Sokoto community residents lament as skill acquisition project lies abandoned two years after completion

The joy of residents of Yabo Community, in Sokoto State turned into dejection as a skill acquisition center, marked as completed has not opened after two years. Abdulwaheed Sofiullahi reports.

 

Faruk Ahmadu, 52, is one of the few literates in Yabo community in Sokoto State, where most dwellers largely engage in subsistent farming.

In 2020, when the construction of a building in the village commenced, it was Mr Ahmadu who explained to his fellow residents what the building was meant for and the benefits therein for them.

“I could remember in 2020, many people gathered at the project site, glancing at the signboard– but couldn’t understand what the contractors were building and how it would be beneficial to the entire community,’’ Mr Faruk, a civil servant, said. “I called people’s attention and told them what the new construction meant and that if completed, all of us could enroll our children there to learn skills that would change their lives in the future,’’ he added.

Earlier in 2019, Aminu Shagari, the lawmaker representing Yabo/Shagari Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives at the time, nominated the construction of a skill acquisition centre in the Yabo Local Government. The Center was to be located in the Yabo community.

However, on 11th June 2019, Mr Shagari lost his seat to Abubakar Yabo but the project was nevertheless continued.

The project was allocated N40 million and was placed under the supervision of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN).

Completed but not accessible

There is now a tilt to the story. The project is complete but the centre is non-functional. Mr Faruk and others who had imagined the benefits of the project and dreamt how their children would obtain skills from the centre are now left in despair. Completed three years ago, the skill acquisition centre is yet to open for use.

“I thought the centre would be functioning three weeks after the construction was completed. But now, it has changed to three years, and nothing is ongoing there,’’ Mr Faruk said. “I hope that when my children finish secondary school, I can take them to the centre to learn skills if it’s later opened,” he added.

Sani Jabbi, another member of the community, said the project shouldn’t have been situated outside the town.  However, he reckoned he would still allow his children to access the centre once it’s opened.

“I would like the centre to be opened even though it was built outside the town. My children will be using bicycles or bikes to go and learn things,’’ the 58-year-old farmer said.

Constructed but not equipped

The details in the nomination of the project under the 2019 Zonal Intervention Project that was presented by the former lawmaker shows that funds for both the construction and equipping of the centre were included and allocated.

Read also: Centre for women development to spend N1bn on post covid-19 skill acquisition

However, when UDEME visited the centre, there was very little to show for it.  Some areas of the centre’s walls had cracked, and the ceilings were sagging.

Faruku Bawa, a 52-year-old security guard at the centre attended to this reporter on a visit in May.

‘’I have been taking care of this centre for about three years. I was employed by Faruk Danmadina, a representative of the contractor,’’ he said.

When he opened the interior for inspection, it was dust and cobwebs that were most visible. There was no trace of equipment except some chairs, suffocated in the dust with the tag ‘Hon. Aminu Shehu Shagari’ written on them.

“Nothing is inside, apart from the chairs they brought. They didn’t bring anything again,’’ he added.

Yabo Community Head helpless

Yabo Community Leader, Alhaji Muhammadu Maiturare appears helpless over the condition of the Center.

‘’All these questions are irrelevant to me. I know my position, if the centre was commissioned and we were asked to send children and later on discovered it’s not functioning then, you can come and ask me,’’ he said. “I was once a two-term Lawmaker and I understand everything. There was a time I was told about what to do with the centre, and l said okay. So, we are three district heads here, maybe they will pick people from each ward,’’ he added.

’It’s his centre, so we can’t interfere in something that is not ours.’’  Maiturare said.

The community leader also hinted at the current legislator’s effort to open the centre.

“All l know is that the current lawmaker is doing his best to see that the centre is open but do you think it could be open without anything inside?” he asked rhetorically.

SMEDAN Reacts

The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDAN), Sokoto State Manager, Mohammed Shuaibu, stressed that he couldn’t recall, but the last time he visited the location of the center, it was 80% done.

I know about the project, but the last time I visited there maybe sometime in 2020 before Covid-19, the work was 80% done and I wrote a report and sent it to the head office. I think the contractor would have equipped the center and since then, I didn’t visit the center again”, Mohammed said.

When he was informed about chairs that were only brought to the center, he said: “There is something behind that and I don’t know it. I urge you to reach out to our head office for a follow-up to know what is happening.

However, he added that power transmission between the present and past lawmakers contributed to the reason the center remained closed.

“You know that the lawmaker that facilitated that project in 2019 is no longer there. And the representative would be the one to decide whether the center will commence work or not. This is also one of the problems.”

Yabo/Shagari lawmaker refuses to respond

When UDEME reached out to the present lawmaker representing Yabo/Shagari Federal Constituency, Abubakar Umar Yabo through his personal mobile contact. He refused to pick up calls and messages sent to him via SMS weren’t attended to.

 

This report is produced under the UDEME, CJID accountability reporting/project tracking.

 

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now