Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has been slammed by a pro-democracy group, the Zamfara Initiative for Good Governance for failing to fulfill his election promises to the people.
The governor has failed in the areas of security, health, agriculture, education, civil service, women and youth empowerment, according to a statement by the group which claimed the governor was overwhelmed by the burden of leadership and was adopting a trial and error style of governance.
“Governor Lawal goes on frequent foreign trips in search of elusive investors fully aware that the state is not safe for commercial activities, let alone attracting foreign investors, thus wasting taxpayers money,” a statement signed by Hon. Lawal Usman Mohammed, its chairman said.
“Today, the number of people kidnapped, killed and displaced from their ancestral homes in one year surpasses those affected in the past 12 years of banditry in Zamfara State. More than 1.6 million people are internally displaced out of a population of 6 million citizens.
“The fight against banditry is carried out with a kid’s glove as the governor could not fund and equip the Community Protection Guards he inaugurated a few months ago, rendering them redundant, just as adequate logistics is not provided to security agencies in the state to crush these criminal elements in synergy with the Federal Government.
“Sadly, Zamfara State has become the headquarters of bandits resulting in hunger and poverty, as the people cannot access their farmlands and carry out commercial activities.
“This negates Section 14(2)b of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, which provides that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.
“We urge Governor Lawal to sit up and take governance seriously as he is not only accountable to the people, he is also accountable to God. The reign of terror in the state must stop. The good people of Zamfara State desire and deserve a new lease of life, security, prosperity and development.
“The governor recently advertised his ‘legacy projects’ in which he invited dignitaries to commission, including the Peoples Democratic Party National Chairman, Umar Damagum, General Aliyu Gusau, former Governors Ahmed Yarima Bakura and Mahmood Aliyu Shinkafi.
“The truth is that they are not new projects, mere whitewash, renovated, reconstructed and remodeled roads, hospitals and schools which were constructed and commissioned by previous administrations.
“They did not warrant such elaborate ceremonies and waste of public funds commissioning them as if they were entirely new projects.
“The Almajiri schools which the governor commissioned were fully funded by the Federal Government’s Almajiri Schools Scheme at Gumi, Gusau and Kaura Namoda.
“It is important to note that all the projects Governor Dauda Lawal claimed that he executed in his one year in office, particularly the renovation of primary and secondary schools under Zamfara State Education Board, were funded by the Federal Government’s Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA).”
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