Malik Musa
Coalition of Arewa Civil Society Organizations has taken a swipe on Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State, saying rather than him concentrating on developing the state, he instead choose to engage in blame games and attacks on those he considered political threats.
Addressing a press conference in Kaduna, convener of the coalition Aminu Abbas Arabi averred that since the assumption of office, Governor Lawal, a man who contested elections with a clear manifesto and blueprint has suddenly become overtly obsessed with the administration of his predecessor Bello Muhammed Matawalle without anything tangible to show for the huge allocations coming into the state.
Arabi further noted that it is on record that with the removal of subsidy, State allocations have more than doubled and no Governor or state has any excuse not to deliver democratic dividends to its people.
“In Zamfara State, instead of continuity and good governance, Governor Dauda Lawal has focused his attention on trying to demarket his predecessor pursuing imaginary probes and writing petitions upon petitions against a man who has never been found guilty or indicted of any crime.
“Instead of showing his scorecard and justifying the billions of naira allocated to Zamfara State since assumption of office, he has chosen to chase shadows and abandon the task he was elected to perform. This is a pure distraction from his core mandate and we find it not only repulsive but repugnant. It is, therefore, our firm position that his behavior is unbecoming of a sitting Governor, and if he feels inadequate to perform his duties, he should resign with immediate effect”.
The coalition also posited that under Governor Lawal’s administration, Zamfara has turned into an open abattoir and cemetery of sorts, adding that as the chief security officer of the State, the Governor has failed to stop the killings, stressing “all he does is blame others for his lapses. Communities are being sacked and terrorists have gained a foothold in many communities to the extent of collecting taxes and levies from vulnerable indigenes.
“Less than 72 hours ago, an imam and His son were killed in cold blood. His inability to act should be an embarrassment to everybody who identifies with good governance, and this is the time to tell Dauda the truth – he should either resign or act as a sitting Governor for once.
“It is also troubling that instead of concentrating on improving the internally generated revenue base of Zamfara State, the inefficient Dauda has rather prioritized bashing his predecessor about loans that were taken to develop the state. If he feels the funds accruable to Zamfara State are not enough, he should work towards increasing the internally generated revenue and attracting investors. It is sad to note that no investor has pitched a tent in Zamfara because of the widespread insecurity and unfavorable government policies since Dauda Lawal took over the mantle of leadership.
“Based on our objective observation, Governor Lawal Dauda is in no way interested in developing the state. His interest at this material time is to accumulate as many resources as possible to prosecute his reelection bid come 2027. This is totally unacceptable and we cannot sit idle and watch our Governor convert our revenue and resources to his personal estate at the expense of the suffering masses.
“Let us reiterate that Zamfara has no business with underdevelopment because the State is blessed with resources both physical and human. We insist that the Governor must wake up and go to work like other Governors are doing. He must intensify the revenue drive, block leakages, and come up with policies that will attract investors to Zamfara State. Other states such as Kaduna, Rivers, Lagos, Akwa Ibom, and a lot more have done it, and he can also do it. We are tired of excuses and the blame games that have not taken Zamfara anywhere in the past two years.
“Let it be categorically clear, that the inefficiency of the Governor of Zamfara State has turned the military against the state. That’s why there’s no success in the fight against the bandits. The trinity of any war is the government, the military, and the people. In Zamfara State, the Governor has denied the people the opportunity to be part of the success story. He must take a cue from the Governor of Sokoto State who took power from a PDP Governor but has never come out to criticize his predecessor despite the pockets of insecurity incidences in the State.
The Sokoto State Governor, who is his next-door neighbor, has remained resolute, consistent, and determined to bring progress to his state. That’s what we expect of Mr. Dauda and not the shenanigans he’s displaying at the moment.
I”nsecurity and blame games have sadly become the mantra of Governor Dauda Lawal’s administration. He has abandoned the concerns of his people and is obsessed with attacks on the personalities of his opponents. That’s certainly why he is not succeeding, unlike his counterparts in Katsina, Kaduna, and Kebbi, who, despite the insecurity in their states, have continued to advance the welfare and well-being of their people.
“His failures are directly responsible for the insecurity we are experiencing in the state even though he might want to make people believe the contrary. We are no longer comfortable with his cowardly tactics and failures. This is time for him to act decisively or forget about reelection entirely.
“As representatives of the people, we are issuing a 7 days ultimatum to the Governor to retrace his steps and avoid all forms of distractions that have so far retarded our progress. Failure to act will result in a massive protest, with more than 73 million of our registered members occupying the Government House, the State House of Assembly, the Judiciary Complex, and the State Secretariat. Our motive is clear, we can no longer tolerate inefficiency and the mundane politics of blame games not only in Zamfara but the whole of Northern Nigeria and elsewhere”.
ENDS
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