Matawalle: Putting The Records Straight

Mamman Hassan writes about the imprint of   the Minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Matawalle, when he held sway as Governor of Zamfara state.

in recent days, the usual paid agents bent on tarnishing the image of the Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Bello Matawalle, have been churning out fallacious articles, questioning his achievements in office as former Governor of Zamfara State .

While it is better to leave politics for politicians and allow them to tackle one another, it behoves on some of us to lend our mouths to this sort of argument. If not for anything, it should set some records straight. And so, it is my belief that the Minister can be described not just as a performer but also a great achiever going by his impressive records in the public domain.

Matawalle’s achievements during his tenure as governor of Zamfara State are noteworthy, particularly in infrastructure development, where he oversaw the construction of an airport, roads, and healthcare facilities across the state.

Additionally, his administration made significant strides in security infrastructure by purchasing over 200 Hilux vehicles and ambulances, and installing solar-powered street lights in the state capital.

The Healthcare sector also saw substantial investments, with the construction of primary healthcare centers in all the 147 wards in the state.

Matawalle’s administration, it should be noted, settled backlogs of payments for NECO and WAEC examinations, thereby contributing to economic development of the State.

These accomplishments are particularly impressive when contrasted with the controversies surrounding Governor DaudaLawal’s administration. Critics have condemned the Lawal administration’s approval of funds for the procurement of kitchen equipment for the office of the First Lady, HuriyyaDaudaLawal, a move that has sparked outrage among citizens. They have condemned the extravagant spending amid widespread poverty and displacement in the State. They questioned the transparency and accountability of such an expenditure, especially when juxtaposed with the achievements of Matawalle’s administration.

During Matawalle’s tenure, Zamfara State received N354 billion in revenue and  N136 billion, 800 million used  for salaries and allowances. The remaining N109 billion, 829 million was utilized for capital projects, including security: purchase of 200 Hilux security vehicles, armoured security vehicles, ambulances, and drones; healthcare: construction of special primary health centers,  general hospitals, and primary healthcare centers.

Infrastructure: cargo airport, solar electricity installation, state liaison offices, governors’ lodges, Emirs lodge in Kaduna and Gusau.

He also constructed Zamfarastate  liaison offices at Mississippi and Ganges street Abuja, purchased Best Premier hotel in Wuse 2 ,Abuja as a state investment, 28 township roads, completed a Digital world ICT Centre   a command and control room centre for CCTV in the State capital which former Vice President YemiOsibanjo inaugurated and other numerous projects.

The transparency and accountability of Governor Lawal’s administration have been questioned, with calls for empirical evidence to support their claims. Governor Lawal should stop distracting DrMatawalle and focus on his job instead of visiting media houses to blackmail his predecessor.

-Hassan, a public affairs analyst, writes from Gusau.