May 15, (THEWILL) – Zamfara state governor, Dauda Lawal, has accused his predecessor of financial mismanagement.
Speaking on Channels TV, Lawal lamented the dire situation he met upon assuming office in May 2023. He revealed that his administration inherited huge liabilities, including N13.6 billion in pension arrears, dating back to 2011.
According to the Governor, the immediate past administration of Bello Matawalle, the current Minister of State for Defence, left only N4 million in the State coffers.
Lawal revealed that Zamfara students were unable to sit for WAEC and NECO exams for two years due to a N3.2 billion debt inherited from the previous administration.
“We had to settle WAEC and NECO debts to the tune of N3.2 billion. We’ve worked on over 450 primary and secondary schools, and some tertiary institutions. We were always at the bottom, but I’m happy to say things are changing”, he said.
The Governor said his administration has since settled the debts, enabling students to write their exams.
Lawal said while he inherited N13.6 billion in unpaid pensions, only N4m was left by his predecessor in the State coffers. He also revealed that the State’s monthly internally generated revenue has since risen from N90 million to over N2 billion.
However, he said his administration has been able to settle all pension and gratuity without borrowing, using the state’s internally generated revenue.
Lawal attributed the state’s financial woes to mismanagement under the previous administration, challenging his predecessor’s camp to provide verifiable evidence to contradict his claims.
The governor also revealed that the state is still paying over N1.2 billion monthly in debt deductions, with no visible projects to show for it.
“Go and check with the Office of the Accountant-General and the Debt Management Office. We are still paying over N1.2 billion monthly through direct deductions. Yet, there are no visible projects to show for all that spending”, he said.
Despite the challenges, Lawal assured that his administration is committed to transforming the state’s education sector and infrastructure.
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