The Zamfara State House of Assembly, under the leadership of Hon. Bashar Gummi, has described as a misappropriation of public funds the renovation of the Yariman Bakura Teaching Hospital, Gusau, at the cost of N9 billion by Governor Dauda Lawal.
This was part of the issues raised at the parallel Assembly’s Plenary held on Thursday, in Gusau, the state capital.
The members queried how the facility, which was initiated and partly built by former governor Aliyu Shinkafi and completed by former governor Abdulaziz Abubakar’s administration at the cost of about N1 billion, can consume nine times the cost of construction just for mere painting.
The lawmakers similarly questioned the whereabouts of the sum of N200 billion received by the state government following oil subsidy removal by the current Tinubu administration, which released N20 billion to each of the state governors for a period of ten months, amounting to N200 billion.
They also raised their eyebrows against the management of the sum of N49 billion derived from the NG-CARES programme, aimed at empowering 250 youths from each of the 147 wards of the state, especially those displaced by banditry activities.
The N49 billion NG-CARES was released to the state government following the payment of N2.6 billion counter-fund paid by the immediate past governor, Bello Mohammed Matawalle, just before he left office for Governor Dauda Lawal to take over in 2023.
The members, therefore, demanded a comprehensive explanation from the executive within the next two weeks and threatened to commence impeachment proceedings in the event of failure by the government.
During the day’s session, the legislators drew the attention of the governor to the administration’s nonchalance over the escalation of insecurity in the state and urged immediate and deliberate measures to stop the carnage.
In his contributions to the debate on insecurity, Hon. Aliyu Kagara, representing Talata Mafara South, noted that the governor is no longer in control of the disturbing situation of the state.
Kagara said, “Gusau/Maru/Talata Mafara road has now become suicidal to follow at any time of day or night, while the government hardly showed sympathy to victims.”
He disclosed that only recently, the criminals collected N17 million from Morai people for the release of their kinsmen; the captors collected the ransom and refused to release the victims while the state government remained mute.
The members said that, though they supported the governor on the establishment of the Community Protection Guards, the governor did not seem to care when members of the guard were being killed daily by men of the underground.
Meanwhile, Hon. Nasiru Maru (Maru North) called for the establishment of free education and scholarships for qualified Zamfara indigenes.
Hon. Ibrahim Tudu Tukur (Bakura constituency) called on the Honourable members to pass a vote of ‘no confidence’ against Governor Dauda Lawal, who he alleged has betrayed the state, especially over the security of life and property of citizens, as well as brought suspicion, distrust, and disunity among the people while trying to destroy Islamic tenets, starting with the Ulama Council.
