Gov. Lawal denies spending N400 million on foreign trips

Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal has refuted the claim by an online newspaper that he spent over N400 million on foreign trips, describing it as a plot to tarnish his image.

The report had alleged that Mr Lawal spent N170,276,294.31 on international travel and transport, N221,567,094 on local travel, and N6,929,500.00 on private security within the three months.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the senior special assistant, media and publicity to the governor, Suleiman Idris, said the report was a delibrate fabrication by mischief-makers aimed at distracting the government.

According to him, the misinformation arises from deliberate misinterpretation of budget data, explaining that the first, second, and third quarters fall under the immediate past administration.

The statement reads in parts, “We read a report alleging that Governor Dauda Lawal spent over N400 million on foreign trips. This is false and an attempt to tarnish the governor’s image.

“The principles of transparency and accountability are the foundation of Governor Dauda Lawal’s government. All relevant information can be found on the official website of the Zamfara State Government at zamfara.gov.ng.

“Published on the official website is a detailed report on the budget performance, which provides a breakdown of the governor’s spending on trips and other activities. Under Governor Dauda Lawal, we have implemented a system of complete transparency and accountability, leaving no room for misuse of funds.

“It is therefore important to clarify that Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has only undertaken three official foreign trips since he assumed office on May 29, 2023. The three foreign trips were: attending the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in the United States of America; a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) retreat in Kigali, Rwanda; and meeting with the President of the African Development Bank, Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

“Furthermore, the retreat in Kigali was organised by the Nigerian Governors Forum and fully sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). So, no money was spent by the government on that.

“The only money spent on foreign trips was for the UNGA in the United States and the Northwest Governor’s Meeting with the President of AfDB in Abidjan.”

The statement noted that “the report erroneously attributed the money spent by the previous administration to our government’s spending.

Mr Idris further explained that the current administration didn’t employ any private security as claimed in the report.

“Our government has never employed private security services, nor have we witnessed any Ramadan period. Therefore, we are puzzled about how the funding for the Ramadan fasting and Eid-el-Fitr [Sallah] gifts was attributed to us.

“As a government, we are committed to maintaining transparency in all our governance activities. We promised the people of Zamfara State to bring about positive change, and we are determined to fulfil that promise.

“Our administration’s rescue mission is comprehensive and covers all aspects of governance. We will not be deterred or slowed down by any misinformation”, the statement added.

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