Stop attacks on Matawalle, APC youths tell Lawal

Zamfara All Progressives Congress (APC) Youth League has cautioned Governor Dauda Lawal and his agents to stop forthwith the unwarranted attacks on Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Bello Matawalle.

The group advised the Governor to concentrate on governance and stop character assassination of the immediate past Governor whose success stories, the Governor is benefiting now.

Addressing newsmen in Abuja on Thursday, the coordinator of the League,

Ubaidullah Yahaya Kaura lamented that instead of attending to the needs of the people of the state and build on the solid foundation laid by his predecessor, the governor has engaged in needless and unsubstantiated accusations and attacks on Matawalle.

The youth leader noted that evidences of neglect and decay abound in the state since Lawal assumed office, alleging that the North West state since 2023 has “faced a troubling decline—sinking deeper into poverty, insecurity and underdevelopment.”

Lamenting the deplorable situation in the state, Kaura alleged that health statistics revealed an alarming rise in mortality rate due to disease and poor maternal healthcare, with no substantial investment in education or infrastructure.

According to the League: “There is growing unemployment at record levels. Our farms, which once used to thrive, are now lying abandoned, and the record harvests achieved in the last five years have become a thing of the past.

“Due to welfare concerns, staff in the healthcare sector in Zamfara State are threatening to go on strike.”

On security, the group alleged Governor Lawal has dismantled much of the progress his predecessor made.

“Under Dr. Matawalle’s administration, security was tackled effectively with a balanced approach that combined both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches. It is on record that for nine consecutive months, there were no reported terrorist or bandit attacks in the State—this is a testament to his strategic collaboration with stakeholders and innovative strategies. ‘Matawalle turning tide against Banditry in North West’
“It is regrettable, that under the current administration, insecurity has surged due to the Governor’s neglect of residents’ welfare and his unwillingness to apply effective security measures like his predecessor did,” it added.

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Dismissing allegation of sponsoring terrorism levied against the Minister, the group maintained that both the Presidency and the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu have exonerated the former Zamfara governor of any complexity.

“The Presidency through Bayo Onanuga, a Special Adviser to the President on a national television dismissed the allegation. The National Security Adviser (NSA) too also punctured the allegation for lack of merit. The retention of Dr. Matawalle in the cabinet is a prove of his innocence, because series of investigations were carried out and government did not found him involved.

“The allegation is nothing but fake and unfounded,” Kaura insisted.

Describing as laughable Gov. Lawal’s allegation that Matawalle did nothing in the state, Kaura noted: “As Governor of Zamfara State, Dr. Bello Matawalle built a modern and dignified Government House, not only for use of the Governor but with additional guest houses for state visitors, saving the government millions in hotel expenses. Matawalle’s commitment extended beyond the Government House: he also renovated the State House of Assembly, equipping it with state-of-the-art facilities.

“If there is anything laughable about Dauda Lawal, it is the fact that he sits comfortably in the same palatial Government house built by Matawalle while shamelessly criticising Matawalle for doing nothing as Governor. In fact, Governor Dauda Lawal is a living irony. He is a man who lives off the achievements of his predecessor but still claims that this predecessor did nothing.”

The group advised Gov. Lawal “to emulate the successes of his predecessor and continue to build more schools, employ more teachers, doctors and furnish these infrastructures with the needed equipment to ensure that they work to serve the people of Zamfara State.

“Dauda Lawal must remember that his job is not to complain but to build on the successes of what has already been laid before him.

“One significant achievement of the former Governor that we encourage Dauda Lawal to emulate is the institutionalization and driving of Social Investment Programmes in the State. Dr. Bello Matawalle was the first Governor of Zamfara State to establish a Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs in the State.

“This Ministry was highly instrumental in carrying out interventions across the state, ensuring that the poor and vulnerable did not suffer whenever the state faced any form of crisis. Under this Ministry, the Governor Matawalle also established the Zamfara State Social Investment Programme that had tens of thousands of beneficiaries across the State. These social investment programmes helped to create jobs among youths and women providing them with capital to start small businesses.”