Misappropriation Allegations Rock Zamfara: Gov. Dauda Lawal’s Administration Under Fire Amid Financial Scandals And Growing Insecurity

The administration of Governor Dauda Lawal is currently facing a storm of criticism following mounting allegations of widespread financial mismanagement, reckless diversion of public funds, and deepening governance deficits across Zamfara State.

Public outcry has intensified in recent weeks, with citizens decrying what they describe as the unchecked siphoning of local government funds by top state officials, while the majority of communities remain trapped in cycles of insecurity, poverty, and infrastructural collapse.

Investigations reveal that despite steady monthly allocations from the Federal Government over the past 24 months, basic amenities remain non-existent across all 14 Local Government Areas in the state. According to an on-the-ground assessment carried out by the Emerging Leaders Forum of Nigeria (ELFON), Zamfara residents continue to face chronic hardship as insecurity, dilapidated schools, collapsed healthcare systems, and inaccessible roads dominate the landscape.

The ELFON report highlighted an alarming disconnect between funds disbursed and their actual utilization. “What we observed is a complete breakdown of service delivery. There is no visible evidence of development in any of the LGAs,” a source within the ELFON assessment team told reporters.

Political commentators and community leaders have pointed fingers at key government actors allegedly at the center of these irregularities. Cited among the alleged perpetrators are the state’s Commissioner for Finance, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Commissioner for Works, the State Accountant-General, and the Secretary to the State Government. These officials, critics allege, have been strategically used to misappropriate state funds under the direction of the governor.

In what many believe is a face-saving move rather than a genuine disciplinary action, the state government recently sanctioned several senior civil servants. Three directors were reportedly forced into premature retirement, while others faced suspension over what insiders describe as “systemic complicity in financial mismanagement.”

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The officials affected include:

Sani Muhammad Jangeru, Director of Finance and Accounts

Usman Abubakar Maradun, Director of Administration

Garba S. Yamma, Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics

The timing and nature of the action have raised suspicions, with many residents and analysts viewing it as an attempt to distract from the broader corruption allegations at the top echelon of government.

“What we are witnessing is not just poor governance, but deliberate sabotage of the state’s future. These retirements and suspensions are cosmetic. The real culprits are still in power,” said a civil society activist based in Gusau.

Despite the troubling revelations, Zamfara’s leadership appears unfazed. Reports from within the government circle suggest that the governor and several top aides continue to lead lavish lifestyles—traveling in convoys of luxury vehicles, hosting extravagant events, and living in opulence—while the majority of citizens endure one of the most difficult economic periods in the state’s history.

From villages to towns, marketplaces to mosques, frustration is growing. Residents express helplessness over the deteriorating security situation, especially in rural areas where bandit attacks, kidnappings, and displacement have become a daily occurrence.

As pressure mounts on the state government to address these concerns transparently and decisively, political observers warn that failure to act may trigger larger unrest and erode public trust even further.

Efforts to obtain official statements from the affected ministries and the governor’s office were unsuccessful at the time of this report.