By Abubakar Dan Ali
Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto of Sokoto State continues to earn widespread recognition for his innovative approach to governance and for always doing something new or finding better ways of addressing long-standing challenges. This quality has become the defining trait of the goal-oriented and deeply committed leader that he is.
It came as no surprise, therefore, when in late June, news broke that the Sokoto State Government had approved a groundbreaking partnership with Redwire Consulting to conduct its own Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) Survey. The aim of this ambitious initiative is to provide the state with reliable, data-driven insights into the socioeconomic conditions of its citizens, crucial information that will shape development planning and effective resource allocation.
Why the Sokoto MPI Survey Matters. To fully appreciate the significance of Sokoto State’s homegrown MPI survey, one must understand the critical role reliable data plays in successful governance. Inadequate, outdated, or irrelevant statistics have long been the Achilles heel of economic development planning in Nigeria, leading to budget failures, abandoned projects, and misguided policies across all levels of government.
This is not a new problem. As far back as the 1950s, during Nigeria’s transition to independence, the dangers of planning without facts were already present.Wolfgang F. Stolper, a Harvard economist after analyzing Nigeria’s early economic records, published Planning Without Facts: Lessons in Resource Allocation from Nigeria’s Development in 1966. Stolper’s study underscored how Nigeria’s ineffective national development plans were because they lacked solid statistical foundations.
More than half a century later, the same planning flaws remain. Issues such as unreliable population data (often due to politically motivated overcounts or undercounts), widespread under-registration of births and deaths, the ghost worker syndrome, and poor monitoring of budget performance continue to undermine development outcomes.
And this explains why Governor Aliyu’s Data-Driven Vision makes a huge difference. Like Stolper, Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto believes that poor planning, driven largely by poor data is a root cause of persistent poverty and policy failures in Nigeria and not just Sokoto State. He has consistently emphasized that designing economic policies or allocating resources without credible information will make the achievements of the goals of the annual budgets unrealizable.
But unlike many leaders who stop at identifying the problem, Governor Aliyu has moved decisively to solve it.
On July 3, 2025, the Sokoto State Government—through its Bureau of Statistics—kicked off a comprehensive MPI survey in partnership with Redwire Marketing Consulting. The exercise ran for 21 days and covered key areas such as education, healthcare, employment, living standards, and access to social services.
At a very moderate cost, this partnership brings world-class data-gathering tools and methods, aligned with global best practices, to generate highly dependable, culturally relevant, and actionable data tailored specifically to Sokoto State’s realities.
Poor outcomes from federal and state-level economic policies have repeatedly proven that sustainable development cannot be driven by guesswork or outdated assumptions. Accurate statistics and insightful economic indicators are the lifeblood of successful governance.
Stakeholders across the board have continued to commend the Sokoto State Government for this innovative initiative. The homegrown MPI project is seen as a bold and visionary step that would be a game-changer in Governor Aliyu Sokoto’s fight against extreme poverty.
The state-specific MPI is designed to uncover the root causes of deprivation at the household level, offering a more nuanced and localized understanding of poverty. This will serve as a solid foundation for more targeted, evidence-based interventions that is aligned with Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto’s 9-Point Smart Agenda, which prioritizes security, inclusive economic development, education, healthcare, and youth empowerment.
The level of preparation that went into this initiative leaves little room for doubt about its potential success. Equally impressive is the credibility of both the government team and Redwire’s resource personnel.
According to sources within the Sokoto State Government, this MPI project is part of a broader reform of the state’s data systems. It is being spearheaded by the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Abubakar Mohammed Zayyana, and actively supported by the Statistician General, Alhaji Abdulrahman Shagari. The broader objective is to institutionalize accurate, timely, and meaningful data as a central pillar of governance in Sokoto State.
Once completed, the MPI survey will provide the Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto led administration with real-time data that will enable it craft policies and execute programmes that are not only effective but also equitable. The survey definitely marks a critical turning point.
Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto is proving once again that governance is not about guesswork, but about precision. With this MPI survey, he is arming Sokoto State with the tools it needs to fight poverty and plan for sustainable development making it yet another feather in the cap of a visionary leader charting a new course for the future of his people.