- Laments State’s poor financial situation
As part of efforts at cutting the cost of governance, Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has signed an Executive Order restructuring the State government Ministries from the current 28 to 16.
The Governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, who confirmed the development in Gusau, the State capital, said the measure is to cut wastage in government and eliminate duplication of functions.
According to him, Governor Lawal signed the Executive Order on Thursday at the Council Chambers of the Government House, Gusau, the State capital.
The Media Aide listed the newly approved ministries as Agriculture; Budget and Planning; Science and Technology; Environment and Natural Resources; Finance; Health; and Commerce; Trade and Industry; Youth and Sport; Internal Security and Home Affairs.
He said others include Housing and Urban Development; Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs; Information and Culture; Justice; Women Affairs and Social Development; Works and Infrastructure; as well as Religious Affairs.
In another development, the Governor’s spokesperson disclosed that the State Government has fully paid the inherited backlog of workers’ salaries, including that of June 2023.
After taking over the affairs of State on May 29, 2023, Governor Lawal had expressed unhappiness over the huge salary backlog, lamenting that he met only four million Naira (N4m) in the government account.
He told BBC Hausa in an interview that; “I have been running the affairs of the state on debt since I assumed office as governor of Zamfara.
“I met the treasury account of the state with no money. I only saw a single account with about N3 million to N4 million in it. It is about three months now and we are yet to pay the salary of the workers.
“If you look at all the government agencies, the power supply to the buildings has been disconnected due to the hundreds of millions of debts incurred.”
Giving further insights on the State of affairs, the Governor said; “The security agencies, for three months now, the allowance given to them for their daily operations has not been paid.
“Currently, students of senior secondary schools have not written their WAEC and NECO exams because the government is owing over one billion Naira.”
