For some years now, the name Zamfara State instantly conjured images of banditry and terror—killings, kidnappings, communities ransacked by terrorists, deserted classrooms and abandoned farms, as fear became a way of life. The headlines created the impression of a state totally paralysed by insecurity, where little or nothing else was happening. That is no longer the story of Zamfara State.

Despite the daunting security challenges confronting the state, Governor Dauda Lawal has remained resolute in pursuing the promises on which he was elected. Three and a half years into his administration, Zamfara State is no longer defined solely by insecurity, which, by the way, has engulfed virtually every part of the country, but by the determined effort to rebuild a state that hasn’t made much progress since its creation. That effort can be seen in the newly constructed and renovated hospitals, functioning primary healthcare centres, schools being rebuilt, infrastructure projects spread across communities, and a sustained campaign against terrorism. Governor Lawal’s vehement opposition to negotiating with terrorists is itself a demonstration of an administration determined to confront the problem head long rather than manage it. The story of Zamfara State is no longer about terrorists attacks, but also about what is being built.

This is not to suggest in any way that insecurity is no longer an issue for Zamfara State. Far from it. The challenge remains grave and continues to demand the attention of the state government, which has continued to do all within its power to support and equip the security forces. But it must be stressed that, under the Nigerian Constitution, the primary responsibility for the defence and security of the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria rests with the Federal Government. While the state government supports the security agencies, it does not have constitutional control over them. The point, therefore, is not to diminish the seriousness of the security challenge or the responsibility of government at every level to protect the people, but to simply insist that insecurity is real, but there are other things happening in Zamfara State.

The Dauda Lawal administration came into office with a deliberate policy framework, “Comprehensive Rescue Agenda”, an intervention and governance plan designed to address the problems confronting the state. Its central philosophy is straightforward: government must work, the public service must function, and development must ultimately be measured by its impact on the lives of ordinary citizens.

Considering that the challenges confronting the state had accumulated over many years, an unprepared governor could have conveniently hidden behind that fact to do nothing. Healthcare facilities were in very poor condition, the government had equally not paid adequate attention to schools, infrastructure had failed to keep pace with population growth, and many communities didn’t feel the benefits of government. The task before the administration was therefore considerably larger than simply addressing the immediate problems. It was about first winning the confidence of the people that government can work for them, and the rebuilding of the foundations of the public service, the engine room for service delivery.

At the beginning of the current fiscal year, the state government presented a N871.3 billion budget under the theme, “Budget of Stability and Growth.” Beyond the size of the appropriation, the budget was significant for the priorities it established. Healthcare, infrastructure, education and agriculture were deliberately placed at the centre of the government’s spending plan, reflecting the administration’s assessment of the sectors most critical to improving the quality of life of the people and creating the foundation for sustained economic growth. The emphasis was on directing public resources towards areas where they could have the greatest impact on the ordinary people and on the long-term development of the state. In this sense, the budget represents an attempt to strategically align government spending with the broader objective of rebuilding the state.

Healthcare received N87.3 billion in the 2026 budget. More than N14 billion was earmarked for the renovation and upgrading of nine General Hospitals across the state, alongside other capital provisions for medicines, equipment and related services. These are tangible investments in the health sector. A hospital is only useful when it can provide the services for which it was established, and the administration’s approach has been to combine physical rehabilitation with the provision of equipment and other interventions necessary to make these facilities fully functional. Particularly commendable is the installation of solar power systems to address the persistent challenge of power outages and ensure that essential healthcare services can operate more reliably. It is also essential for the preservation of medicines.

At the primary healthcare level, more than N17.5 billion has been committed to the revitalisation, resuscitation and equipping of 147 primary healthcare centres, out of the more than 700 primary healthcare facilities across the state. This is particularly significant in a state where a large proportion of the population lives in rural communities. For many people, the primary healthcare centre is the first, and sometimes the only, point of contact with the formal healthcare system.

The contrast with the past is important. Some primary healthcare centres had deteriorated so badly that weeds, rodents and birds had taken over facilities meant to serve human beings. In communities across the state, the buildings existed, but the services expected within them were either severely limited or simply unavailable. The effort to revive these centres is therefore more than the rehabilitation of buildings; it is an attempt to restore healthcare to where it matters most—close to the people.

The Governor Lawal administration has also introduced a comprehensive digital health initiative across healthcare delivery centres, reflecting an understanding that modern healthcare depends on information, coordination and technology. At the higher level of healthcare delivery, it has upgraded the Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital to a full Teaching Hospital status, which will strengthen the state’s capacity to provide specialised medical services while creating an environment capable of attracting, training and developing specialised medical manpower. It will also reduce the travel by the people in search of specialised treatment. The government has declared an emergency on drug trafficking and addiction to check the growing problem of substance abuse, particularly among young people.

Education is another critical area in which Governor Lawal’s Rescue Mission can be assessed. For a state that has endured prolonged insecurity, restoring the education system is a critical and strategic investment in the future. A state battling insecurity cannot afford to also lose an entire generation of children to illiteracy. When children are forced out of school, the consequences extend far beyond the immediate loss of learning. They weaken human capital, diminish future opportunities and can worsen the social and economic conditions that make insecurity even more difficult to overcome.

