11tri/- Sabodo boost for Dodoma

ALVAR MWAKYUSA

Mr Mustafa Sabodo

• Dar businessman, philanthropist wants new capital city built
• Says he has halted financial support to opposition Chadema and NCCR-Mageuzi after the good job by Magufuli

PROMINENT businessman and philanthropist Mustafa Sabodo has pledged to inject a staggering 5 billion US dollars (about 10.9 trillion/-) in massive investments for the designated capital city of Dodoma.

On the other hand, the senior citizen, has said he had halted financial support to opposition Chadema and NCCR-Mageuzi, “thanks to impressive performance by President John Magufuli during his eight months in office’’.

“The long-term benefits of transferring the capital to Dodoma are immense and no one should put down such efforts,” the senior citizen said yesterday at his home in an exclusive interview he granted to ‘Daily News’ and its Kiswahili sister paper “Habari Leo.”

He added; “By announcing that he will have all government offices shifted to Dodoma during his tenure in power, President John Magufuli has shown commitment to fulfill the idea initiated by the founding father of Tanzania the late Mwalimu Julius Nyerere”.

The businessman explained that the funds in question will be used to set up industries to produce wines and cassava starch, setting up of schools and other facilities, stressing that the funds are available in his foreign sources.

“I will as well persuade owners of the well-known Apollo Hospital in India to set up a modern facility in Dodoma to provide high quality medical services in the designated capital,” he explained. The idea to shift the capital city from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma was initiated by Mwalimu Nyerere, who established the Capital Development Authority (CDA) in 1973 to spearhead the process. President Magufuli recently expressed his commitment to relocate to Dodoma before the end of his five-year term.

The Prime Minister, Mr Kassim Majaliwa, also confirmed that he would move to the new capital by September, directing all ministers to do the same.“Successive leaders after Nyerere tried to accomplish the scheme with little success until President Magufuli came.

In my view, the envisaged relocation to the designated capital should be referred to as Magufuli or Dodoma Declaration,” the businessman-cum-philanthropist remarked. Mr Sabodo said he will engage President Magufuli through the Chief Secretary, Ambassador John Kijazi, on implementation of the grand plan where he plans to appoint a person to oversee dishing of the billions for investments.

“The commercial capital of Dar es Salaam is currently over populated; it is my dream to see Dodoma developed and spread to as far as Manyoni, Mpwapwa and Kondoa. However concrete actions must be made to have this dream realised,” he observed.

The senior citizen spoke highly of President Magufuli on curbing corruption and waste of public funds, stating that the pledge to move to Dodoma was a challenge that the president was obliged to accomplish.

“I salute President Magufuli for his efforts and I will write an open letter to him -- to congratulate him. I have been a critic of corruption because it denies people equality in the society and this is the root cause of underdevelopment,” he stated.

Regarding financial support to opposition parties, Mr Sabodo said he provided the funds to support the parties to fight ills in the country at that time but now he sees no need since President Magufuli is on the right track.

“I will not provide funds to the opposition parties anymore since Dr Magufuli is doing a good job for the country,” he noted. Mr Sabodo said as well he was writing books on anti-corruption to be dedicated to the late leaders of liberation struggles in Africa namely Mwalimu Nyerere, Kwame Nkrumah and Nelson Mandela of Ghana and South Africa, respectively.

The books to be titled; “Corruption D.C, National and International Corruption,” will be distributed to all member states of the African Union (AU). Mr Sabodo was born in Lindi, Tanzania, to parents of Indian descent.

He is an economist, consultant in international debt-finance, philanthropist and a businessman. He has business interests in India, France, Kenya, Sudan and Zimbabwe. The Mwalimu Nyerere Foundation National Lottery was the brainchild of Mzee Sabodo, who donated 800m/ towards a project that established the lottery.