By Abubakar Yunusa
The Concerned Citizens of Zamfara West Senatorial District commended former Governor Bello Matawalle on Friday, celebrating the strides made during his first year in office, which saw improvements across welfare, education, security, and infrastructure sectors.
The group also criticized the current governor, Dauda Lawal, accusing him of neglecting ongoing projects and politicizing state issues.
Speaking at a press conference in Talata Mafara, group spokesperson Mubarak Hamza highlighted Matawalle’s effective management of limited resources.
“With the modest allocations received, Matawalle made impactful developments across sectors without excuses—unlike Lawal,” Hamza remarked.
Matawalle, who assumed office in 2019, focused on addressing urgent needs within the state.
According to Hamza, he allocated 1.4 billion Naira toward retiree gratuities and re-employed over 1,900 public workers, including 556 female education staff, to improve welfare.
In education, Matawalle’s administration alleviated financial burdens on families by covering WAEC and NECO fees for 28,855 students, investing approximately 600 million Naira.
Additionally, his government prioritized security with the purchase of 200 Hilux vans, valued at 3.8 billion Naira, to boost police and military presence.
Matawalle also directed 335 million Naira to the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), which constructed 48 boreholes, addressing water needs across rural areas.
Agriculture, a cornerstone of Zamfara’s economy, received support through the distribution of over 600 trucks of NPK fertilizer between 2019 and 2020, costing over 2.5 billion Naira.
Infrastructure projects included road constructions like the Chediya Uku-Gidan Mayana-Tullukawa route and the College of Islamic Science road in Gusau, completed at nearly 500 million Naira.
Although Matawalle stepped down in 2023, his first-year efforts left a lasting mark, significantly advancing development across essential sectors in Zamfara.
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