Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has shed light on the daunting state of affairs he inherited upon assuming office in May 2023.
In a candid interview on Arise Television on Monday, Lawal said Zamfara at the time of his inauguration was in “a mess in every aspect”—a stark portrait of a state grappling with extreme insecurity, collapsing institutions, and staggering financial debts.
“When I took over as governor, Zamfara State was in a mess—security at the highest level, education and healthcare at the bottom, and human development nearly non-existent,” Lawal said, his voice tinged with the weight of responsibility.
“That’s why I had to immediately declare a state of emergency in education and healthcare.”
Governor Lawal revealed that the state’s treasury had only ₦4 million when he took over power from his predecessor, Bello Matawalle while liabilities ran into billions.
“I inherited debts that included four-and-a-half months of unpaid salaries, ₦1.6 billion owed to the judiciary, another ₦1.6 billion to WAEC, and ₦1.4 billion to NECO,” he disclosed.
He said his first task was to clear salary backlogs and ensure students could write national examinations. “I negotiated with WAEC and NECO to allow our children to sit for their exams. Some students hadn’t received certificates for previous exams due to non-payment—this was unacceptable.”
Lawal also described the dire condition of public servants: “Civil servants were earning ₦7,000 a month, state and local government workers alike. I raised that to the national minimum wage of ₦30,000, and now, we’ve moved to ₦70,000.”
The governor also disclosed that pension arrears stretching back to 2011, totaling ₦16.5 billion, have now been cleared. “As of last month, every pensioner has been paid. We’ve closed that painful chapter.”
Education, Lawal emphasized, was one of the most neglected sectors in the state, prompting him to take decisive action.
“When we declared an emergency in education, it wasn’t symbolic—it was comprehensive. Over 400 schools have been renovated and furnished across all 40 local government areas,” he said.
He also cited the resolution of scholarship debts and ongoing efforts to support Zamfara students abroad. “We’ve settled outstanding issues with students in Sudan and India, and we’re finalizing arrangements for those in Cyprus.”
In an anecdote that highlighted both the severity of the crisis and his government’s responsiveness, Lawal said, “There was not a single drop of water in Zamfara for five months. It was an unimaginable situation. We resolved that problem within three days of coming into office.”
Lawal acknowledged that security remains a challenge, but noted marked improvements. “Previously, we were hearing about 100 to 200 people being killed daily, those were the headlines. Today, such stories have significantly reduced. We’re not where we want to be yet, but we’re no longer where we were.”
Despite the many obstacles, Lawal struck an optimistic tone, emphasizing that leadership must be about finding solutions, not excuses.
“The liabilities I inherited were unbelievable, but I had to find a way to handle them. That’s what leadership is about,” he said.
© Ripples Nigeria
