Lawal’s Allegations against Matawalle False, Ex-Zamfara Commissioner Declares

ohn Shiklam in Kaduna

A former Commissioner for Information in Zamfara State, Ibrahim Dosara, has dismissed claims by Governor Dauda Lawal that he met only N4 million in government coffers, when he assumed office.

Lawal, who succeeded Bello Matawalle, the current Minister of State for Defence, had in a recent interview with Arise TV, said he took over a “dysfunctional system” where nothing existed, adding that he met only N4 million in the state’s treasury with N16.5 billion pension arrears that remained unpaid since 2011.

However, reacting at a press conference in Kaduna, Dosara said Lawal’s claims were “blatant lies”.

He said, “We are compelled by the circumstances of the above subject matter, in which our government, under the leadership of His Excellency, former governor of Zamfara state Hon Bello Mohammed Matawalle was erroneously but intentionally accused of wrong doings while in office by the current governor Dr. Dauda Lawal, when he granted an interview to Arise TV news during its Monday 14th April 2025 morning show.

“We would have ignored the interview for its inconsistencies, lack of focus and credibility, but for the members of the public, who are either not indigenes or Zamfara or are unaware of the happenings in the state for the past two years of Dauda Lawal as the governor of the state.

“The governor claimed that the Matawalle government left only N4 million in the government coffers. This is a blatant lie.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the former governor left the following in the government treasury on the day he handed over power to the current Gov. Dr. Dauda Lawal: N14 billion bond proceeds; N2.6 billion accresals world, bank funds; N6.3 billion UBE grants and N2.7 billion NG Cares World Bank funds investment, which yielded N42 billion for the government of Lawal.”

Dosara also dismissed claims by the governor that the Matawalle administration left a backlog of four and a half months salaries.

“I don’t know if we have half month salary in the civil service scheme. For the record, the government left a backlog of three months salaries because even before taking over power as the governor of the state, Dauda Lawal threatened all banks having arrangements financial dealings with the outgoing government.”

Dosara said, the average cash allocation to the state at that time, was N3.2 billion monthly, “which was grossly inadequate to pay workers salaries and allowances totalling N2.1 billion, as well run other essential services, including health, power supply and logistics services for the state huge numbers of visitors coming for various official government businesses.”