By Abu Shekara
The Indonesian Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr Usra Hendra Harahap paid courtesy visit on Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, at the Government House on Thursday.
During the visit, the deepening collaboration between that country and the state towards socioeconomic development was described by both parties as the continuation of interactions to consolidate a beneficial partnership.
Tambuwal, last year, embarked on an official trip to Indonesia in the company of officials of relevant MDAs in the state’s socioeconomic sector.
The visit to the Asian nation has far reaching positive implications for the advancement of Sokoto State socio-economically.
Indonesia, which has so much in common with the state religiously and culturally, has made tremendous advances in the exploitation of its human and material resources to uplift the living standards of its people and Sokoto State has the matching endowments to benefit from the Indonesian example.
Governor Tambuwal and his entourage engaged their Indonesian hosts in talks covering aspects of development in several areas that include;
Waqf (Endowment)
The Badan Waqf of Indonesia is an established Board that employs Waqf as an alternative source of funding for social welfare and poverty reduction. Its counterpart established by the Sokoto State Government, the Sokoto State Zakat and Endowment Commission is also a potential tool for tackling poverty and empowering the less privileged.
Discussions in Indonesia explored possible technical partnership with Badan Waqf towards developing a master plan for Sokoto State.
Zakat
Indonesia’s Baznas (National Zakat Agency) is already unleashing the power of Zakat to achieve SDGs, poverty alleviation and addressing inequality.
The Sokoto State Zakat and Endowment Commission was part of the discussions to explore chances of securing technical assistance from Baznas towards developing its own human resources and capacity to serve as the tool for the socioeconomic transformation of the state.
Baznas can also provide a model for its Sokoto counterpart to develop its own master plan.
Diary production
Indonesia has made great advances in diary production with that country’s establishment an Artificial Insemination Centre.
Sokoto State is approaching a similar stage in the sector, with the ongoing Modern Dairy Project, part of which is the introduction of artificial insemination.
Talks led by Governor Tambuwal during his trip explored the avenues for partnership in AI and the possibility of accessing patronage from the Islamic Development Bank through the links with Indonesia.
Education
The Pondoc school system
An integration of modern learning into an established faith based school system is serving as the recipe for the provision of functional education in Indonesia.
The Pondoc System boards girls and boys separately for Quranic studies and modern subjects, in addition to training in vocation as well as the core values of honesty, sincerity and self control.
Sokoto State can learn from the more advanced Indonesian model towards improving its ongoing integrated schools program.
Exchanges at the visit provided for technical partnership and assistance for Sokoto State to exploit the strategy as a solution to challenges in basic education and child begging.
Healthcare
Indonesia has made significant progress in the institution of faith based medical groups as a compliment to public health care.
The Muhammadiya Medical Center is Islam based and provides professional medical services to citizens, under the supervision of religious institutions.
The Indonesian example is of particular interest to Sokoto State that is privileged to have an institution like the Sultanate Council.
Interactions during the visit availed Governor Tambuwal and his team with the opportunity to explore the possibility of adopting the Indonesian model for Sokoto State.
Tourrism and culture
Parks are major avenues for the promotion of tourism, in which Indonesia has achieved remarkable success.
The Taman Mini Indonesia Park is an exhibition of the nation’s rich history, culture and way of life.
Sokoto State’s equally rich historical and cultural heritage can be promoted for national and global appreciation through the development of a similar park in the state.
Talks during the trip availed the state’s delegation with the opportunity to discover how the park can be exploited for tourism, cultural promotion and job creation for citizens.
Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal is thinking out of the box to find solutions to his state’s development challenges and the collaboration with Indonesia is one such initiatives from which the people of the state can only stand to benefit.
