*Give Him 14 Days To Response To Financial Impropriety Allegations
By John Ekah, Gusau
Trouble is looming in Zamfara State as the House of Assembly led by the Speaker, Hon. Bashar Aliyu Gummi, today issued a two-week ultimatum to the State Governor, Dauda Lawal, to respond to some alleged acts of financial impropriety or face impeachment.
For one, they described as callous, abuse of office and alleged theft the renovation of the state-owned Yariman Bakura Teaching Hospital, Gusau at a cost of N9 billion by the executive arm.
These were part of issues raised at the parallel Assembly’s plenary which held in Gusau, the state capital.
Contributing, shocked lawmakers queried how the teaching hospital, which was, initially, partly built by former Governor Aliyu Mamuda Shinkafi and completed by former Governor Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar’s administration at the cost of about N1 billion, can consume nine times the cost of construction,just to have it repainted.
The obviously angry lawmakers similarly questioned the whereabouts of the sum of N200 billion allegedly received by the state government following oil subsidy removal by the President Bola Tinubu administration which had announced the release of N20 billion to each state governors for a period of 10 months.
They also raised eye brows over the management of the sum of N49 billion said to be derived from the NG-CARES programme aimed at empowering 250 youths from each of the state’s 147 wards, especially those displaced by banditry activities.
The money was allegedly released to the state government following the payment of N2.6 billion counterpart fund by the immediate past Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle just before he left office.
Governor Lawal took over from Matawalle in 2023.
Demanding a comprehensive explanation from the executive on these public funds issues within the next two weeks, the lawmakers threatened to commence impeachment process against Gov. Lawal in the event of failure by the government.
During the day’s session, the legislators drew the Governor’s attention to what they described as his administration’s nonchalance over the escalation of insecurity in the state and urged for immediate and deliberate measures to stop the carnage.
In his contribution to the debate on insecurity, Hon. Aliyu Ango Kagara, representing Talata Mafara South constituency, stated that the Governor is no longer in control over the disturbing situation of the state.
He lamented that Gusau/Maru/Talata Mafara road had now become suicidal for anyone to ply, alleging that government hardly showed sympathy to victims.
According to him, only recently, criminals collected N17 million from residents of Morai community for the release of their abducted kinsmen, regretting, however, that the captors duly collected the ransom,but refused to release the victims.
He expressed worry that amid this, the state government allegedly kept mute.
The lawmakers said though they applauded Gov. Lawal on the establishment of Community Protection Guards, but that a certain top government official did not seem to care when members of the guard were being killed daily by men of the underworld.
On his part, Hon. Nasiru Abdullahi Maru (Maru North constituency) called for the establishment of free education and granting of scholarship to qualified Zamfara State indigenes.
Hon. Ibrahim Tudu Tukur (Bakura constituency) called on lawmakers to pass a vote of no confidence on Gov. Lawal who, he alleged, had failed to perform, especially over security of life and property of citizens.
