From Amos Tauna, Kaduna
A Northern-based civic group, Coalition of Arewa Civil Society Organisation, has alleged that the Governor of Zamfara state, Dauda Lawal, has abandoned the concerns of his people and is obsessed with attacks on the personalities of his opponents.
Aminu Abbas Arabi, the Convener of the coalition, while briefing newsmen in Kaduna on Tuesday, also alleged that it is certainly why he is not succeeding, unlike his counterparts in Katsina, Kaduna, and Kebbi, who, despite the insecurity in their states, have continued to advance the welfare and well-being of their people. His failures are directly responsible for the insecurity they are experiencing in the state even though he might want to make people believe the contrary.
“We are no longer comfortable with his cowardly tactics and failures. This is time for him to act decisively or forget about reelection entirely,” he stated.
As representatives, he said they are issuing a 7-day ultimatum to the Governor to retrace his steps and avoid all forms of distractions that have so far retarded the progress and failure to act will result in a massive protest, with more than 73 million of the registered members occupying the Government House, the State House of Assembly, the Judiciary Complex, and the State Secretariat.
According to him, the inefficiency of the Governor of Zamfara State has turned the military against the state, saying that that is why there is no success in the fight against the bandits as the trinity of any war is the government, the military, and the people.
In Zamfara State, Arabi stated that the Governor has denied the people the opportunity to be part of the success story, suggesting that Dauda Lawal must take a cue from the Governor of Sokoto State who took power from a PDP Governor, who has never come out to criticize his predecessor despite the pockets of insecurity incidences in the State.
He said since the assumption of office, Governor Dauda Lawal, a man who contested elections with a clear manifesto and blueprint, has suddenly become a noisy, empty gong overtly obsessed with the administration of his predecessor without anything tangible to show for the huge allocations coming into the state, adding that It is on record that with the removal of subsidy, state allocations have more than doubled and no Governor or state has any excuse not to deliver democratic dividends to its people.
In Zamfara State, the convener observed that instead of continuity and good governance, Governor Dauda Lawal has focused his attention on trying to demarket his predecessor, alleging that he has turned himself into a clown, pursuing imaginary probes and writing petitions upon petitions against a man who has never been found guilty or indicted of any crime.
“Instead of showing his scorecard and justifying the billions of naira allocated to Zamfara State since assumption of office, he has chosen to chase shadows and abandon the task he was elected to perform. This is a pure distraction from his core mandate and we find it not only repulsive but repugnant. It is, therefore, our firm position that his behavior is unbecoming of a sitting Governor, and if he feels inadequate to perform his duties, he should resign with immediate effect,” he also alleged.
Under his administration, Arabi stated that Zamfara has turned into an open abattoir and cemetery of sorts, stressing that as the chief security officer of the State, Governor Dauda Lawal has failed to stop the killings and all he does is blame others for his lapses.
He added that communities are being sacked and terrorists have gained a foothold in many communities to the extent of collecting taxes and levies from vulnerable indigenes, saying that less than 72 hours ago, an imam and His son were killed in cold blood and his inability to act should be an embarrassment to everybody who identifies with good governance, and this is the time to tell Dauda the truth – he should either resign or act as a sitting Governor for once.
He said, “It is also troubling that instead of concentrating on improving the internally generated revenue base of Zamfara State, the inefficient Dauda has rather prioritized bashing his predecessor about loans that were taken to develop the state. If he feels the funds accruable to Zamfara State are not enough, he should work towards increasing the internally generated revenue and attracting investors. It is sad to note that no investor has pitched a tent in Zamfara because of the widespread insecurity and unfavorable government policies since Dauda Lawal took over the mantle of leadership.”
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