Legacy left behind by my predecessor is giving asylum to bandits, says Governor Lawal

The Governor of Zamfara State Dauda Lawal has accused his predecessor Bello Matawalle to have bought Hilux vehicles and dashed them away to bandits, as well as giving asylum to them in the Government House while serving as Governor.

Penpushing reports that the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Abdulmalik Gajam made this known adding that, that was the only legacy Matawalle left behind and equally misappropriated the state’s resources while he was in office.

The Commissioner said the incumbent Governor, Dauda Lawal, inherited a completely collapsed state from Matawalle, who is the incumbent Minister of State for Defence, and served as  Governor between 2019-2023.

‘The legacy the past governor left: he bought Hilux vehicles and dashed them away to bandits. The evidence is there. He was giving asylum to bandits in the Government House. People that killed…even in the barbaric era, there had never been a time where an Emir or a king would give asylum to somebody that kills people’, he stated

Penpushing further reports that Gajam said critical sectors like water, health, education and the economy suffered serious neglect under Matawalle administration, explaining that this was based on the statistics released by the Analysts Data Services and Resources (ADSR), Zamfara State was placed at 36 out of 37 states including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

‘We met Zamfara State in security crisis. When we talk about economic output, Zamfara is 32 out of 37. Importation, Zamfara is 32 out of 37, business competition and industrialization, Zamfara is 35 over 37. When we talk about healthcare, Zamfara is 26 out of 37’, he said.

‘When we talk about education, Zamfara is 30 out of 37. When we talk about ICT, Zamfara is 34. This is based on the statistics that were done by ADSR, the scorecard of the Nigerian states. Overall, the average mark was 45 but Zamfara State was under 40. We were 36 over 37. That means we are last, we’re taking the Z status’, Gajam added.

Penpushing also reports that he explained that the state government would pay over N30billion as debt servicing, adding that the current administration has paid over N20 billion to date, emphasizing that the immediate past Governor. misappropriated money meant for healthcare services in the state.

‘There is nothing to show in healthcare. Even those primary healthcare centres when you go around now you can’t even take animals into those structures. You built a primary healthcare centre with World Bank money and did substandard work’.

‘At the end of the day, there is no equipment, no manpower, there is no planning and no policy. We still have emergencies in Mafara Local Government, in Anka Local Government, children are dying of cholera. We don’t have a functioning education system. What will amaze you is the idea that the past administration spent three years without paying for WAEC or NECO for our students’.

‘The past administration spent more than 15 billion in naira in the Government House alone and now if you go to Zamfara State there is no government office that’s functioning; we’re even renovating them. They bought massage chairs of 50 – 50 million naira when people were hungry, when they were dying of insecurity and illiteracy and malnutrition,” he said.

Penpushing reports that the Commissioner said the former Governor, who lost  bid for a second term in March to the incumbent Governor  of he People’s Democratic Party (PDP) also failed to construct roads, and  didn’t  even build any road as long as five kilometres in the four years he was in office.

The former aide of the immediate past Governor former on Urban and Regional Planning, Anas Abdullahi when contacted declared that the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning was a liar.

‘When we came, our administration took measures to curtail insecurity. For over nine months, no one was killed or abducted in the state. Matawalle also initiated measures including shutting down of mobile network and banning of selling fuel in some areas to cut off activities of informants and the terrorists themselves”. He explained

‘We believe the governor and his commissioners are fond of concocting lies against Matawalle because they’ve failed to achieve anything in the last five months. If he (Gajam) is saying Matawalle is guilty of all the offences he mentioned, why did the state government not take us to court? I think the Governor should pay attention to fulfilling his campaign promises and stop deceiving people with cheap and social media talks’, Abdullahi said.

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