A group, under the auspices of Zamfara Elders Support for Peace and Development, has urged the Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, to concentrate on how to deliver good governance to his subjects and leave the Minister of State for Defence, Mohammed Bello Matawalle, alone.
“Governor you can do better by building unity, development, and political cohesion in the state rather than creating unnecessary tension and overheating the polity”,
The concerned group was reacting to what it called an “outburst” against the person of Matawalle by the governor on a National television, describing it as nothing but mischievous intentions to divert the attention of Nigerians from ongoing success in the fight against banditry in his state.
Speaking on behalf of the group during a visit to some flood victims in Gummi, Talata Mafara, and Kaura Namoda Local Government Areas of Zamfara State, Hon Aliyu Mammani Kaura said corruption and bad governance allegations levelled against his immediate predecessor were uncalled for.
So far, the group has donated foodstuffs, toiletries, cement, and roofing sheets, among other relief items worth millions of naira, to some victims of the flood disaster in Zamfara state.
He said, “To us, Matawalle’s era is much more transparent, beneficial, peaceful, and secure to the people of Zamfara compared to what we have now.
“Today, our people are suffering poor governance, escalation of insecurity challenges, poor social amenities, and destruction of Zamfara economy and social life because their governor abandoned his constitutional duty; always on the run either to Abuja or out of the country without commensurate results to the state,” Kaura decried.
“We were surprised how Peoples Democratic Party, PDP supporters in Zamfara are surviving with a truant political leader like Governor Dauda that have sacrificed their support for his own luxury.
“We know that Yarima, Shinkafi, Yari and Matawalle are not saints, but they are more reliable, trusted, and dedicated to the progress and development of Zamfara state than Gov Dauda.”
Government of Zamfara under present dispensation has turned into a more liability for the survival of an ordinary citizen of the state going about escalation of insecurity that has destroyed social activities in the state capital and beyond.
According to Kaura, “We are aware there are large numbers of people, especially elites in the state, that are not happy with the kind of success recorded by the ongoing military operations against bandits, but we cannot deny the successes we have so far seen in the fight against banditry in our region.
“We, therefore, call on the Minister of State Defense, Chief of Defense Staff, and Service Chiefs not to relent on their oars.
“They should continue to destroy all bandits’ enclaves and those benefitting from their nefarious activities in Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, and Kaduna states, respectively.
“While commending the efforts and foresight of President Tinubu on the leadership support given to the military to flush out these terrorists, we want to remind him of being careful with sycophants, especially those hiding under executive chairs to unleash venomous hatred and mischief.”