BUSTED? How Tinubu’s Minister Kept Notorious Bandits In Govt House, Zamfara Gov Drops Shocking Allegations
Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has urged his predecessor, Bello Matawalle, now the Minister of State for Defence, to step down and address allegations of involvement in banditry and money laundering during his tenure as governor. Lawal made this demand during a televised interview, expressing that if Matawalle valued his integrity, he should willingly step aside and clear his name from the accusations.
Lawal asserted that if he were in Matawalle’ s position, he would prioritize addressing the serious allegations concerning his role in insecurity and financial misconduct. He claimed that information gathered so far indicates Matawalle’ s significant involvement in the issues plaguing Zamfara State, particularly banditry. This issue of banditry has been a long- standing security challenge in Zamfara, with many accusing the former administration of having a hand in perpetuating the violence.
Moreover, Lawal criticized the financial state in which Matawalle left the government, accusing him of plundering state resources and leaving an empty treasury. During another interview on Channels TV, Lawal revealed that when he took office, he discovered that more than N250 billion had gone unaccounted for during Matawalle’ s administration. This figure, he pointed out, was far higher than the N70 billion that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had accused Matawalle of mismanaging just before Lawal assumed office in May 2023.
Lawal emphasized that the financial mismanagement under Matawalle’ s leadership was worse than initially reported, calling the N70 billion figure ” a child’ s play” compared to the total missing funds. According to Lawal, his administration has since uncovered records showing the scale of financial discrepancies, amounting to over N250 billion. He went on to describe the dire condition of the state when he took over, citing how Zamfara’ s government accounts were virtually empty, holding less than N4 million.
In addition to financial mismanagement, Lawal disclosed that Matawalle’ s tenure had left many civil servants without pay for four months, a situation that contributed to widespread hardship among state employees. Lawal further criticized the state of the education sector under Matawalle, revealing that for three years, no student in Zamfara had taken the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) or the National Examinations Council (NECO) exams due to a lack of funding. Upon taking office, Lawal’ s administration had to spend N1. 3 billion to clear the debt for NECO and another N1. 6 billion for WAEC, enabling students to finally receive their certificates.
Lawal’ s public criticism of his predecessor paints a troubling picture of the state’ s finances and governance during Matawalle’ s tenure. As the current administration attempts to stabilize the state, Lawal has stressed the importance of accountability and transparency, urging Matawalle to face the accusations head- on. The allegations of banditry sponsorship and financial mismanagement remain critical issues in the ongoing political discourse in Zamfara, with Lawal maintaining that only a thorough investigation and accountability will bring closure to these accusations.
Source:
Scooper
