Governor Dauda Lawal has revealed that his administration inherited a near-empty treasury, with only ₦4 million and overwhelming liabilities, upon taking office in May 2023.
Bello Muhammad popularly known as Bello Matawalle is the immediate former governor of the state. He was the governor of Zamfara State from 2019 to 2023.
Matawalle currently serves as the minister of state for defence in President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Speaking during an interview posted by Arise News on Monday, Governor Lawal described Zamfara State as being in “total disarray” across all sectors—security, education, healthcare, and human development. This dire situation prompted him to declare a state of emergency in both education and healthcare.
He stated that his administration has fully settled the pensions of retirees who had not been paid since 2011, with outstanding payments amounting to ₦16.5 billion.
Governor Lawal acknowledged the enormity of the challenges but expressed confidence in his administration’s ability to rebuild the state.
He said: “When I assumed office as governor, Zamfara was in a state of total disarray across all sectors—security was at its worst, education and healthcare were at the bottom, and human development was almost non-existent. That’s why I had to declare a state of emergency in both education and healthcare.
“Let me remind you: when I assumed office, there was absolutely nothing in the treasury—just ₦4 million—and a mountain of debt. The records are there to prove it. There were numerous liabilities: salary backlogs of four and a half months, judiciary debts, ₦1.6 billion owed to WAEC, ₦1.4 billion to NECO, and many other challenges I had to confront immediately.
“One of my first actions was to address the backlog of salaries. I entered into agreements with both WAEC and NECO to ensure that our students could sit for their exams. We also facilitated the release of certificates from previous years that had been withheld due to non-payment.
“When I took office, there wasn’t a single drop of water in Zamfara for five months, but we resolved that issue within just three days.
“The liabilities I inherited were staggering, but as a leader, I had to find a way forward. Let me emphasise again: the salary of a civil servant in Zamfara State at that time was just ₦7,000—across both state and local government levels. I acted swiftly and raised the minimum wage to ₦30,000.
“Furthermore, pensioners had not been paid since 2011, with arrears totalling ₦16.5 billion. I am proud to say we have fully settled that debt as of last month. Every pensioner from 2011 has been paid, and today we’re paying a new minimum wage of ₦70,000.
“Now, regarding education—when I declared a state of emergency in the sector, I meant it holistically. The condition of our schools back then was deplorable. Today, we have renovated and fully furnished over 400 schools across all 40 local government areas of the state.
Zamfara State: I Inherited Only N4 Million With Unbelievable Liabilities from Matawalle’s Administration – Lawal
When I took office as Governor of Zamfara, the state was in disarray in every sector, with security issues at a critical level, education in shambles, and healthcare… pic.twitter.com/FLLzvlfksA
— ARISE NEWS (@ARISEtv) April 14, 2025
“We’ve also cleared our debts with NECO and WAEC and settled all outstanding scholarship obligations. In addition, we’ve supported students studying abroad—in Sudan and India—and are now in the process of finalising CIFROS.”
“This is what we are doing in the education sector,” the statement added.
Source: Sahara Reporters