The Zamfara State government says it has some evidence against the immediate past administration in the state led by Bello Matawalle who is now the Minister of State for Defence, concerning the Gusau International (Cargo) Airport project.
Matawalle, last Friday, denied the allegations of embezzling billions from the Zamfara cargo airport project.
However in a statement issued in Gusau Monday , the Spokesperson to Zamfara Governor, Sulaiman Bala Idris, said that the response by Matawalle exposed a “blatant violation of trust, opening a pandora’s box.”
According to him, the tragic financial situation the current administration met in Zamfara State is manifestly a product of the past government of Bello Matawalle, who, through a mere telephone call, directed the Ministry of Local Government in complete disregard of any due process to remove N1,000,000,000 billion from the Local Government Joint Account on October 25th, 2021, and paid N825,000,000 million to the contractors without any valuation.
The statement read in parts: “The Zamfara State Government would ordinarily not respond to an accused embezzler. However, as a responsible government, we feel compelled to provide the facts following his denial of the alleged embezzlement.
“To avoid doubt, the embezzlement of resources from the people of Zamfara through the airport was just a tiny part of many other acts of theft and financial banditry committed by Bello Matawalle in various incomplete projects.
“It is doubtful that the project’s cost was reduced from N28 billion to N11 billion in round figures. No reputable bidder would agree to a drastic reduction of 61% in cost without a corresponding reduction in the scope of work. This raises questions about the integrity of the bidding process. Matawalle is seemingly trying to cast doubt on the credibility of their contractor.
“Matawalle has claimed that the Airport Project was financed through what he called ‘contract financing’; the former Governor should have asked before embarrassing himself. It is known as the ‘Contract Financing Facility (CFF)’, which happens between the bank and the contractor. The government isn’t involved at all. All available documents indicate that the contractors were paid using funds from the state government and not through the Contract Financing Facility (CFF).
“We must emphasise that the claim that payments were made to the contractor solely based on certificates issued by the supervising ministry or agency is FALSE. Our records clearly show that the three payments made to the contractor were not based on an accurate assessment of the work done and certified by the supervising ministry.
“For the record, an initial advance payment was made to the contractors representing 30% of the total contract in the sum of N3,465,569,736.90 without the approval of the designs and bills of quantities of the project by relevant government departments on the 19th of June 2020 almost eleven months after the award, throughout the period, nothing was done to certify the drawings, bills and secure necessary approvals of relevant airport regulatory authorities.
“Only a few days after the initial payment, the government came up with new terminology in contract ‘corruption management’ and approved what it called ‘loan’ to the contractors in the sum of N2,310,379,824.60. This payment was referred to as a loan to the contractors when very little work had been done on-site. The relevant government institutions did not certify the payment, weren’t correctly vouched and were therefore irregular in the government’s finance management.
“Furthermore, a dual carriageway from the roundabout to the airport, drainage and gate has not been completed, contrary to the claim by Matawalle’s response. Also, the link road from the main road to the airport roundabout was an additional work the contractor verbally and arbitrarily directed to execute. The Matawalle administration did not regularise this.
“The claim that the runway, taxi, Apron, terminal building, ‘water pool’ water reservoir, boreholes, cargo hall and fire service buildings are between 50-100% completion is laughable. Matawalle should know that percentage progress is computed based on work done and subsisting contract drawings and bills of quantities and no other. A cursory look at the subsisting contract documents and site visits would reveal the lies and deception in the claims.
“Available records show that Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) were only involved in the project after it had already begun, which goes against the standard practice in the aviation industry. Usually, they must be involved in all project stages, including planning, design, and implementation.
“Matawalle’s claim that the project was 50-100% completed, while in another paragraph, it was reported as 30% completed, equivalent to 3.47 billion Naira, raises the question of why the contractor was paid the sum of 6.78 billion Naira if the project was only 30% completed.
“It is essential to remind the former Governor that the contractor and the supervising Ministry measured all on-site works together during his administration. The measurements were taken during the execution of the project, and the records are available. Therefore, the total value of the work done to date, 2.25 billion Naira (19.47%), was based on these measurements.
“Governor Lawal’s administration is not making false claims or creating issues where there are none. The initial statement released to the public is just the tip of the iceberg. The transition committee thoroughly reviewed the assets and liabilities of Zamfara State after Governor Lawal’s victory in the March 2023 polls, uncovering several shocking revelations.
“The public will soon learn about the mass looting under the past administration. Those involved in these inhumane actions will be held accountable, regardless of their societal status. It is a series that would open Pandora’s Box.”
Matawalle fights back, asks Lawal to stop diverting attention
Reacting to allegations by his successor, Matawalle said through his former Commissioner for Information, Ibrahim Dosara, that it is unsurprising Lawal is bent on deceiving the people.
In his statement made available to Newsdiaryonline, Matawalle’s ex Commissioner said, “It isn’t surprise to to see how the current Zamfara Gov Dauda Lawal Dare is punching his way to deceive the general public, as he used to be in all his previous records and dealings, in order to divert peoples attention from the slumber of his administration in dealing with the current escalating security challenges facing Zamfara State. Every body knows who is Dauda Lawal Dare when it comes to misleading general public, judging from his past records.
