Tunji Wusu –
Dauda Lawal, the governor of Zamfara State, has claimed that the nation was insolvent when he assumed office.
When Lawal took office, the state was in a bad situation, according to Lawal, who spoke yesterday in Abuja at an interactive session with Zamfara professionals.
“In my opinion, this is the first occasion in our state’s history when experts and citizens of Zamfara State have interacted.
“Some of the remarks made had me giddy. It is just amazing.
“The Zamfara State we took over is in a poor condition. Zamfara had nothing left when we took control of it since it had gone bankrupt.
In response to inquiries and remarks from state professionals, he replied, “It is a state where we inherited so many horrible things.
The governor expressed confidence that things will improve.
Lawal claimed that when he assumed control, the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) exam had already been completed and the children were unable to register for it. He also claimed that he inherited a three-month salary backlog and had no money left over to support the state officials.
The National Examinations Council (NECO) is going to begin, which is fortunate for us since if we did nothing, the kids might not be able to take the exam.
He said that even though the state owed NECO and WAEC respectively N1.4 billion and N1.6 billion, which had previously prevented students from taking the examinations, his government had cleared NECO’s debt.
“This can be verified. Education is essential outside of security because without it, we won’t get anywhere, he remarked.
He claimed that in order to increase teachers’ productivity, his government had started to rebuild primary schools.
He claimed that instead of the 28 ministries Zamfara had when he arrived, there are now only 16 ministries.
The governor expressed his regret at the plight of the hospitals in the state and pledged to alter all perceptions.
I want to ask everyone to continue praying for stability and prosperity in our beloved state.
We will all work together to create a better Zamfara, he added, adding that he was open to dialogue and advice.
The governor was congratulated on his election victory by Alhaji Aliyu Shinkafi, Permanent Secretary, Special Duties, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
He claimed that we on this side are prepared to help our state in whatever capacity we may be.
When we call on you, try to listen to us, added Shinkafi, who said that cooperation is two-sided.
He assured them that the state’s federal employees would not become politically involved.
No matter their local government of origin, the people of Zamfara were asked to love one another by Alhaji Ibrahim Rufai-Imam, the Grand Khadi of the FCT.
Let’s band together to see how we can advance the state.
We must keep praying for the state to be delivered from its current situation, he urged.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), some of the experts provided guidance on a variety of topics, including agriculture, education, youth empowerment, and insecurity.(NAN)
