Bello Matawalle, the former governor of Zamfara State, left barely N4 million in the state account, according to Dauda Lawal, the current governor. In his interview with BBC Hausa, Lawal stated that workers have yet to receive their four months’ wages.
He also said that Zamfara senior high school pupils have neither written the West African Examination Council (WAEC). Nor the National Examination Council (NECO).
He stated, “I have been running the affairs of the state on debt since I assumed office as governor of Zamfara State. I met the treasury account of the state with no money. I only saw a single account with about N3 to N4 million in it.
“It is about three months now and we are yet to pay the salary of the workers. If you look at all the government agencies, the power supply to the buildings has been disconnected due to the hundreds of millions of debts incurred.
“The security agencies, for three months now, the allowance given to them for their daily operations has not been paid. Currently, students of senior secondary schools have not written their WAEC and NECO exams because the government is owing over one billion naira.”
Lawal stated in response to the assertion that N20 billion was left in the state’s coffers:
“When I heard that, I asked that they should come and show me the account, and make it public with evidence of the account where such an amount of money was kept.
“If I have that amount of money the previous administration is claiming they left for the state, I will pay all workers their salaries, and provide adequate funds to the security agencies for the protection of the state.
“The issue of water, there has been no water in Gusau for about four months now. I had to borrow to purchase the chemicals for the water. And pleaded with some Indians who gave the state some machines for water supply. If the state is to purchase those machines, it will cost over N200 million.”
While promising to pay the civil servants their salaries before the observation of the Eid-l-Kabir festival, Lawal said “It depends on the amount of loan I’m able to secure. If what the state can afford to pay is the salary of one month, I will do my best to pay it as it is our duty to ensure that we are able to carry out our responsibilities of paying the workers what they worked for.”
Cc: Daily Post Ng
