For those who know Zamfara State before Governor Dauda Lawal became Governor will appreciate the current situation in the state. The state, which used to be in the rubble, has been reconstructed into a powerhouse within its geographical location and has become an envy of others. All thanks to the visionary rescue mission 1.0 spearheaded by Governor Dauda Lawal, PhD, in 2023, when he was elected Governor of the agrarian and mineral-rich state.
Gov. Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State
Just three years ago, education in Zamfara State was in a Comatose state. It was nonexistent. No functional primary and secondary schools conducive to learning. The narrative was one of despair: schools as ghost towns, examination halls locked by creditors, and a generation of children seemingly abandoned by systemic neglect. But for Governor Dauda Lawal, a leader who views governance not as a relay race but as a rescue mission, the story has changed with just three years in charge of the affairs of the state.
When he assumed office, the education sector wasn’t just ailing; clinically, it was on life support. Massive debts had piled up, teachers had vanished into thin air and the number of out-of-school children was skyrocketing on a daily basis. However, two years into the “Lawal era,” the sound of silence in Zamfara’s classrooms has been replaced by the sound of flipping of new textbooks and the scratching of pens on examination answer sheets.
One of the cruellest legacies Governor Lawal inherited was the hostage crisis of student futures. Students could not write exams, classes were dilapidated and qualified teachers. Past administrations had failed to remit examination fees to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO). Consequently, thousands of bright Zamfaran students saw their results withheld not because they failed, but because the state failed them. Some had to travel to neighbouring towns like Sokoto, Katsina and Kano to enrol for exams risking their lives.
In a dramatic move that sent shockwaves through the opposition, Governor Lawal reached into the state’s coffers and cleared the backlog of a staggering: ₦1.4 billion to WAEC covering debts from 2018 to 2022, and a combined payment of over ₦1.34 billion to NECO covering debts from 2014 to 2021. The immediate effect was the release of all previously withheld results, allowing students to finally apply for higher education. Furthermore, the state fully funded the 2024 WAEC examinations, ensuring that no child was barred from sitting for their finals due to a lack of funds.
