Zamfara: Matawalle Slams Gov Dauda Lawal’s Midterm Performance, Alleges Mismanagement and Propaganda

• Former Zamfara governor Bello Matawalle has accused Governor Dauda Lawal of mismanagement, exaggerating achievements, and taking credit for projects initiated by past administrations
• In a strongly worded statement, Matawalle’s team criticised the current administration’s handling of infrastructure, education, healthcare, and security, among others
• They also alleged that Governor Lawal inflated revenue figures and neglected critical humanitarian and water supply issues across the state

Abuja, FCT - The office of former Zamfara state governor, Dr. Bello Matawalle, has issued a scathing critique of Governor Dauda Lawal’s midterm administration, accusing him of false claims, mismanagement, and failure to deliver on campaign promises.

In a strongly worded statement signed by the former commissioner of information, Ibrahim Dosara, Matawalle’s camp said that Governor Lawal has exaggerated achievements, abandoned critical infrastructure, and failed to improve key sectors such as health, education, and security.

Lawal accused of taking credit for past govt's projects

In the statement sent to Legit.ng on Saturday, July 12, Matawalle, who is the current minister of defence (state), accused Governor Lawal of taking credit for major infrastructure projects initiated by previous administrations.

Citing the Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital, the Matawalle camp said the project was nearly complete before Lawal took office.

The allegations against Governor Lawal include inflated renovation costs, ₦9 billion compared to the original ₦799 million, and missing equipment during refurbishments.

“It is disheartening for a sitting governor to falsely declare that a fully functional hospital lacked ultrasound machines,” Dosara said, asserting that at least seven were in place before Lawal assumed office.

"Very important personalities were deceitfully invited, including the former President Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo GCFR, to recommission the already commissioned projects portrayed as the current administration’s achievements," the statement added.

"Yet, none of these developments, including the Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital, Gusau Township roads, and the Gusau Airport, to mention just a few, originated under Governor Dauda’s watch. The projects were conceptualised and significantly executed by the successive administrations.

"The Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital, for instance, was constructed at a cost of ₦799 million under previous administrations. Governor Dauda's government claimed to have spent ₦9 billion on the renovation and construction of doctors’ quarters. This staggering figure raises serious concerns. Equipment and installations removed in the process of the so-called renovation, worth millions, were reportedly missing, which could have been sufficient to cover any legitimate renovation costs."

Gover Lawal slammed on handling of infrastructure projects

The statement also condemned the ₦80 billion contract for the Gusau–Dan Sadau road, alleging that construction has stalled despite the passage of several months, with no explanation from the government.

Matawalle criticised the re-award of the Gusau Airport project, originally valued at ₦11.5 billion but allegedly reissued by Lawal’s government at ₦69 billion without visible progress.

“There is no transparency, no compliance with due process, and roads are being recommissioned as if they are new,” the statement said.

"The road works in Gusau are clouded in secrecy. There is no evidence of compliance with due process. There seems to be neither executive involvement nor legislative oversight, as the Executive Council was not constituted, and the legislature was not inaugurated at the time of the award. Contracts were awarded beyond the Governor’s legal threshold, in clear violation of procurement guidelines. There is clear evidence that most of the roads recommissioned were executed by Matawalle, which include but are not limited to Canteen Daji dual carriage road; College of Islamic Science Road; Nasarawa Area Road, behind Gusau Hotel; A new road linking Cediya Ukku, Gidan Mayana, Tullukawa and Anka Road; Inno Mai Doya Road; Sardauna Biredi Road; Hira da Kwaddi and Kanwuri Road."

Lawal's emergency declarations “empty” - Matawalle

Meanwhile, Matawalle also said the Lawal administration’s declarations of emergencies in education and healthcare were cosmetic. According to the statement, overcrowded classrooms, inadequate teaching materials, and decaying infrastructure persist across the state.

On healthcare, Matawalle said that most hospitals are underfunded and understaffed, leading to a worsening health crisis and a mass exodus of doctors.

He described the Lawal government’s claim of recruiting 500 teachers and renovating 450 schools was termed “illogical.”

Zamfara: Matawalle dispute Lawal's IGR figures, debt claims

The statement also disputed Governor Lawal’s claim of generating ₦2 billion monthly in internally generated revenue (IGR), asserting the real figure is closer to ₦300 million. It also accused the governor of ignoring ₦14 billion in bond proceeds and other funds left behind by the previous administration.

Dosara said Lawal’s repeated statements that he inherited only ₦4 million in state coffers were false, noting that the Matawalle administration left behind World Bank funds, capital investments, and post-subsidy revenues.

