Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal has denied reports that his administration spent N400 million on local and foreign trips.
The governor described the reports, which followed allegations by the All Progressives Congress, APC, as politically motivated.
According to Lawal, the opposition party was just looking for a loophole to condemn his administration before the people of the state.
The governor spoke in a statement by his spokesman, Suleiman Bala Idris.
The statement also noted that an online newspaper erroneously reported that the governor spent N170,276,294.31 on international travel and transport, N221,567,094 on local travel, and N6,929,500.00 on private security within three months.
According to the statement, the misinformation arose from deliberate misinterpretation of budget data, adding that the First, Second and Third Quarters fall under the immediate past administration.
The statement said, “We have read a report from the online, alleging that Governor Dauda Lawal spent over N400 million on foreign trips. This is false and an attempt to tarnish the governor’s image.
“The principles of transparency and accountability are the foundation of Governor Dauda Lawal’s government. All relevant information can be found on the official website of the Zamfara State Government at zamfara.gov.ng”
“Published on the official website is a detailed report on the budget performance, which provides a breakdown of the Governor’s spending on trips and other activities. Under Governor Dauda Lawal, we have implemented a system of complete transparency and accountability, leaving no room for misuse of funds.
“It is therefore important to clarify that the Governor has only undertaken three official foreign trips since he assumed office on May 29, 2023″
“The three foreign trips were: attending the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in the United States of America; a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Retreat in Kigali, Rwanda; and a meeting with the President of the African Development Bank, Dr Akinwumi A. Adesina in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire”
“Furthermore, the retreat in Kigali was organised by the Nigerian Governors Forum and fully sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). So, no money was spent by the government on that. The only money spent on foreign trips was for the UNGA in the United States, and the Northwest Governor’s Meeting with the President of AfDB in Abidjan”
“The report erroneously attributed the money spent by the previous administration to our government’s spending. Our government has never employed private security services, nor have we witnessed any Ramadan period”
“Therefore, we are puzzled about how the funding for the Ramadan Fasting and Eid-el-Fitr (Sallah) gifts was attributed to us”
“As a government, we are committed to maintaining transparency in all our governance activities. We promised the people of Zamfara State to bring about positive change, and we are determined to fulfil that promise.
“Our administration’s rescue mission is comprehensive and covers all aspects of governance. We will not be deterred or slowed down by any misinformation.”
