The Concerned Citizens of Zamfara West Senatorial District on Friday praised former Governor Bello Matawalle, highlighting the significant progress made during his first year in office.
The Zamfara citizens lauded particularly lauded Matawalle’s efforts in improving welfare, education, security, and infrastructure despite limited resources.
The group also expressed disappointment in the leadership of the current governor, Dauda Lawal, accusing him of neglecting ongoing projects and politicizing state matters.
In a press conference held in Talata Mafara, the group’s spokesperson, Mubarak Hamza, commended Matawalle for his resourceful management.
“With the modest allocations received, Matawalle made impactful developments across sectors without excuses—unlike Lawal,” Hamza said.
Matawalle, who took office in 2019, focused on addressing the state’s most pressing issues. Hamza noted that Matawalle allocated 1.4 billion Naira to pay retiree gratuities and re-employed over 1,900 public workers, including 556 female education staff, to improve welfare.
In the education sector, the group said Matawalle’s administration eased financial burdens on families by covering WAEC and NECO fees for 28,855 students, investing about 600 million Naira, adding that his government also prioritized security by procuring 200 Hilux vans worth 3.8 billion Naira to enhance the presence of the police and military.
Speaking further, Hamza said Matawalle also invested massively in water supply, with 335 million Naira directed to the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), which constructed 48 boreholes to address water shortages in rural areas.
On Agriculture, a key sector in Zamfara, the group said it was bolstered with the distribution of over 600 trucks of NPK fertilizer between 2019 and 2020, valued at over 2.5 billion Naira.
The Zamfara citizens also heaped praise on Matawalle’s administration for prioritizing infrastructure development, completing road projects such as the Chediya Uku-Gidan Mayana-Tullukawa route and the College of Islamic Science road in Gusau, which cost nearly 500 million Naira.
Although Matawalle left office in 2023, his first-year achievements continue to have a lasting impact, driving significant development in essential sectors across the state.
