Image Credit: Vanguard
The immediate past government of Zamfara State, under Bello Matawalle, has accused the current administration of Governor Dauda Lawal Dare of planning to award a revoked cargo airport to himself.
This was contained in a release by Ibrahim Dosara, former Commissioner of information under Matawalle Administration, accusing Governor Dauda of distracting the people of the state from his failures.
According to the statement, Governor Dauda has not for once spent a week in the state since his inauguration in May 29.
The statement reads: “It isn't surprising to see how the current Zamfara Governor, Dauda Lawal Dare, is punching his way to deceive the general public, as he used to be in all his previous records and dealings, in order to divert people’s attention from the slumber of his administration in dealing with the current escalating security challenges facing Zamfara State.
“What Dauda Lawal Dare is trying to do is as follows: 1. Divert the attention of Zamfara people and beyond from his total failure to tackle immediately, the current waves of security concerns ranging from mass abduction to waves if attacks, killings and maiming of hundreds of innocent people bedeviling the state, which he promised the people during his Electioneering campaign.
When Matawalle became the governor of the state in 2019, he tackled the security challenges of the state within his 100 days in office and Zamfara became secured and peaceful for over 9 good months without a single security incident across the width and breadth of the state.
“2. The Governor is also trying to justify the revocation of the cargo airport contract which he is trying to award to himself through proxy, as he is presently working on the process, but now in court with the contractor. The former Governor, Matawalle, is therefore on his earlier position regarding the nasty misleading allegations against him.
“The former government hitherto presented the following facts which we have backed up with pictorial and documentary evidences for posterity. The following compartments of the contract were carried out and have reached various stages of completion as follows:
“1. Access Roads - a. Airport access dual road, Gate and Drainages have all been completed
with environment assessment by the Federal Ministry of Aviation carried out and completed. b. The 1.5 kilometres link road is cleared, sandfilled and compaction completed. However in his attempt to cause mischief to the immediate past administration, Gov Dauda Lawal ordered the scrapping of the road.
“c. Runway has been excavated, sand filling carried out with compaction of two kilometres out of the 3.4 kilometres completed as well as the clearance of one kilometre completed.
“d. Taxing way of 500 metres, clearance, excavation, sand filling and compaction were carried out and completed. e. Apron area which is 200/2 metres of 190 metres was cleared with excavation, sand filling and compaction were completed.
“2. Terminal-Level iron rafter is at 50 per cent stage of completion. 3. Water pool is at 90 per cent completion, while the water reservoir of the cargo airport has been fully completed with all Boreholes drilled across the airport have been completed.
“4. The cargo itself is at 75 per cent stage of completion with its fire station at 75 per cent of completion. 5. The cargo airport wire fence is at 75 per cent stage of completion.
“6. Regarding the airport Mast, the NCAA was urged to advise the neighbouring Air Force Base to move it from the current location in order to avoid interruption at the airport.
“7. Again, all the relevant and concerned authorities including the Federal Ministry of Aviation, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority NCAA and the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency NAMA were involved in the professional execution of the project.
“8. The services of competent consultant were engaged in the execution of the cargo airport with all relevant documents at hand.
“The Governor, who since his inauguration on May 29th, has never stayed for once in the state for a complete one week, failed to put up his government structure and the institutional framework that will bring focus and direction to the government to ensure fighting the banditry head on, which is the primary responsibility of any government anywhere, rather engaging in unnecessary baseless and unfounded accusations against the former governor who doggedly fought and tackled the ugly security situation he inherited when he took over power in 2019 head on within the 100 days of his administration.
“Sadly, we are unaware of the Gov's absenteeism from the state, leaving the critical affairs of government businesses in the hands of consultants who have no any knowledge of the state political terrain and culture, but hired only to help him loot the state resources. While his absenteeism is seriously affecting the federal government zeal, commitment and determination to end the menace of the rural banditry leaving the helpless and vulnerable people at the mercy of the callous and barbaric bandits, leading to establishment of more IDPs camps all over the state.”