Zamfara State under Dauda Lawal has received the highest financial allocations it has ever received since the State was created, yet it is at its poorest conditions.
This was the position of the Zamfara APC Youth League in a Press Statement it delivered last week to the members of the press.
In the statement, delivered by the group’s coordinator, Ubaidullah Yahaya Kaura, the Zamfara APC accused Governor Dauda Lawal of doing nothing with the states unprecedented allocation of resources to better the lives of the residents, stating that while the citizens faced unemployment, inadequate healthcare and decaying educational facilities, the Governor had channeled these resources to fund “ill-conceived projects”.
“It is deeply unfortunate that the people of Zamfara must endure such hardship despite the unprecedented resources at Governor Dauda Lawal’s disposal. Today, Zamfara receives over ten times the revenue allocated during the tenure of his predecessor through the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC).
“With such substantial funds, one would expect a visible improvement in the lives of the state’s citizens with enhanced infrastructure, improved healthcare, job opportunities, and a strong push toward economic productivity.
“Yet, instead of prioritizing initiatives that could alleviate poverty, create employment, and drive sustainable growth, Governor Lawal has chosen to channel resources into ill-conceived projects such as a cargo airport.
“While the potential benefits of an airport to promote trade and transportation cannot be dismissed, the timing and prioritization of this project shows a profound disconnect from the immediate needs of the people by the Governor. The citizens face daily struggles with unemployment, inadequate healthcare, and decaying educational facilities, while critical sectors remain underfunded and neglected.”
The APC Zamfara Youth Group also called on the Governor to emulate the former Governor of the State, Dr. Bello Matawalle who they noted had invested in agriculture, infrastructure and prioritising the welfare of the state’s residents.
Citing the revival of the Zamfara State Comprehensive Agriculture Revolution Programme(ZACAREP) by Dr. Bello Matawalle, the group stated that the programme had benefitted thousands of farmers who had now been abandoned by the new administration.
“One crucial intervention that Zamfara State indigenes, especially the farmers enjoyed during the reign of Dr.Bello Matawalle was the revival of the Zamfara State Comprehensive Agriculture Revolution Programme(ZACAREP) that he met on ground but rejuvenated to achieve its focus of revolutionizing agriculture in the State.
“Thousands of farmers in the State are on record to have benefited from the programme in one way or the other, whether it was by receiving seedlings, or fertilizer or equipment.
“Today this programme has been abandoned by the new Governor, and Zamfara State indigenes are suffering a food crisis because their Governor has abandoned programmes that worked for the people.”
Ubaidullah Yahaya Kaura further accused the Governor of being nonchalant and disconnected from the people, hence his investment into white elephant projects that have only symbolic value but fail to address the core issues of poverty and underdevelopment. He went further to call on Dauda Lawal to focus on “practical solutions that uplift Zamfara’s indigenes, restore hope, and lay the groundwork for lasting progress across the state.”
The group also derided the Governor for criticising Dr. Matawalle as having done nothing in the state, noting that even the Government House where Dauda Lawal is residing was built by the former Governor.
“As Governor of Zamfara State, Dr. Bello Matawalle built a modern and dignified Government House, not only for use of the Governor but with additional guest houses for state visitors, saving the government millions in hotel expenses. Matawalle’s commitment extended beyond the Government House: he also renovated the State House of Assembly, equipping it with state-of-the-art facilities.
“If there is anything laughable about Dauda Lawal, it is the fact that he sits comfortably in the same palatial Government house built by Matawalle while shamelessly criticising Matawalle for doing nothing as Governor. In fact, Governor Dauda Lawal is a living irony. He is a man who lives off the achievements of his predecessor but still claims that this predecessor did nothing.”
The group called on Dauda Lawal to be more accessible to his people, just as his predecessor was, nothing that by embracing Dr. Matawalle’s character of inclusivity and openness with district heads, commissioners, and ordinary citizens he will bridge the divide and restore harmony to Zamfara State.