Education is another area where Governor Lawal’s Rescue Mission can be measured not merely by the number of classrooms renovated, but by the breadth of the intervention. The administration’s declaration of a state of emergency on education was followed by the construction and renovation of 245 schools across the 14 local government areas, the provision of 9,542 two-seater desks, and additional furniture for teachers. It has also supplied more than 408,000 teaching and learning materials to public schools and introduced a school-feeding programme aimed at improving enrolment and retention. More recently, the administration has moved beyond physical infrastructure to address the system itself, introducing reforms covering education financing, school protection, quality assurance, health and security, while distributing national curricula to public schools. At the tertiary level, the inauguration of governing councils for the state’s six tertiary institutions, including Zamfara State University, reflects an effort to strengthen governance and academic administration across the sector. Taken together, these interventions suggest an approach that recognises that rescuing education requires more than rebuilding schools; it requires rebuilding the system around them.

Governor Lawal’s commitment to education, however, did not begin with him becoming a governor. Long before entering public office, he had demonstrated a personal commitment to educational development through his philanthropic activities. At his alma mater, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, he funded the construction of a three-storey building comprising lecture halls and offices and donated a bus to the Department of Political Science. These interventions, made before he became governor, is evidence that his interest in education predates the Rescue Mission and is rooted in a longstanding belief in the importance of investing in education.

The administration has also strongly backed its education agenda with substantial budgetary provision. In the 2026 Budget of Stability and Growth, education received ₦65 billion, reflecting Governor Lawal’s recognition that rebuilding Zamfara must ultimately be anchored on the development of its human capital. The allocation reinforces the administration’s wider investments in school infrastructure, teaching and learning materials, teacher development and reforms aimed at making the education system more effective.

Agriculture is equally central to the rescue mission.

Zamfara is historically an agrarian state, with farming providing livelihoods for large numbers of its people and the principal foundation of its economy. Cotton, in particular, has a long history in the state. An agricultural survey recorded Zamfara as Nigeria’s leading cotton-producing state, with 135.56 metric tonnes produced from 92.62 hectares in the period covered by the survey. More recent USDA data also places Zamfara at about 21 per cent of Nigeria’s cotton production, ahead of other major cotton-producing states.

But years of insecurity have disrupted farming activities, particularly in rural communities where farmers have been unable to cultivate their fields safely. The consequences go beyond individual farmers: reduced cultivation means lower household incomes, weaker rural markets and diminished food supplies. Recent estimates show the scale of the disruption, with Zamfara’s combined production of maize, millet and sorghum falling from 759,560 metric tonnes in 2020 to an estimated 504,540 tonnes in 2025—a decline of about 34 per cent.

The administration’s prioritisation of agriculture in the 2026 budget reflects this reality. Of the proposed ₦861.34 billion budget, ₦86 billion—about 10 per cent—was earmarked for agriculture, making it one of the major sectoral allocations in the budget. The significance of that allocation lies not simply in its size, but in what it represents: an attempt to move agriculture from a vulnerable subsistence activity towards a more productive and commercially oriented sector. The long-term challenge is to restore cultivation, improve yields, strengthen value chains and revive the production of crops such as cotton that can generate income for farmers.

Infrastructure provides another visible dimension of the changing narrative.

Roads, public buildings and other infrastructure may not always generate the headlines that insecurity does, but they determine how easily people can move about, and connection between communities. This is why the administration’s infrastructure programme is significant. In 2026 alone, about ₦125.4 billion was spent for the construction and rehabilitation of 28 urban and rural roads and bridges spread across the 14 local government areas of the state.

The scale of the intervention is illustrated by projects such as the 108-kilometre Gusau–Magami–Dansadau road and the 95-kilometre road linking communities in Tsafe Local Government Area. What the governor has done to reconnect communities that have remained isolated for years and open up areas with significant agricultural potential.

Infrastructure has a multiplier effect. A good road reduces the difficulty and cost of moving farm produce to the markets, improves access to schools and hospitals and the connection between rural communities and urban centres. In a state where insecurity and years of neglect have weakened these connections, rebuilding the road network is part of the rebuilding of the economic and social infrastructure of Zamfara itself.

The significance of what is happening in Zamfara, therefore, lies not in one single project. It is in the attempt to address several interconnected problems simultaneously.

Security makes development possible. But development also strengthens the foundations of security. A functioning school will keep children engaged. A functioning healthcare system will protect vulnerable communities. Roads will connect rural producers to the markets. A responsive public service will implement projects. These are not separate compartments.

This is perhaps the most important part of the story that is often missed when Zamfara State is discussed only through the prism of terrorism.

Governor Dauda Lawal inherited a state that was facing extraordinary challenges. His administration’s response has been to confront insecurity while simultaneously rebuilding the institutions and infrastructure required for normal life to return. The approach is not without difficulties, and no responsible assessment should pretend that all the problems have disappeared. They have not.

But neither should the continuing security challenge obscure the progress being made elsewhere.

There is a Zamfara State beyond the headlines of banditry and terror. For now, one fact deserves recognition: Zamfara State is fighting two battles at the same time—the battle to defeat insecurity and the battle to rebuild a state that years of neglect and violence have weakened. And it is a story worth telling.

 

By Bala Bitrus