Sokoto 2027 and Gov. Aliyu’s lasting legacies

History has a way of separating those who merely occupied positions of authority from those who used the opportunity to make a difference. Governors come and go, but while the office is temporary, the consequences of what is done or left undone can outlive the people who once wielded the power. Some leave behind institutions, infrastructure and opportunities that continue to serve generations; others leave their people to contend with the weight of missed opportunities.

True greatness, therefore, is not something a leader can confer upon himself, nor is it something that can be secured by the services of poets commissioned to sing his praises. It comes from the people, from the ordinary testimonies of those whose lives have been touched by the decisions taken in government, and from the visible evidence of progress that remains long after the occupants of the Government House have departed.

It is true that scoring a governor while he is still in office may be considered premature, but there is also wisdom in judging a tree by the fruits it has begun to bear. It is armed with this belief that I look at the administration of Dr. Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto and the extent to which it has addressed some of the longstanding challenges confronting the people of Sokoto State. Whether he eventually secures a place in the book of greatness will depend on the durability of his achievements, but the evidence of his interventions so far deserves attention.

Governor Aliyu has chosen his areas of impact carefully, with education occupying a very important place in the administration’s nine-point agenda. For a state with a large population of young people and longstanding challenges in access to quality education, the sector is not merely another item in the budget; it is one of the most consequential investments any government can make in its future.

Since assuming office, the Aliyu administration has pursued the construction and rehabilitation of schools, provision of instructional materials, improvement of learning environments and support for teachers. In January 2025 for instance, the government disbursed school improvement grants to 240 secondary schools under the Adolescent Girls’ Initiative for Learning and Empowerment programme, with funds earmarked for classroom renovations, toilets, boreholes and desks. The administration has also continued interventions in Islamic education, digital literacy and skills acquisition.

Tertiary education has equally received attention, with the administration pursuing support for state institutions and students. In August 2025, the government approved payment of tuition fees for verified Sokoto indigenes studying in tertiary institutions across Nigeria, including Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto; Sokoto State University; Shehu Shagari University of Education; Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; Bayero University, Kano; and the Federal University, Birnin Kebbi. These interventions are particularly significant for families struggling to keep their children in school amid the rising cost of education.

Scholarship payments were also approved to clear backlogs in state commitment to foreign scholarship students abandoned by the previous administration. Many of these students studying in faraway lands, away from their family were on the verge of dropping out before Gov. Ahmed intervened.

Healthcare is another sector where the consequences of government decisions are felt directly in the lives of ordinary people. The administration has pursued the rehabilitation and upgrading of health facilities, while expanding the availability of medical personnel at the grassroots.

In November 2025, the state government, in collaboration with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, approved the recruitment of 2,440 community health workers for deployment across the state’s 244 wards. In June 2026, the State Executive Council also approved the upgrading of Gagi Primary Health Centre to a general hospital at a cost of ₦592.1 million, alongside new primary healthcare projects in Sokoto South.

Then there is water, perhaps one of the most defining issues in the development story of Sokoto state. For a people who have endured the difficulties associated with unreliable access to potable water, the significance of functional water infrastructure cannot be overstated. The Aliyu administration commissioned the ₦14.1 billion Tamaje Water Scheme in July 2025, while pursuing an integrated programme involving six major water production stations at Tamaje, Old Airport, Gagi, Mana, Runjin Sambo and Rugar Liman.

The network is projected to produce more than 40 million gallons of water daily when fully operational. Additional interventions include the rehabilitation of water intake facilities, expansion of distribution networks and solar-powered rural water schemes, as well as a comprehensive solarisation initiative to power the water project and protect water supply from the uncertainties of power supply.

Agriculture is yet another sector that has received serious attention. For a state whose economy depends heavily on agriculture, the welfare of farmers is inseparable from the welfare of the wider population. Since 2023, the Aliyu administration has sustained interventions involving fertiliser, improved seeds, agrochemicals and agricultural implements.

In February 2026, the government committed ₦3 billion to subsidised fertiliser for dry-season farming, while in July it commenced the distribution of 157,800 bags of fertiliser worth approximately ₦7.707 billion to farmers across the 23 local government areas. The administration has also pursued irrigation development, including the rehabilitation of the Lugu and Kware dams, alongside support for mechanisation and dry-season cultivation. These interventions are aimed at reducing production costs and strengthening food security.

Road construction has also featured prominently in the administration’s development agenda. More than 30 township roads had been completed and asphalted by the end of 2025, with additional projects at various stages of execution. Among the major interventions are the Kware–Gidan Madi Road, township roads in Gada and other local government areas, and several rural road projects intended to improve connectivity between communities.

In October 2026, the government approved additional funding for road clusters in Arkilla and the Federal and State Low-Cost areas, the Tsehen Masu–New City Kwasai–Old Airport corridor, and other road projects. Beyond the kilometres completed, the real significance of these investments lies in easier movement, improved access to markets, stronger connections between rural communities and urban centres as well as improved security response time.

And talking about security, the administration has continued to support federal security agencies in their efforts to contain banditry and other criminal activities. More than 200 patrol vehicles and 62 armoured vehicles have been procured for security operations, alongside the establishment of the Sokoto State Community Guard Corps, equipped with patrol vehicles and motorcycles. Other measures include increased allowances for personnel deployed to high-risk areas, intelligence support and efforts to operationalise an Air Force base in the state.

While these investments do not mean that insecurity has disappeared, they, nonetheless, demonstrate the administration’s commitment to strengthening the operational capacity of those charged with protecting lives and property.

The public service has not been left out. In January 2025, the administration commenced payment of the ₦70,000 national minimum wage to state civil servants, local government workers and Local Government Education Authority staff. It has also pursued the clearance of inherited gratuity liabilities, and by May 2025 it has cleared a ₦15 billion backlog owed to retirees since 2016, while maintaining monthly allocations towards outstanding obligations. Beyond salaries and pensions, the government has continued to support civil servants through welfare interventions, including a loan scheme for the purchase of motorcycles.

Without a doubt, Aliyu is seeking to leave his mark on Sokoto State. But whether the final verdict of history will place him among the state’s great leaders remains a matter for the people and the durability of the work being done. What matters is that governance must ultimately be measured not by the number of announcements made or contracts awarded, but by what is completed, what continues to function and what genuinely improves the lives of the people.

As the political contest ahead gathers momentum, the administration’s strongest argument is indeed the visibility of its impact. The water struggles that have been eased, roads that people now drive on to connect each other, schools, hospitals, farms that feed the people and a public service that works are far more persuasive than promises alone. For in the final analysis, greatness is not what a governor says about himself; it is what the people can point to when he is no longer in office.

Kera, a journalist, writes from Abuja.