Two Years On: How Gov Dauda Lawal is Redefining Governance in Zamfara

Two years after taking the oath of office on May 29, 2023, Governor Dauda Lawal has continued to reshape Zamfara State’s political and developmental landscape, transforming the state into a modern city of renewed hope. From restoring security and rebuilding schools to clearing salary arrears and reviving water supply, the administration’s imprint is being felt […]

Two years after taking the oath of office on May 29, 2023, Governor Dauda Lawal has continued to reshape Zamfara State’s political and developmental landscape, transforming the state into a modern city of renewed hope.

From restoring security and rebuilding schools to clearing salary arrears and reviving water supply, the administration’s imprint is being felt across the state.
Security has been front and centre in the administration’s priorities, recognising the banditry and insecurity that cast a long shadow over communities across the state, hence, the governor launched the Community Protection Guards.

These local volunteers, trained physically and oriented to assist the security architecture with actionable intelligence, have begun to play a critical role in bolstering local defences in villages and towns across the 14 local government areas. Their presence has brought a measure of hope where despair once stalked.

Complementing the community guard strategy, the state government under Lawal’s leadership has made substantial investments in the operational capacities of formal security agencies.

Armoured vehicles now patrol volatile roads, and in a move to mobilize them in May 2025, 140 operational vehicles were handed over to security agencies, an investment aimed at improving mobility, response times and the effectiveness of the fight against crime.
Added to this, the Security Council of the state meets regularly, gathering intelligence, monitoring situational reports, and directing proactive measures against the bandit threat.

Furthermore, the government together with security operatives has successfully neutralised key bandit kingpins whose terror once reverberated throughout the region. Among those brought down are Habibu Sububu, regarded as a major leader of bandits in the North West, and Kachalla Ali Kawaje, alleged to have masterminded the abduction of students of the Federal University Gusau.
Several others, including Kachalla Jafaru, Kachalla Barume, Yellow Sirajo, and Isyaka Gwarnon Daji have likewise been neutralised in operations credited to the new security posture. In aggregate, these actions signal that the state is no longer passively enduring insecurity but actively challenging it.
On the education front, Governor Lawal declared a State of Emergency in Education on 14 November 2023. The urgency he signalled was justified. Inheriting an education system that routinely ranked among the worst nationally, the administration set out to reverse the trend.
The government moved to pay N1.4 billion to clear examination fee debts and releasing all withheld West African Examinations Council (WAEC) results for 2018-2022, is an important move to revive education in the state.
It also paid National Examinations Council (NECO) fees for public-school candidates sitting in 2023, and distributed certificates to those whose 2019 NECO credentials had been held back. The results for 2020–22 have now been accessed, reopening the door to tertiary admission for many young Zamfarans.
Beyond the exams, infrastructure has mobilised rapidly. Over 500 schools in all 14 local government areas have been constructed, renovated or equipped under the administration.

On the tertiary side, the revitalisation includes the full renovation of the Zamfara College of Arts and Science (ZACAS), complete with a computer lab; the refurbishment of the College of Health Technology, Tsafe; ongoing major works at the Zamfara State University, Talata Mafara; and overhauls at the Abdu Gusau Polytechnic.
Government Girls Secondary School in Bukkuyum, the Government Day Secondary School in Masama (upgraded to boarding status), and many others across under-served communities are beneficiaries of the rehabilitation drive. The move to suspend licenses of private education providers that do not meet required standards shows the administration is serious about quality over quantity.
Complementing the academic investments is the revival of school feeding in ten senior boarding schools across the state, beginning from the 2023/2024 academic session. Recognising that nutrition and environment are part of the learning equation, the effort speaks to a holistic vision of education.
Meanwhile, the state government has also embarked on the sculpting of a future, through the Zamfara State Adolescent Girls’ Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE AF) in partnership with the World Bank.
Governor Lawal approved the state counterpart funding of US $150 billion (as announced) for the initiative, backed up by needs assessments across 123 schools in phase one, advocacy visits, the inauguration of a steering committee, and enrollment drives for out-of-school girls.
Conditional cash-transfers to retain girls in school, assessments of Islamiyah schools, and the vision to reach vulnerable girls speak to the administration’s long-term commitment to investing in human capital.
In the health sector the governor again declared a state of emergency, where on 30 January 2024, as hospitals in the state were not simply dilapidated but functionally broken.
The Lawal’s administration responded by rehabilitating several general hospitals, including Maradun, Maru, Kauran Namoda, Gusau, Anka, and upgrading PHC Nasarawa Burkullu to a general hospital. Primary Health Care Centres across the state also received total renovation.

Added to that, a groundbreaking free medical outreach programme rolled out tele-screening for rural and semi-urban communities and handled over 3,000 cases including cataract operations, hernia & hydrocele repairs, and vesicovaginal fistula (VVF) repair, the first of its kind in Zamfara. Hospital materials and equipment are being supplied across local government areas.
The water crisis in the state capital, Gusau, had for years forced households to rely on nearby rivers for drinking and cooking. Under Governor Lawal’s leadership, the government tackled the water shortage head-on, restoring potable water access in Gusau and extending similar interventions to other councils.
On welfare, civil servants who were left adrift by the previous administration’s failure to pay salaries found relief under Lawal.
The governor, cleared a four-month salary backlog for state and local government workers including primary-school teachers, and paid N13 billion in outstanding gratuities owed since 2011 to retirees. For the first time in the state’s history, a leave grant equivalent to 10 per cent of annual salary was given to civil servants during Ramadan 2024.
On arrival, Lawal also restructured the civil service; ministries reduced from 28 to 16, permanent secretaries from 48 to 23, signalling a leaner, more efficient bureaucracy.
Similarly, infrastructure development has also become a visible hallmark, the governor on 18 August 2023 flagged off phase one of a road construction-led urban renewal in the state capital.
Among the roads constructed, from Bello Barau Roundabout to Old Market Road, Central Police Station Road to Bello Barau, Government House Road to Kwanar Yan Keke, the Emir’s Palace to Tankin Ruwa road, and several others. Outside the capital, the Malammawa–Bukkuyum–Masama Mudi road, Jabaka–Lugga, Gusau to Dansadau road and the reconstruction of the Emir of Anka’s palace are among the high-profile works.
Also, the construction of the Gusau International Airport is about 70 per cent complete and expected to be finished within two months.
Urban renewal also includes the refurbishment of the JB Yakubu State Secretariat, rehabilitation of courts, legislative quarters, NYSC camp, orphanage blocks and Sardauna Memorial Stadium. Youth empowerment is another front: on 11 August 2023 the governor launched the Zamfara Youth Sanitation Programme (ZAYOSAP) creating employment for 1,500 youths in the capital. The programme now extends to other local governments.
Other interventions include awarding contracts for solar-powered boreholes in five communities, construction of five earth dams for potable water and irrigation, restoring electricity to government offices after clearing a N1.2 billion debt, and re-establishing partnerships with UNICEF, the World Bank and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
These interventions underscore a government determined to translate its Rescue Agenda into tangible results. Two years on, Governor Dauda Lawal’s administration has not only restored public confidence but has given Zamfara a new narrative; one of rebuilding, renewal and rising hope.