Tag: Zamfara

The Zamfara state government has shared N40,000 each to 8,593 vulnerable beneficiaries across the state.

This was revealed by the AGILE coordinator in Zamfara State, Sa’adatu Abdu Gusau, in statement at the weekend.

All beneficiaries received their cash through their bank accounts and withdrawals would be made through ATMs.

The statement said, “Zamfara State AGILE under the leadership of His Excellency Dr. Dauda Lawal has disbursed the sum of N40,000 each to 8,593 beneficiaries across the State.”

Ms Gusau said, “All ATM cards have been activated and withdrawals can be made immediately.”

The AGILE coordinator also announced that “All complaints should be dropped in AGILE suggestion boxes provided in all schools, or through our GRM line 09041328888, CCT lead no. 09040528991, or through an official letter to Zamfara AGILE office.”

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Earlier on September 12, 2025, Governor Lawal inaugurated the distribution of over N1 billion grants under the SABER (SERBS) programme to support local businesses at the JB Yakubu Secretariat, Gusau.

The State Action on Business Enabling Reforms (SABER) is a five-year, performance-based, multi-sectoral initiative supported by the World Bank, carefully designed to dismantle barriers, stimulate private enterprise, and generate sustainable jobs for the people of Zamfara.

N150,000 was distributed to 2,000 beneficiaries across the state to support nano and micro businesses; while 1,000 individuals in small and medium-sized businesses received N500,000 each. Also, 60 people from medium—and large-scale businesses will benefit from a grant of N5 million each.

In December 2024, Governor Lawal also distributed about N5 billion to support the most vulnerable individuals in Zamfara State.

The stimulus package was part of the COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus program (NG-CARES). It targeted 44,000 vulnerable individuals across 14 local government areas as part of the Zamfara state government’s empowerment initiative.

Officials of the Community Protection Guard (CPG) in Zamfara State have intercepted a vehicle carrying weapons believed to be for bandits.

Weapons recovered included two AK 47 riffles, an RPG and ammunitions.
A member of the CPG, Salisu Adamu said the guard intercepted the vehicle at Dangulbi community during routine stop and search operations.

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“The weapons were concealed inside a carton loaded with fish. And when we insisted on searching the vehicles, there was initial resistance from the driver” Adamu said.

The driver of the vehicle, Bashar Mustapha said he loaded passengers and goods from Gusau Park and was heading to Magami but was intercepted at Dangulbi by the CPG who are on routine patrol.

He confirmed that the weapons were found on his vehicle but noted that the items belong to a female passenger who boarded the vehicle from Gusau.

The Zamfara State fiscal performance total revenue had a year-on-year growth

The Zamfara State fiscal performance has recorded a boost from 36th position in 2023 to 17th position in 2025 under Governor Dauda Lawal, a report by BudgIT has revealed.

This was revealed in the organisation’s 2025 State of States ranking released this week.

The report said Zamfara’s fiscal performance took a 13-step up in its fiscal performance ranking, 17th. It ranked 26th in 2024, the report said.

The state was ranked 36th in 2023 when Governor Lawal took over.

The state’s recurrent revenue increased by 182.34% from N87.44bn in 2023 to N246.88bn in 2024, while its total revenue had a year-on-year growth of 117.68%, moving from N144.95bn to N315.53bn. When IGR is compared to total revenue, the state’s IGR in 2024 is at 10.31% of the total revenue.

The report said that the positive fiscal performance index ranking means that Zamfara is one of the few states that “have comparatively limited dependence on federally distributed revenue for their operations and thus have greater viability if they were to theoretically exist as an independent entity.”

BudgIT is a civic organisation that uses creative technology to simplify public information, stimulating a community of active citizens and enabling their right to demand accountability, institutional reforms, efficient service delivery and an equitable society.

The report said the state recorded improvements in its IGR index. ‘Looking closely at the state’s IGR, Zamfara brought in N25.46bn in 2024, just 14.86% higher than the N22.16bn in 2023. In 2024, Zamfara’s IGR ranked 25th among the 36 states in the federation.”

It states that the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) revenue, one of Zamfara’s sources of income, “increased by 239.18% from N65.28bn in 2023 to N221.42bn in 2024.”

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BudgIT explained that “the IGR per capita stood at N4,364 as of the end of 2024,” adding that the state has managed to improve on its IGR moving from a record of N2.74 billion in 2015 to N25.46 billion in 2024 under Governor Lawal.

Zamfara’s non-tax revenue declined by 71.31% from N3.73 billion in 2021 to N1.07 billion in 2022, but “increased by 593.46% in 2023, with a record of N7.42 billion, and further increased to N12.91bn in 2024 under the Lawal’s administration, the report said.

Breaking down some components of its non-tax revenue, licences rose by 25.30% from N18.18 million in 2021 to N22.78 million in 2022, and grew by 5921.47% and 44.53% in 2023 and 2024 respectively.

Revenue earned from fees decreased by 93.90% between 2021 and 2022, and increased by 3610.57% and 88.24% in 2023 and 2024, moving from N82.44mn in 2022 to N3.06bn in 2023 and N5.76bn in 2024. Fines declined by 78.15% in Zamfara.

The BudgIT report also explained that “There were notable changes in the state’s health and education spending between 2022 and 2024. While health sector spending and spending per capita increased over the years, its spending performance declined significantly. With a spending of N4.29bn in 2022, it increased to N5.74bn in 2023 and further increased to N11.88bn in 2024.”

