact remains that I, just like any other human being, have my drawbacks. I may, therefore, not have lived up to everyone’s expectations. Consequently, I seek the face of the people afresh in this regard. As always, I ask for forgiveness in whatever area I fall short of people’s expectations.
“While I do not wish to dwell on the past, what is constant in my relationship with the people of Sokoto State is my undying concern for their wellbeing. For some 17 years after leaving office, I have been delighted that my relationship with the people has remained intact. At 70, I feel a greater pull towards the people. My desire now is to ensure that I fill whatever gaps I may have created, consciously or unconsciously, in my relationship with the people while I was in office. Some may call this atonement, but I prefer to see it as an act of reciprocity. I want to give back to the people the goodwill and love they showed me.
“As I noted earlier, I am making this modest contribution to the people of Sokoto State to fill the gaps I left while in office. I will continue to pray to the Almighty to seek his forgiveness in whatever way I may have gone astray. May the Almighty help, guide and direct us in this noble task of giving back to the people”, the statement read.