June 10, (THEWILL)- The Sokoto State Government says it has created a modern and sustainable planning template for landowners to use in redesigning and constructing houses in the state as part of its efforts to modernise the state capital and surrounding areas.
The State Commissioner for Lands and Housing, Barrister Nasiru Aliyu Dantsoho, disclosed this during a press conference organised by the Ministry of Information in collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Economy to highlight the current administration’s achievements in the state.
The Commissioner revealed that the Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration was poised to leave a legacy of the new Sokoto State at the end of his tenure.
Dantsoho said the State Government, through its renewed initiative, made available 1,962 plots of land for allocation to provide modest shelter for people in the state.
He also said the essence was to further expand the city and ensure structural modernity as obtained in other cities of Nigeria.
“We will strictly go by the guidelines, requirements and procedures of allocating land and development of the same according to plan and design,” he said.
He further disclosed arrangements by the State Government through his ministry to construct four city terminals for certain categories of vehicles, tricycles and motorcyclists.
The initiative, according to the Commissioner, is to decongest the metropolis of traffic jams and minimize accidents as observed with the pavement fence provided along major roads.
“We will have terminals for Okada riders, Truck drivers, Tankers and other auto body trucks,” Dantsoho said.
While explaining the drive to provide roads, Dantsoho disclosed that no fewer than 40 township roads have either been rehabilitated or constructed since the inception of the APC-led government a year ago.
“We have in that direction constructed numerous link roads at Tudun Wada and also put back to shape all round about which were inherited with potholes due to neglect of immediate past government,” he stated.
He said in order to avoid the deliberate mistake of the past government, the State Government has designed a purposeful modality of allocating the 136 houses procured from the Federal Government.
“We are working out realistic and beneficial criteria as it will also apply to other housing unit projects completed and under construction at Wajeke and Kalambaina on an owner-occupier basis.
“The previous government of the PDP failed to construct a single house but sold houses constructed by former governor Wamakko with despatch without proper records of transactions, including proceeds.
“We are able to recover some of our properties in Kaduna alleged to have been purchased in the name of the state. These are some of the deliberate mistakes we are working to avoid in the interest of our people, state and due process which we respect,” he pointed out.
The Commissioner said reconstruction and rehabilitation works were being carried out at the metropolitan Alu bridge connecting Maiduguri-Ahmadu Bello Way-Abdullahi Fodiyo roads.
About the Author
Tunde Omolehin is an award-winning Journalist with prose in investigative and storytelling that is connecting the dots between the under-reported communities and policymakers to ensure good governance and accountability.