The Zamfara Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has announced a six per cent reduction in road accidents compared to 2024 in the state.

This was disclosed to newsmen in Gusau, the state capital, by the Sector Commander, Aliyu Ma’aji, during a press briefing to flag off the 2025 Ember Months Campaign in the state.

The Sector Commander explained that in 2025, the Corps recorded 46 road crashes compared to 56 accidents recorded in 2024, which he said accounts for a decrease of 6.27 per cent.

According to Ma’aji, in 2024, road crashes claimed the lives of 51 persons and injured 259 others, noting that the mixed loading of goods, animals, and passengers in trucks largely caused the casualties.

The Sector Commander noted that the theme of this year’s campaign, “Take Responsibility for Your Safety: Stop Distracted Driving,” reinforces the view that human factors are the major causes of road crashes.

He lamented that drivers were largely responsible for most crashes on the highways, saying that records showed the major causes included driver fatigue, overloading of passengers, conveyance of passengers in haulage vehicles, and travelling with fuel in plastic containers.

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Ma’aji added that the Corps had mapped out formidable strategies to achieve its desired outcomes in the 2025 end-of-year campaign.

The Guardian reports that the FRSC has attributed the deaths of more than 3,400 people in road crashes across Nigeria between January and September 2025 to driver recklessness and poor road use practices.

Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed disclosed the figures in Abuja on Monday during the launch of the 2025 Ember Months Public Enlightenment and Sensitisation Campaign, themed “Take Responsibility for Your Safety: Stop Distracted Driving.”

According to Mohammed, 3,433 people lost their lives and 22,162 others were injured in 6,858 reported crashes within the first nine months of the year. He noted that many of the crashes were preventable.

The records showed that the major causes of these crashes were linked to driver fatigue, overloading of persons, conveyance of persons in haulage vehicles, and travelling with fuel in plastic containers,” he said.

“Apparently, driver behaviour is a fundamental element in determining safety on our highways.”

He explained that the Ember Months campaign was designed to raise awareness about the dangers of reckless driving, particularly during the festive period when crash rates tend to increase. The campaign will run from December 15 to January 15.

 END

Governor Dauda Lawal has reiterated his administration’s commitment to building a modern, technology-driven Zamfara State.

The Governor declared the computer appreciation course for Commissioners and Special Advisers open at the Government House in Gusau on Tuesday.

A statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, disclosed that the retreat is a clear commitment to repositioning Zamfara State for innovation, transparency, and efficiency.

The statement added that the Computer Appreciation Training is a high-level retreat organized by the Zamfara Information and Communications Technology Agency (ZITDA).

In his remarks at the opening, Governor Lawal noted that the training on computer appreciation represents a key step toward achieving that vision.

“Our goal is to ensure that every arm of government operates with the efficiency and precision that technology enables.

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“This initiative is both timely and strategic. We live in an era where technology is transforming every aspect of governance.

“From how we plan and make decisions, to how we communicate and deliver services to our citizens. In this digital age, competence in basic computing is no longer optional; it is essential for effective public service delivery.

“ZITDA has initiated essential digital reforms, including the Zamfara e-Governance Platform (e-GovConnect), the Digital Literacy Framework, and partnerships with global tech companies to boost digital skills in the state. This training empowers senior government officials with the tools needed for effective leadership.

“I urge all participants to take this program seriously. The knowledge you acquire here should be applied in your respective ministries and offices to improve productivity, accountability, and service delivery.

“Our citizens deserve a government that is smart, connected, and responsive — and that, ladies and gentlemen, begins with us. Therefore, know now that at the end of this exercise, there will be a test of what you have learned, and it will form part of the skill development component of your performance appraisal.”

 The Polio Emergency Operations Centre in Zamfara said over 2 million children have been vaccinated against measles and rubella diseases in the state.

Dr Murtala Salahudeen, the Incident Manager in charge of the Centre, disclosed this in Gusau on Saturday at the press conference to mark World Polio Day.

Salahudeen further said that over 1.8 million children from 0-59 months in the state have been vaccinated against the polio virus.

He described the achievement as a great step in the protection of children from deadly but preventable diseases.

“You know, today is an important day to create awareness among the general public on the significant threats of polio to the socioeconomic development of the society.

“Part of today’s activities, we review achievements and challenges in the fight against polio and other killer diseases.

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“Based on various measures taken by the state government in collaboration with development partners, especially the World Health Organisation (WHO), we have recorded tremendous achievements in Zamfara,” the manager said.

Salahudeen said that the successes were a result of the commitment of the state government and the strong partnership with all the stakeholders.

“The declaration of emergency in the health sector by Gov. Dauda Lawal contributed to the various successes.

“The state government, in collaboration with the partners, ensured active technical support and necessary funding from the government to provide polio eradication vaccines,” he declared.

According to him, the WHO, UNICEF, Chigari, Sultan and Salina Foundations had contributed to reaching out to many hitherto unvaccinated children.

“WHO had provided significant funding and logistics support to reach out to communities.

“The WHO, UNICEF and other partners were also able to provide technical support and capacity building to the implementation of routine immunisation activities across the 14 LGAs.

“The state government ensured active collaboration by providing all the needed health personnel, facilities and good working environments towards eradicating polio,” the manager explained.

According to Salahudeen, following a strong collaboration between the state government and the security agencies, many hard-to-reach areas were accessed.

“We were able to vaccinate the children even in the nomadic communities,” he said.