Zamfara Government Vows Not To Negotiate With Bandits; Blames Bad Governance On State’s Sorry Situation

By Akinwale Kasali

Following the spate of insecurity in the State, Zamfara State Government has disclosed that it is not ready to negotiate with Bandits.

Instead, State Governor, Dauda Lawal,  said he will support Security Agencies to stamp out banditry and other forms of criminality

His predecessor, now Minister for State, Defence, Bello Matawalle, had, at least, on two occasions, negotiated with bandits. His action did nothing to improve the situation.

Reiterating the Governor’s position, Commissioner for Information and Culture, Mannir Mu’azu Haidara, stated over the weekend that the Government is working tirelessly to bring an end to the spate of insecurity in the State.

Haidara added that bad Governance  plunged the State into what it is today, and has also left it behind for many years.

According to him, the Governor has started implementing a road map that would see the State emerge from years of banditry and utter neglect of governance.

The Commissioner made this disclosure while fielding questions posed by journalists in Lagos. He stressed that Governor Lawal would place priority on rebuilding communities shattered by years of insecurity and engage in projects of urban and rural development that would fast-track recovery.

Haidara said that the Zamfara State Governor would remain firm in his position of not negotiating with bandits but would rather support all the security agencies in the fight against crime.

“For Governor Lawal, there is no going back on never negotiating with bandits and putting all commitment to making sure that people of Zamfara state live without the fear of being attacked.

“The top priority of Governor Dauda Lawal is making Zamfara state secure and free from years of insecurity,” Haidara said.

On governance, the Commissioner said that the present administration under the leadership of Governor Lawal is currently restoring sanity.

He noted that the first thing the Governor did was to make sure that the three months unpaid salaries of workers left by the last administration were settled, while also giving attention to efforts to settle all other entitlements of workers.

“Right now, some projects of urban development have started and are ongoing; more projects will be embarked upon in both urban and rural areas,” he said.

On education, Haidara pointed out that a plan is in place to make sure that the quality of education is improved across all levels and the learning environment is upgraded to a befitting level.

“Years of bad governance had left Zamfara behind for many years. Now, Governor Dauda Lawal has taken on the daunting task of creating a new Zamfara that will be on track with progress and development. It is a huge task that will require a lot of resources.

“But Governor Dauda Lawal has the will and the massive support of the people of Zamfara state to make this possible,” the Commissioner said.

Haidara also called on the media and other stakeholders to support the administration of Lawal, who, he said, is on a mission to rescue Zamfara State and its people.