Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has alleged that the administration of his predecessor, Bello Matawalle, left the state in a condition marked by insecurity, financial debt, and the near absence of basic amenities.
Speaking in an Arise TV interview on Monday, Lawal claimed that when he assumed office, Zamfara was grappling with severe challenges that threatened the survival of its citizens.
“When I took over as a governor, Zamfara State was in a mess in every aspect of life, be it security at the highest level, education and healthcare at the bottom, human development capacity almost non-existent,” Lawal said.
He alleged that Matawalle’s four-year tenure created a “mess in every aspect,” leaving the state’s infrastructure, education system, healthcare services, and economy in ruins.
He highlighted the state’s indebtedness to major national examination bodies, revealing that Zamfara owed N3bn to the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and the National Examination Council (NECO).
“There was not a single drop of water for five months in Zamfara State when I took over, but we were able to solve that in just three days. The liabilities were unbelievable, but as a leader, I had to find a way to be able to take care of that.
“Nothing was in our treasury account but so many debts. I only inherited N4m,” he added.
Lawal also said his administration inherited a backlog of liabilities that severely stunted the state’s development.
“The records are there, with all sorts of liabilities, ranging from a backlog of salaries of four and a half months, judiciary debt of N1.6bn, WAEC was N1.6bn and NECO at N1.4bn.
“Also the salary of a civil servant in Zamfara State was N7,000, across the state and local governments and I had to jack it up to the then minimum wage of N30,000.
“Not only that, since 2011, pensioners were not paid to the tune of N16.5bn,” he said.
These dire conditions, he said, prompted his government to declare a state of emergency in both education and healthcare.
“When I declared an emergency in education, it had to be holistic. If you look at the condition of our schools at the time, it’s unbelievable.
“I went in some kind of agreement with WAEC as well as NECO so that our children could sit for WAEC and NECO, to also get some of the past certificates, seized as a result of non-payment.
“All pensioners from 2011 were cleared as of March 2025, and we’re now paying the N70,000 minimum wage.”
On security, the governor debunked recent media reports that about 60 people were abducted in Tsafe Local Government Area, stating that the figure was exaggerated.
“Yes, there was an incident in Tsafe but I’m trying to verify the number, I don’t think it is up to 60 people that were abducted. No, it’s not correct.
“Things are changing for the better. Zamfara was facing serious security challenges in the past, but things have changed.
“It is something that has been inherited for over a decade and we are making conscious efforts to reduce it to the minimum.
“It is one of the reasons I set up my security outfit when I came to power, and they’re doing very well,” he stated.
