Inside Gov Lawal’s 2-Year Development Drive In Zamfara

Inside Gov Lawal’s 2-Year Development Drive In Zamfara

By Adagher Tersoo.

Two years ago, Zamfara stood at a crossroads, battered by broken infrastructure, public disillusionment and other challenges. Today, a new chapter is unfolding as Governor Dauda Lawal leads a sweeping development drive that’s reshaping the state’s future. 

His administration’s bold Rescue Agenda has repositioned Zamfara on a path of recovery through urban renewal, security reform, infrastructure development, and social investments.

From the outset, Lawal tackled the worsening security crisis head-on. Within weeks of taking office, he launched the Zamfara Community Protection Guards (CPG), a grassroots security initiative designed to complement conventional forces. 

This move empowered communities to contribute local intelligence, which helped foil multiple attacks and restore a sense of safety in various flashpoints. 

Patrol vehicles that had been abandoned were refurbished, fueling for armored vehicles was regularized, and security council meetings became routine to respond to evolving threats.

Notably, joint operations by security forces led to the neutralization of over a dozen notorious bandit leaders, including Kachalla Ali Kawaje, the mastermind behind the kidnapping of students from the Federal University Gusau. 

The Zamfara State Government, through collaborative operations with security operatives, identified and successfully neutralized key bandit kingpins terrorizing the state. 

These include Kachalla Jafaru, Kachalla Barume, Kachalla Shehu, Tsoho, Kachalla Yellow Mai Buhu, Yellow Sirajo, Kachalla Dan Muhammadu, Kachalla Makasko, Sanda, Abdulbasiru Ibrahim, Mai Wagumbe, Kachalla Begu, Kwalfa, Ma’aikaci, Yellow Hassan, Umaru Na Bugala, Isyaka Gwarnon Daji, Iliya Babban Kashi, Auta Dan Mai Jan Ido, and Yahaya Dan Shama.

In November 2023, Lawal shifted focus to another crisis, education. On the 14th of November, he declared a State of Emergency on Education during a statewide broadcast. At the time, Zamfara’s education sector was in disrepair. 

For three consecutive years, students had been unable to sit for WAEC and SSCE examinations due to unpaid fees. Governor Lawal immediately cleared over N1.4 billion in backlogs owed to WAEC and NECO, allowing students to write their national exams for the first time in years.

This intervention marked the beginning of a massive overhaul in the education sector. The government constructed and renovated 245 schools across all 14 local government areas. 

Thousands of desks and modern teaching tools were distributed, while foreign scholarships resumed for Zamfara students studying in Sudan, Cyprus, and India. 

Through the AGILE project, out-of-school girls received conditional cash transfers and skills training. School feeding also resumed in senior boarding schools to reduce dropout rates.

Following these efforts, all withheld WAEC results were released. Governor Lawal paid the NECO fees for all Zamfara public school candidates who sat for the 2023 exams. 

Certificates for the 2019 NECO candidates were collected and distributed, and results of the 2020, 2021, and 2022 NECO examinations, previously withheld due to non-payment by past administrations, were released in November 2023. 

This gave students who graduated during those years the opportunity to access their results and apply to various tertiary institutions.

In January 2024, a second State of Emergency, this time on healthcare showed the administration’s commitment to human development. 

Rehabilitation began in several general hospitals in Maradun, Maru, Kaura Namoda, and Gusau. The government also launched a Special Modified Medical Outreach targeting neglected conditions like cataracts, VVF, and hernias. Within months, over 1,850 surgeries were conducted free of charge, offering relief to vulnerable citizens who had long lacked access to specialized care.

Meanwhile, urban renewal efforts began to transform Gusau and other towns. Once plagued by decaying roads, poor drainage, and erratic water supply, the state capital is undergoing a significant facelift. 

Roads are being dualized, drainage systems revamped, and key landmarks like the JB Yakubu Secretariat, which had been in disrepair, fully rehabilitated. In a remarkable turnaround, the Gusau water crisis which had left residents fetching water from rivers was resolved just 14 days into Lawal’s tenure. 

Power was also restored to government ministries and agencies after the administration paid off N1.2 billion in electricity debts.

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Governor Lawal’s reform-driven mindset also extended to the civil service. He inherited an over-bloated structure but swiftly streamlined operations by reducing ministries from 28 to 16 and cutting the number of permanent secretaries from 48 to 23. 

He addressed long-standing injustices by clearing four months of withheld salaries and paying over 44.3 billion in gratuities dating back to 2011. In a landmark gesture, leave grants were paid during Ramadan in 2024, an unprecedented move in Zamfara’s history.

Tackling youth unemployment became another pillar of his administration’s agenda. Through the Zamfara Youth Sanitation Programme (ZAYOSAP), 1,500 youths were recruited to maintain cleanliness in urban centres, providing them with both income and purpose. 

The state also commissioned five solar-powered boreholes and five earth dams under the ACReSAL initiative, expanding access to clean water and irrigation support for farmers and rural dwellers. These projects signaled a clear commitment to inclusive, grassroots development.

As Zamfara steadily regains its footing, development partners who had previously withdrawn due to governance concerns are returning. 

Organizations like UNICEF and the World Bank have resumed collaboration, citing transparency and renewed administrative competence as key factors behind their renewed engagement.

In just two years, Governor Dauda Lawal has delivered measurable impact across critical sectors including security, education, healthcare, infrastructure, civil service, and youth empowerment. 

The state’s trajectory is no longer defined by decline but by determined progress. Through vision, discipline, and a focus on people-centred governance, the Rescue Agenda has moved from campaign rhetoric to visible, ongoing transformation. .

Adagher Tersoo, A Public Affairs analyst and Development communications expert, writes from Abuja.