In a country where senators are often known more for speeches than action, Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko has, over the last 10 years, carved a legacy that blurs the line between a lawmaker and a leader of government. From powering entire communities to sponsoring the education of hundreds, he has shown that one senator, armed with political will and a heart for service, can behave like a small government unto his people.
By Abdallah el-Kurebe
Powering dreams: Wamakko, lighting up communities forgotten by the grid
Electricity is more than light, it’s dignity, it’s opportunity. For rural communities in Sokoto State like Gudu, Silame, Binji, Sokoto South, Sokoto North, Tangaza, and many others, years of living in darkness ended when Wamakko intervened. In what should have been the job of an electricity board or state agency, it was the Senator who personally facilitated the reconnection of these LGAs after years without power.
In Wamakko LGA, the donation of a new 300 KVA transformer wasn’t just infrastructure, it was hope restored to a neighbourhood. Across health centers, schools, and streets, solar lights now shine, not because of state budgets, but because of one senator’s deliberate prioritization of his people’s needs.
Educating generations: Where the government stops, he steps in
Government scholarships are rare, and when they come, often unreliable. But for hundreds of Sokoto youth, Wamakko became the difference between dropping out and dreaming again.
In just one cycle, he funded the full education — tuition, housing, upkeep, of thousands of students across Nigerian and foreign universities. That’s not a bursary. That’s a full educational lifeline. Even in 2022, amid rising costs, many new beneficiaries were sent off to universities in Niger Republic and Katsina State under his direct sponsorship. His personal donation of two million exercise books to schoolchildren across all LGAs was a gesture no ministry matched.
Wamakko’s North West University is a symbol of his love for education. There, students study at almost on a free-tuition status because the school fees are highly subsidized.
Faith and dood: A Senator who serves spirit and stomach
Every Ramadan, families across Sokoto remember the feeding programme Wamakko began as governor, and has sustained as senator. When the state’s version during the last administration collapsed under budgetary strain, Wamakko’s legacy stood in its place: feeding the poor, funding mosque projects, and helping religious schools survive.
He understands, as a father would, that dignity for the people isn’t just in big infrastructure but also in daily bread and in being seen.
Health interventions: No bureaucracy, Wamakko just helps
In 2021, eight patients who underwent heart surgery at UDUTH faced another heartbreak: hospital bills they couldn’t afford. It wasn’t the state, it wasn’t a health ministry, it was Senator Wamakko who quietly paid their bills. These were not isolated acts. In hospital wards and rural clinics, his name is often mentioned in hushed gratitude. Many other patients who suffer from one ailment or another, Wamakko has un-announcedly come in to assist.
A Senator, Wamakko is a system
Across Nigeria, there are senators. And then, there’s Wamakko, who has become an institution within the institution. His reach, his projects, and his touchpoints across education, infrastructure, health, and welfare give the unmistakable impression of a parallel government, one driven not by politics, but by personal conviction.
In Sokoto State, many simply say: if Wamakko says he’ll do it, consider it done.
Wamakko is a legacy in motion
As he marks a decade in the National Assembly, Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko stands not just as a senator who sponsors motions, but as a leader who has moved lives forward. In his story is a lesson for every Nigerian public servant: when government sleeps, leadership can still act.