"The administration of Dauda Lawal claims to generate ₦2 billion monthly as internally generated revenue (IGR). This is far from reality, as actual independent IGR is estimated at around ₦300 million. Inflated figures include non-IGR components like Hajj funds and statutory allocations. It is disappointing that a Governor who claims to be a financial expert would mislead the public to this extent," the statement read.

"Governor Dauda frequently and repeatedly claims he inherited only ₦4 million from Matawalle’s administration. Yet, he has refused to acknowledge the ₦14 billion bond proceeds, ₦6.3 billion UBE BESDA reward, ₦2.7 billion NGCares World Bank Funds Investment, which yielded ₦49billion to his administration as a return from the investment of Matawale’s administration. In addition, Matawalle’s administration left $1.9 million (USD) balance in the World Bank ACReSAL account. There are other capital investments, such as the Best Prime Hotel in Abuja.

Security situation under Lawal ‘worse than before’ - Matawalle

On security, the Matawalle camp said the situation has worsened under Lawal, with more attacks, kidnappings, and restricted movement across the state.

According to the statement, Lawal has failed to grasp the complexities of security management, unlike his predecessor, Matawalle, who reportedly maintained relative calm despite limited control over security agencies.

Governor Lawal was further accused of taking credit for the Community Protection Guards, which the statement said was initiated and legislated under Matawalle’s government.

"Under Matawalle, no local government headquarters was ever overrun by bandits. Dauda Lawal has been given excuses at various fora for his inability to curtail insecurity in the state and attributed it to his lack of control over security agencies. The question here is, which state governor has control over security agencies? But despite the fact that Matawalle was then in the opposition, he was able to manage the security situation in the state to the extent that, for the period of almost a year, there was no record of banditry in the state. It seems Dauda has no understanding of security complexity and how to manage it. In fact, even the much-publicised Community Protection Guards (CPG) Dauda is claiming credit; they were initiated and legislated by Matawalle’s government. Dauda merely signed into law what had already been established," the statement added.

Water crisis, humanitarian neglect in Zamfara

Highlighting the water crisis in Gusau, the statement described a severe shortage, with residents paying ten times more for water and children skipping school to fetch it. Matawalle administration’s humanitarian ministry, credited with supporting disaster victims, has allegedly become inactive under Lawal.

“Even with federal allocations of ₦20 billion monthly post-subsidy funds, the administration has failed to address humanitarian crises, settle pension arrears, or invest meaningfully in agriculture and transportation,” the statement read.

"Zamfara state Government under the watch of Gov Dauda Lawal has failed woefully in its responsibility to provide social services to its citizenry. There seems to be no immediate solution to the acute water shortage in the state, and particularly in the state capital. Under Dauda’s leadership, potable water has become a luxury in Gusau, the state capital. A jerrycan that previously sold for ₦50 now costs over ₦500. Women and children spend hours searching for water, often the children skipping school. The administration of Gov Dauda Lawal is insensitive to the ongoing suffering of the people, and there are no visible efforts being made to address and or alleviate the suffering of Gusau and other communities."

Matawalle’s team described Governor Lawal’s leadership as one reliant on “media propaganda and misrepresentation,” lacking real impact on the lives of Zamfara citizens.

According to the statement, education, healthcare, infrastructure, and security have all declined in Zamfara under Governor Lawal, while governance is outsourced to corporate outsiders unfamiliar with the state’s context.

"In summary, Governor Dauda Lawal has demonstrated his lack of good knowledge and understanding of public sector governance. This has adversely affected the running of the state as governance in itself is outsourced to non-indigenes who themselves come from the corporate sector, like the Governor, with little or no knowledge of the socioeconomic fabric of the state. His much-hyped seven-point agenda has yielded no measurable results. Education, healthcare, infrastructure, and security have all deteriorated. His administration thrives on media propaganda, inflated claims, and misrepresentation of facts, while on the ground, there is nothing to show for it. Healthcare continues to deteriorate, education with increasingly out of school children by the day, and apparent rural infrastructural decay, total negligence of welfare, security of lives and property of the people," the statement concluded.

2027 election: Zamfara governor reacts to invitation to join APC

In another report, Dauda Lawal, governor of Zamfara, on Wednesday, July 9, said he remains a card-carrying member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Governor Lawal made this known during an appearance on Channels Television’s 'Politics Today' programme, monitored by Legit.ng.

“Dauda Lawal should come and join the APC rather than the hide-and-seek type of game the governor is currently playing," Minister Mawatalle had earlier said.

Source: Legit.ng