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_Rejoinder by Dauda Lawal Engagement and Sensitization Forum._
We have read with dismay the widely circulated piece titled _“ZAMFARA, Hijacked by Thieves!!”_
While every public officer must be held accountable, this write-up is nothing but a cocktail of exaggerated figures, invented trips, and fabricated contract sums intended to mislead citizens and score cheap political points ahead of 2027.
For the records, we debunk as follows:
*ON THE ALLEGED “$10 MILLION” GOVERNOR’S TRIPS*
The article claims the Governor and aides spent “more than TEN MILLION US DOLLARS” on about 40 trips with first-class tickets, $60,000 charters, $50,000 special allowances, etc.
This is a fallacy.
– *Federation Account Reality*: From May 2023 to date, Zamfara’s total receipts from the Federation Account, including FAAC, 13% derivation, VAT, and other statutory allocations, are in the public domain via the Office of the Accountant General and NBS. No state government can unilaterally spend $10M ≈ ₦15.7B at current rates on travel alone without it appearing in budget performance reports, audited statements, and the Debt Management Office reports. The entire annual personnel + overhead + capital budget of Zamfara for 2024 was not up to that fiction.
– *Due Process*: All official travels by the Governor and EXCO members are budgeted under “Travel & Transport” in the Appropriation Law, approved by the State House of Assembly, and paid through GIFMIS with vouchers subject to audit by the State Auditor General. No $40,000-$50,000 “special allowance per trip” exists in the Zamfara financial regulations. Estacode rates for public officers are set by the Federal Government circular and are a fraction of what was quoted.
– *Chartered Flights*: The claim of $60,000 one-way charters for every trip is imaginary. Security and official protocols for a Governor require commercial or government arrangements, all of which are documented.
In short, the $10M figure is pulled from thin air to create outrage.
*ON THE FABRICATED CONTRACT FIGURES*
The writer in his fictitious article has listed over ₦700 Billion in contracts to cronies. This collapses under basic scrutiny.
– *Total Federal Allocation*: Even with improved FAAC in 2023-2025, Zamfara’s cumulative federal allocation for the period is far below the fictitious contract portfolio listed. You cannot spend money you never received. The state’s entire 2024 approved budget was ₦426.5B, covering salaries, security, education, health, and infrastructure. To claim single projects like “Airport ₦80B” or “Yanware Road ₦90B” without a budget line, BOQ, or procurement record is to insult citizens’ intelligence.
– *Procurement Law*: All contracts above the threshold must pass through the Zamfara State Due Process and Bureau of Public Procurement, be advertised, and published. The so-called “Triacta / Dantata & Sawoe / Sky / Ronches” awards with those sums have no contract numbers, no BPP certificate, and no presence in the state procurement portal. Naming private companies without evidence is defamatory.
– *World Bank/NG-CARES/AGILE/ACReSAL/L-PRES*: These are donor-funded programs with separate accounts, procurement rules, and federal oversight. Funds are disbursed on results and retired with IFR reports to the World Bank and Federal Ministry. Claiming ₦95B was “shared” ignores that these projects are implemented by PIUs with DLIs verified externally.
The timing and language of the article betray its motive: to whip up anger and portray “RESCUE” as failure ahead of 2027. It uses round, outrageous figures — $10M, ₦90B, ₦180B — because they sound big, not because they are real. It lists more than 30 names to create an impression of a “cabal” while providing zero evidence: no dates, no flight numbers, no contract awards, no bank trails.
This is propaganda, not journalism.
*VERIFIABLE DEVELOPMENTAL PROJECTS UNDER GOVERNOR DAUDA LAWAL*
Rather than chase phantom figures, citizens can judge this administration by projects on the ground across the 14 LGAs:
– *Gusau International Airport*: Initiated by the previous administration and completed under Governor Dauda Lawal. An ongoing upgrade and modernization is underway to meet international standards. The project includes runway rehabilitation, terminal expansion, and perimeter fencing to open Zamfara for trade, medical tourism, and safer air travel. This is the first major upgrade in over a decade.
– *Health Sector Upgrade*: Massive rehabilitation and equipping of General Hospitals across the state, including Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital Gusau. New wards, maternal and child health centers, solar power installations, and provision of modern medical equipment are ongoing to reduce medical trips outside the state.
– *Road Infrastructure*: Massive road construction and rehabilitation across the 14 LGAs. Key projects include urban roads in Gusau, Tsafe, Talata-Mafara, Anka, and Maru, as well as rural feeder roads linking farming communities to markets. The Yanware, Sokoto Road, and other critical intercity links are being reconstructed to ease movement and boost the economy.
– *Education, Water, and Security*: Simultaneous investment in school renovations, rural water schemes, and support to security agencies to restore peace.
All these projects are captured in the 2024/2025 budget, awarded through Due Process, and are being monitored by the Ministry of Works, Health, and Finance.
*ON TRANSPARENCY*
As citizens we are convinced that the Dauda Lawal administration remains committed to transparency.
– Monthly FAAC allocations are published.
– Budget performance reports are laid before the House of Assembly.
– The Office of the Auditor General and Due Process are open for verification.
– Security spending is coordinated with Federal security agencies due to our peculiar challenges, and every kobo is accounted for.
We invite the author and any concerned citizen to a public verification session with the Ministry of Finance, Due Process, and the Accountant General. Bring your figures, we will bring our books.
Zamfara people deserve facts, not fiction. The administration will not be distracted by merchants of falsehood whose only currency is lies.
We urge citizens to disregard this malicious piece and to continue to judge this government by verifiable projects in health, education, security, and infrastructure that are ongoing across the 14 LGAs.
_Written by Dauda Lawal Engagement and Sensitization Forum._
