The Coalition of Arewa Civil Society Organization (CSO) has called on Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal to take decisive actions in addressing the insecurities bedeviling the state
The Convener of the Coalition, Aminu Abbas Arabi, made the call during a press conference held at the famous Arewa House in Kaduna yesterday.
The group told Governor Lawal to focus his attention on improving the gains of the previous administration, rather than engaging in blame game.
According to the Arabi, “as a coalition of more than 65 civil society organizations in Northern Nigeria, we have a duty to our society to address issues that bother the development of the region, be it political, social, or religious.
“We have observed that, since the assumption of office, Governor Dauda Lawal, a man who contested elections with a clear manifesto and blueprint, has suddenly become noisy, and overtly obsessed with the administration of his predecessor without anything tangible to show for the huge allocations coming into the state.
“Instead of showing his scorecard and justifying the billions of naira allocated to Zamfara State since the assumption of office, Governor Lawal has chosen to chase shadows and abandon the task he was elected to perform.
“This is a pure distraction from his core mandate, and we find it not only repulsive but repugnant. It is, therefore, our firm position that his behavior is unbecoming of a sitting Governor.
“It is sad to note that no investor has pitched a tent in Zamfara because of the widespread insecurity and unfavorable government policies put in place in Zamfara.
Ladies and gentlemen, based on our objective observation, Zamfara has no business with underdevelopment because the State is blessed with resources, both physical and human. We therefore insist that the Governor must wake up and go to work like other Governors are doing.
“Governor Lawal must intensify the revenue drive, block leakages, and come up with policies that will attract investors to Zamfara State. Other states such as Kaduna, Rivers, Lagos, Akwa Ibom, and a lot more have done it, and he can also do it. We are tired of excuses and the blame games that have not taken Zamfara anywhere in the past two years,” the Coalition argued.