A northwest civil society group has branded Dauda Lawal’s administration as a “monumental failure” in the two years since he became governor of Zamfara State.
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The group claims that Lawal has wasted the billions of dollars that the state received from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) without making any noticeable progress.
The Zamfara people are in worse shape now than they were when Lawal took office in 2023, according to a statement issued by the Zamfara Progressive Coalition (ZAC) and signed by its president, Alhaji Ibrahim Dan-Azumi.
Despite getting billions in FAAC allocations in two years, the group claims the governor has “chosen pageantry over performance,” spending more time in Abuja than in the state he was elected to rule.
The coalition has demanded an investigation of the spending of Zamfara’s allotted monies over the past 24 months by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
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The fact that Zamfara is still a state characterised by starvation, terror, and neglect two years after Dauda Lawal’s victory is tragic. Despite the receipt of billions, not a single significant road, hospital, or school has been constructed or restored. According to ZAC, the residents have been left high and dry.
It went on to say that persistent bandit attacks, the uprooting of rural populations, and the disintegration of fundamental public services have kept Zamfara among Nigeria’s most troublesome states.
The organisation said that the leadership was to blame for the worsening security situation, the increasing number of children not in school, and the local governments’ underpaid pay.
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“We were hoping for a leader who would fix our dysfunctional systems, invest in farmers, generate jobs, and address insecurity head-on. Rather of addressing the needs of his people, what we have instead is a governor who is only in office part of the time, according to Dan-Azumi.
If you ever want to see people living like refugees on their own land, you should visit Tsafe, Bungudu, and Maru LGAs. The government does nothing as bandits steal money from farms. Despite the weekly kidnappings of our people, the governor continues to attend events in Abuja.
“Basic medications are not available in hospitals across the state. Unpreventable complications are causing the deaths of pregnant mothers. Chairs, roofs, and teachers are all missing from schools. How did all that money disappear? All FAAC allocations since 2023 must be audited.
Among the states in Nigeria, Zamfara has one of the highest poverty rates. There are a lot of bored teenagers out and about. Nothing in the way of industrial strategies, vocational training institutes, or empowerment programs is in place. This is the definition of careless leadership.
A new Zamfara was governor Lawal’s campaign promise. A spectre of a governor is all we have. He is more frequent in Abuja than Gusau. Being present, empathic, and accountable are essential leadership qualities. Neither of these have we seen.
“This state has great promise. There has a young population, plenty of arable land, and gold. However, zero of this has been put to use. The reality is that the people are still destitute, hungry, and ignored, while the government is busy celebrating IGR increase on paper.
In an effort to keep the public informed and put pressure on the government to take action, the group has announced that it will start producing monthly scorecards of the governor’s efforts.