Tambuwal: Using Healthcare to Win Plaudits

By Umaru Uduh

That nature is expediting Governor Aminu Tambuwal’s plans to leave Sokoto State Government House, is no longer breaking news.

But one thing is certain: even if a new owner takes over the home, Tambuwal’s influence in the health industry will continue to win praise from impartial observers.

Given the significant attention that Governor Aminu Tambuwal provided to healthcare in the last eight years, it has been a beautiful time for medical professionals and people who have benefited from top-notch healthcare delivery.

In the history of the state, no administration has relentlessly touched the lives of the citizenry through health care as the Tambuwal administration has done.

A consummate lover of the finest things, Tambuwal decided from the outset to retool the sector through a holistic approach and a focus-driven engagement with stakeholders in the state’s healthcare sector.

According to him, “we decided very early to make healthcare the bedrock of development in our state. To institutionalise our pursuit, we knew we had to do something completely different from the past efforts. We planned for a holistic programme that will ensure a multi-pronged approach to address access to services for all, quality in health diagnosis and treatment and lastly availability of quality personnel. I decided it was important to get everyone in the state involved in our plan. We have got everybody involved in a contributory manner; the results are available for review across the state.”

Staying through to his objectives, Tambuwal overhauled the Specialist Hospital in Sokoto, established an infectious diseases hospital in Amanawa, re-introduced community midwifery, and upgraded, renovated and equipped all the primary health care centres across the 23 local governments.

In a historical voyage, the administration also created the Sokoto State Contributory Health Care Management Agency (SOCHEMA), Sokoto State Malaria Elimination Agency, Sokoto State University Teaching Hospital, College of Medical Sciences of the SSU Teaching Hospital, a military hospital in the Sokoto metropolis.

At the moment, there is an ongoing construction of premier hospitals in Sabon Birni and Binji. This is different from his construction of the over N3.2 billion Sokoto Advanced Medical Diagnostics Centre, which was inaugurated on December 1, 2021, by the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State.

At the groundbreaking ceremony of the state university teaching hospital, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, who was impressed by the phenomenal work that was done in the facility commended Tambuwal for embarking on life-changing projects across the state despite minimal resources. Wike, in his remarks, had described the administration of Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, as not just prudent, but as one that can be recommended as a role model to others.

Mr Project, who showered encomiums on the Sokoto State governor and his team, said: “When you look at what is going on here in comparison with the revenue generated by the state, you have to ask yourself where this governor is getting funds to do all these.”

It is worthy to note that even though Sokoto is not the most economically viable state, Tambuwal’s financial prudence and economic innovations provided a springboard to these accomplishments.

According to Tambuwal, “to accomplish so much, we are not unmindful of our limitation in resources. We will, however, by the special grace of Almighty Allah, prevail over the socioeconomic challenges and deliver on our obligations to the electorate before the expiration of our tenure. We are achieving this through fiscal prudence, focus on priorities and effective collaborations with development partners and donor agencies.”