According to Dosara “What Dauda Lawal Dare is trying to do is as follows:1. Divert the attention of Zamfara people and beyond from his total failure to tackle immediately, the current waves of security concerns ranging from mass abduction to waves if attacks, killings and maiming of hundreds of innocent people bedeviling the state, which he promised the people during his Electioneering campaign.
When Matawalle became the governor of the state in 2019, he tackled the security challenges of the state within his 100 days in office and Zamfara became secured and peaceful for over 9 good months without a single security incident across the width and breadth of the state. Therefore I see no reason for the government of Dauda Lawal Dare to do so, if at all he is committed to the misleading sluggish “Rescue Zamfara” slogan intendd to deceive the poor and vulnerable people of the state.
He also alleged that “The Gov is also trying to justify the revocation of the cargo airport contract which he is trying to award to himself through proxy, as he is presently working on the process, but now in court with the contractor.
“The former Governor Hon ( Dr) Bello Mohammed Matawllen Maradun is therefore on his earlier position regarding the nasty misleading allegations against the former Governor.
“The former government hitherto presented the following facts which we have backed up with pictorial and documentary evidences for for posterity.
“The following compartments of the contract were carried out and have reached various stages of completion as follows: Access Roads – a. Airport access dual road, Gate and Drainages have all been completed
with environment assessment by the Federal Ministry of Aviation carried out and completed.
“b. The 1.5 kilometres Link road is cleared, sand filled and compaction completed. However in his attempt to causemischief to the immediate pastadministration, Gov Dauda Lawal ordrred for the scrapping of the road.
“c. Runway has been excavated, sand filling carried out with compaction of two kilometres out of the 3.4 kilometres completed as well as the clearance of one kilometre completed.
“d. Taxing way of 500 metres, clearance, excavation, sand filling and compaction were carried out and completed.
“e. Apron area which is 200/2 metres of 190 metres was cleared with excavation, sand filling and compaction were completed.
” Terminal-Level iron rafter is at 50 per cent stage of completion.
“Water pool is at 90 per cent completion, while the water reservoir of the cargo airport has been fully completed with all Boreholes drilled across the airport have been completed.
” The cargo itself is at 75 per cent stage of completion with its fire station at 75 per cent of completion.
“The cargo airport wire fence is at 75 per cent stage of completion.
” Regarding the airport Mast, the NCAA was urged to advise the neighbouring Air Force Base to move it from the current location in order to avoid interruption at the airport.
“Again, all the relevant and concerned authorities including the Federal Ministry of Aviation, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority NCAA and the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency NAMA were involved in the professional execution of the project.
“The services of competent consultant were engaged in the execution of the cargo airport with all relevant documents at hand.
“On the issue of none compliance with due process, Dauda Lawal is a blatant lie as his usual kind of crook and international deceit just to take off peoples attention from the slumber of his administration and to criminally award to contract for the completion of the cargo airport project to himself through proxies.
“No serious Gov/government fully committed to ensuring fighting the ugly security situation bedeviling Zamfara State could spend almost six months without bringing on table any tangible plans and actions to tackle the menace, rather engaging in private business trips both within and outside the country busy trying to dubiously accumulate money for himself, abandoning the state to administrative consultants.
“The Gov who since his inauguration on May 29th, has never stayed for once in the state for a complete one week, failed to put up his government structure and the institutional framework that will bring focus and direction to the government to ensure fighting the banditry headon, which is the primary responsibility of any government anywhere, rather engaging in unnecessary baseless and unfounded accusations against the former Governor who doggedly fought and tackled the ugly security situation he inherited when he took over power in 2019 headon within the 100 days of his administration, if not for saboteurs and conflict entrepreneurs like Dauda Lawal Dare ‘s likes who sworn to destabilise the Matawalle government who jealously sabotaged this great success of the Matawalle government.
“Sadly, we are (no)unaware of the Gov’s absenteeism from the state, leaving the critical affairs of government businesses in the hands of consultants who have no any knowledge of the state political terrain and culture, but hired only to help him loot the state resources. While his absenteeism is seriously affecting the federal government zeal, commitment and determination to end the menace of the rural banditry leaving the helpless and vulnerable people at the mercy of the Carlos and babaric bandits, leading to establishment of more IDPs camps all over the the state littered all nooks and crannies of the state with begging women and children, all in deceitful slogan “Rescue Zamfara”.
“Zamfara being one of the most educationally and ecomically backwards and disadvantaged states in Nigeria, certainly need a leader that is committed to the welfare, wellbeing and the security of lives and property of the people who can provide that kind of leadership that is vibrant and responsive to the yearnings and the needs of the people.
“That leader who primarily concentrated on vendetta against those he perceived his enemies,
heating the state polity, busy engaging in private business trips outside the country like Dauda Lawal, is certainly not the type of leader Zamfara State requires.
Investigations we have so far conducted revealed that Dauda Lawal has looted over a N100 billion from the state coffers. We are currently compiling our facts and figures to detail the general public on the direct stealing the Gov has so far committed against the state. We are therefore calling on our elderstatemen to wake up to this misrule of our dear state. We have to rescue the state from the deception, looting of the state resources and guarantee the realization of the fundamental principles and objectives upon which Late General Sani Abacha of blessed memory told the world when the state was created over 30 years ago.”
