Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has revealed that he inherited a state in complete disarray from his predecessor, Bello Matawalle, describing the situation as one marked by deep-rooted financial and institutional dysfunction.
Speaking during an interview on Arise TV on Wednesday, Governor Lawal said the condition of the state when he assumed office in 2023 was dire, with only N4 million left in the treasury and a staggering N16.5 billion in unpaid pension arrears dating back to 2011.
“I took over a dysfunctional system where nothing existed—no processes, no planning, no budgeting. Financial indiscipline was widespread,” he said. “Even the Government House was disconnected from the national grid due to unpaid electricity bills. We had to pay N1.6 billion to restore power, especially to government institutions.”
Lawal said security and education were immediately prioritised upon assuming office, given the multidimensional challenges the state faced. “Insecurity placed Zamfara at the top of the national index. Our education system was at rock bottom. Human capital development was virtually non-existent.”
He declared a state of emergency in both education and health shortly after taking office, noting that liabilities inherited from the previous administration were “unbelievable.” These included N1.6 billion owed to the judiciary and N1.4 billion in outstanding fees to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examination Council (NECO).
His first actions as governor involved clearing backlogs of salaries and securing agreements with WAEC and NECO to allow Zamfara students to sit for their exams and access withheld results.
“At the time, the salary of a civil servant was N7,000. We immediately increased it to N30,000, the national minimum wage at the time. Pension arrears of N16.5 billion have now been fully paid, and we’re currently implementing the new N70,000 minimum wage,” he said.
On education, Lawal said over 400 schools across the state’s 14 local government areas have been renovated and furnished. He also noted that the government had resolved debts related to Zamfara students studying in Sudan and India and was working on outstanding commitments to those in Cyprus.
“Without a strong education system, no meaningful development can occur. That’s why we’re recruiting 500 teachers with expertise in science, mathematics, and ICT,” he stated.
Explaining the rationale behind the state’s ongoing airport project, Lawal said, “No serious investor will travel seven hours by road from Abuja to Zamfara in today’s security climate. The airport is necessary to attract investments and will be completed within four months.”
Despite inheriting an internally generated revenue (IGR) of just N90 million monthly, the governor said his administration has grown it to N2 billion through fiscal discipline, plugging revenue leakages, and reducing the number of permanent secretaries from 82 to 20.
He added that each local government in Zamfara is currently benefiting from N5 billion worth of infrastructure projects. “People talk about roads being built in Gusau, but forget it is the state capital. Some rural areas already have road networks but need hospitals, schools, and clean water—these are our priorities.”
“So far, we’ve renovated over 70 primary healthcare centres and are set to commission specialist and general hospitals in Gusau by May.”
On national issues, Governor Lawal expressed strong opposition to calls for a state of emergency in Rivers State, confirming that he is one of the governors challenging the move in court.
Asked about speculations regarding a potential state of emergency in Zamfara due to tensions between him and his predecessor, now Minister of State for Defence, Lawal replied, “I’m not the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. That decision isn’t mine to make.”
