By Abubakar Shekara
If the nineteenth century was a period of learning and political awareness, when the formation of empires and states was inspired more by enlightenment than the exigencies of need and survival, Sokoto Caliphate is one of the most advanced societies of its time.
The antecedents of Sokoto in the field of learning and the fine virtues that made kingdoms, states and empires great need no rehash. The Caliphate’s history by right places it among the greatest civilisations in the world.
In the current century, however, greatness has assumed a new meaning. While the prerequisite for advancement is still learning and will remain so forever, the knowledge and skills that constitute education have changed. Literacy is no longer the ability to read and write; at least not in the traditional pen and paper form.
Science and technology have seen to the paradigm shift that has made the computer in its different forms the medium of all communication and socioeconomic interaction . And societies that are advanced in ICT have the decisive edge in all the affairs of this highly competitive cyber world.
While the 21st Century marks a very distinct departure from the precepts of the past, it is indeed an era when nations and states must draw from their historical antecedents for the strength not only to meet the demands of the modern times but also reap the benefits of the emerging situation.
Sokoto State has much to draw from for such inspiration. With its historical antecedents of education and the culture of intellectual pursuit, the State is more than equipped to brace up for and stand to gain from the countless opportunities that the 21st century presents. This is especially so in the field of science and technology.
The quantum of work on medicine, geography and astronomy by Usman Danfodiyo, his brother, Abdullahi and their companions should give Sokoto the foundation not merely to excel in the field but also exploit science and technology towards the advancement of its people in contemporary times.
In Sokoto fortunately, the connection between the past and present is being strengthened through the instituting of open, transparent governance driven by ICT. The embrace of the digital option by the Administration of Aminu Waziri Tambuwal is opening up the public sector for the participation of all citizens.
Tambuwal’s achievements in digital governance are significant and the events of last Thursday are a proof that the world has taken notice of the progress being made in Sokoto, when
the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) conferred on him, the Digital Governor of the Year Merit Award.
The award is the first of an annual event organized by Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) to acknowledge, celebrate and reward corporate organizations and individuals who are committed and outstanding in their various Information Technology (IT) practice and have also contributed immensely to the development of the profession in Nigeria.
As far as NCS are concerned, no state governor in Nigeria has fulfilled these requirements for the award as much as Tambuwal. And they rolled out the quantum of verified accomplishments that make him eligible:
1. Establishment of Sokoto State ICT Directorate in 2015
2. Institutionalization of ICT across the MDAs and 23 LGAs in Sokoto State
3. Making ICT as an integral player in the State Civil Service
4. Recruitment the Computer Sciences/ICT graduates and deploy them across MDAs
5. Establishment and Commissioning of first All Mackintosh ICT Resource Center
6. The first Governor to appoint a Director General ICT in Sokoto State
7. Training of 23,000 civil servants on ICT in Sokoto State
8. Drafted the Bill for establishment of Sokoto ICT Development Agency
9. Biometric Enrolment of all foreign education sponsored students
10. Training of 10000 Women on various components of ICT Skills in the state
11. Hosting Google in Sokoto to launch the first Google Digital Skills Training in Nigeria
12. Led Sokoto to become 1st State to host 1000 Entrepreneurs on live training program
13. Increased budgetary allocation to ICT by State Government from N80m to N1bn per annum
14. Led Sokoto to win 1st and 2nd positions on e-Nigeria in 2017 and 2019 respectively
15. Launched virtual training and lectures for all Basic & Secondary Students in Sokoto
16. Launched TV and Radio programs for all Schools in Sokoto State
17. Launching all Sokoto Media Organizations Activities online
18. Training of all media managers of State Media Corporation; Rima TV; Rima FM on ICT
19. Virtual Ramadan Tafsir in Sokoto State throughout Ramadan period
20. Record, processed and upload tafsir contents on YouTube for public access during Ramadan period after ban on public gatherings
21. Integrated all Portal-Web Contents requirements towards adoption of SFTAS in Sokoto State
22. Contributions to Nigeria Computer Society (NCS)
23. Working to sponsor registration of 100 qualified Sokoto indigenes as at various categories of NCS membership annually.
24. Inclusiveness: facilitated partnership between NCS, Sokoto State and EFCC for awareness campaign on cybercrimes for all 23 local governments in Sokoto State, which commences in November 2020
25. Remodeling of the VIP conference halls in Sokoto and Abuja liaison office to an International Standards
26. Launched the #SokotoDigitalAgenda under the ICT Directorate in Sokoto with the aim of achieving all the MDG and MCDG goals on ICT and Digitization.
27. Awareness Campaign on ICT and Cybersecurity across the State
eGovernment-Related Initiatives
28. Sokoto State Government Policy Circular Mandating all MDAs to have
portals/domains/subdomains under the sokotostate.gov.ng
29. Sokoto State Government Policy on All MDAs to be using only official email for correspondences. Hence all the emails shall bear a domain tag of ..@sokotostate.gov.ng
30. Rebranding of the State Government Portal and make all its services 100% on SSL
31. One of the first states to comply with FGN regulations on retaining the services of Data Protection: Compliance Organizations (DPCO)
32. Biometric enrolment of all primary school teachers in Sokoto State
33. Biometric enrolment of all civil servants in Sokoto State
34. Computerization of Sokoto State House of Assembly
Education/Awareness
35. Work-in-progress: Construction of Computer Based testing Centers (CBT) across 3 senatorial districts in Sokoto State
36. Construction of CBT Centre at Nagarta College Sokoto, GCSS Tambuwal, Sokoto and GSSS Gwadabawa
International
37. Sokoto State was an active participant in the Nigerian delegation to the Global City Teams Challenge in Washington DC, USA in 2016.
38. Sokoto is the first state in Nigeria to qualify for eGovernment Training Program in Seoul, Korea in 2017 and 2019
39. Sponsored students abroad for undergraduate and post graduate studies in Software, Engineering and other ICT related disciplines in including PhD studies
40. Arrangements are concluded for the commencement of the ‘Global ICT Center’ in Sokoto State.
The achievements in ICT in Sokoto State under Governor Tambuwal are indeed substantial, five years into his two terms of eight years. Invariably, the implication of this is that the state will be Nigeria’s ICT capital by the end of his administration in 2023.
That will be a very important legacy that will set Sokoto State for regional, national and indeed global socioeconomic reckoning and restore its historical position of a civilisation that transcended geopolitical boundaries.
