GOVERNOR Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has claimed that his administration met only N4 million in the state’s treasury upon assumption of office in 2023.
Lawal, who spoke during an interview on Arise TV on Monday, April 14, said his government also inherited a heavy debt burden from the previous administration, with widespread insecurity, a dysfunctional education sector, and poor healthcare infrastructure.
According to him, Zamfara was facing a backlog of four and a half months in unpaid salaries, while the state judiciary was owed N1.6 billion.
He also noted that the state was indebted to examination bodies, with N1.6 billion owed to WAEC and N1.4 billion to NECO.
He noted that the financial situation forced his administration to enter into agreements with WAEC and NECO to enable students sit for exams and retrieve previously withheld certificates.
Lawal also revealed that pensions had not been paid since 2011, amounting to N16.5 billion in arrears, which his administration has now cleared.
“When I took over, there was nothing in our treasury, but many debts. I only inherited N4 million.
“The records are there, with all sorts of liabilities, ranging from a backlog of salaries of four and a half months, judiciary owing 1.6 billion, WAEC-1.6 billion, NECO-1.4 billion, and so many other challenges which I had to face head-on.
“The first thing I did was to clear the backlog of salaries. I had to make sure I went in some kind of agreement with WAEC as well as NECO so that our children could sit for WAEC and NECO.”
He added that the salaries of civil servants, previously as low as N7,000, were increased to the then-minimum wage of N30,000, and currently raised to N70,000.
On the education front, Lawal said over 400 schools have been renovated and furnished across the state’s 14 local government areas.
“When I took over, the salary of a civil servant in Zamfara State was just 7,000 at the state, and local government. I had to quickly do what I had to do to jerk it up to then the minimum wage of 30,000 naira.
“Since 2011, pensioners were not paid to the tune of N16.5 billion. I was able to settle everybody as of last month. The pension of every civil servant from 2011 was cleared, and we’re now paying the 70,000 minimum wage,” he said.
The ICIR, could not independently verify these claims by press time.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M