"I'll Not Tolerate Corrupt Practices in My Government, Zamfara Governor Tells Cabinet Members."

Governor Dauda Lawal said his administration will not tolerate any form of corruption or indolence from members of his cabinet or civil servants in Zamfara State.

On Thursday, the Governor presided over the Extraordinary Council meeting at the Council Chambers of Government House, Gusau.

A statement by the Governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, said the Extraordinary Council was the first executive meeting of the Zamfara government in 2024.

He added that Governor Dauda Lawal urged all senior appointees, commissioners, and special advisers to understand his mission and make necessary adjustments.

The statement read in parts: To our Commissioners, Heads of Agencies and Departments, you are Chief Executive Officers in your respective MDAs. You are not sole administrators. You are appointed to provide leadership and direction, not to award contracts or share resources to develop our people and communities."

“You are not contractors and suppliers; you are servants of the people. You must remove from your individual and collective psyche the idea that you are appointed to do anything else other than to serve and improve the lots of the people by providing necessary facilities and infrastructure that will support their lives and activities and not to take money from the public till to give to them." 

“We must make the difference required to move the state forward; we must do things differently."

“We were not elected by the people of this state to merely replace the faces and characters of those before us. We were elected to change how government business was done, the way that kept us trailing at the tail end of all development indices.”

The Governor further reiterated to the cabinet that he is not in government to make money.

“In that regard, I say this to you all here today: I will not tolerate any act of corruption and indolence from any appointee or civil servant. I have repeatedly said that I am not here to make money, and anyone who harbours a dream of self-enrichment should better either change your mind or honourably resign from the government." 

“As I said before, we chose each of you based on the strength of your character, personalities, and capacities. We expect that you will make the necessary sacrifices to change the narrative in our dear state."

“We cannot achieve much if we don’t review our civil service and charter of service. I intend to introduce and make the state civil service a model that will be the proper instrument for the development of our state. I am charging the Head of the Civil Service to immediately develop a workable proposal on how to reform the state civil service and project it to the level of efficiency and effectiveness with the central objective of service of the people."

“While the service is being reformed, I intend to support the capacity building of our workforce. I’m prepared to train our civil servants both at home and abroad. The watchword should be Excel, and I will be there for you.”

SULAIMAN BALA IDRIS

Senior Special Assistant (Media and Publicity) to the Zamfara Governor

January 18, 2024