A northern youth advocacy group has accused Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal of reversing the state’s development by at least six years, citing failures across security, education, healthcare, infrastructure, and youth empowerment.
In a strongly worded statement released on Sunday in Gusau, the Arewa Youths for Democracy and Development (AYDD) said that Zamfara has become “far worse off today than it was before Governor Lawal assumed office” in May 2023.
Ibrahim Danladi Gwaska, president of the group, described Lawal’s administration as a disappointment, saying the optimism that followed his election has collapsed into frustration and despair.
“Zamfara has effectively gone six years backward under Governor Dauda Lawal. What we are witnessing is not governance, but a tragic abdication of responsibility. There is no vision, no urgency, no coordination,” Gwaska said.
According to him, the most critical failure has been the government’s inability to tackle the state’s worsening security crisis. He alleged that attacks by bandits remain routine in Maru, Zurmi, Anka, Shinkafi, and Tsafe, with no clear strategy from the state government to address the violence.
“Our people continue to be killed, kidnapped, and displaced. Governor Lawal promised to end the bloodshed, but rural Zamfara continues to burn while the government retreats into silence,” he stated.
The group also criticised the deteriorating state of public education, claiming that primary and secondary schools across Bakura and Bungudu lack basic infrastructure and that teachers remain unpaid.
“Children are sitting on bare floors without chairs or chalk, yet the government goes abroad to speak on educational development,” Gwaska said.
Turning to the healthcare sector, the AYDD alleged that general hospitals and rural clinics have fallen into disrepair, lacking essential drugs, equipment, and personnel. Gwaska claimed that some hospitals ask pregnant women to bring their own water and fuel for deliveries.
“Instead of addressing this crisis, the governor reportedly travels abroad for medical care, which insults the poor people he swore to protect,” he added.
On youth development, the group said the administration has failed to introduce meaningful empowerment programmes or job creation schemes, despite campaign promises.
“Unemployment and drug abuse are rising across Zamfara, but the government acts as if nothing is wrong,” Gwaska said.
He further pointed to the alleged abandonment of key road projects initiated by the previous administration, warning that this has left farmers and traders cut off from markets, exacerbating poverty.
The AYDD called on the Zamfara State House of Assembly, traditional rulers, and civil society organisations to demand accountability from the administration. Gwaska warned that the group would launch a grassroots mobilisation campaign aimed at voting Lawal out in the 2027 elections.
“Zamfara people are not asking for miracles. We want a government that listens, acts, and delivers. If Governor Lawal cannot provide that, he should admit it. This state cannot afford another lost decade,” he said.
