The essence of government anywhere is the security of lives and property of the citizens, which can only be realised through good governance.
“Good governance according to scholars is the process of measuring how public institutions conduct public affairs and manage public resources and guarantee the realization of human rights in a manner essentially free of abuse and corruption and with due regard for the rule of law.”
Governance which is a system that provides a framework for managing organisations identifies who can make decisions, who has the authority to act on behalf of the organisation and who is accountable for how an organisation and its people behave and perform.
Scholars also identified corruption, deception, and the adoption of unfair policies as examples of bad governance whic result in other expressions of inadequate management with varying degrees of severity and potential influence in their respective settings have devastating consequences on the governed.
According to Barry Buzan and Copenhagen scholars’ approach” which was characterized by dealing with all aspects of the security phenomenon states “in addition to the inclusion of the social factors of security, presented an expanded concept of security to include new sectors besides the military one (political, economic, societal, and environmental). Buzan believes that “these five sectors do not work in isolation from each other, but they weave together a strong network of interdependence.
According to Buzan, the state is formed by three components, the idea of the state (nationalism), the physical base of the state (people, resources, and technology), and the institutional framework of the state (political and administrative system).
It is disheartening to note how the administration of Governor Dauda Lawal Dare has failed to provide good governance with a system that provides a framework for managing organisations through the process of measuring how public institutions conduct public affairs and manage public resources and guarantee the realization of human rights in a manner essentially free of abuse and corruption and with due regard for the rule of law. This is why the government also failed to identify who can make decisions, who has the authority to act on behalf of the government and who is accountable for how the government and its functionaries behave and perform. Corruption, deception, and the adoption of unfair policies which are all examples of bad governance have characterized the government of Governor Dauda Lawal Dare.
It is also on record that since the assumption in office as the Gov of the state, Dauda Lawal Dare has never spent seven days in a week in the state. To him, pursuing his private business both in Nigeria and abroad is more important than the lives and property of the citizens of Zamfara.
Going by the above yardstick, one is not surprised at the ongoing wave of kidnappings, attacks, killings and maiming of innocent people across villages and towns in the North West Zamfara State almost on daily basis, which has now turned Zamfara State a ‘Killing Field.’
From the time Dauda Lawal ascended the throne of Zamfara leadership to date, no fewer than 300 (three hundred) attacks, 139 kidnappings were carried out by the bandits, killing over two thousand innocent people across the state, leaving thousands others widows and orphans.
This has caused further damages and confusion amongst the innocent people across the state, particularly amongst the members of the rural and farming communities. The resultant of which agricultural and other notable economic activities could not be conducted during the last farming season. This has lead to increased food insecurity, fuelled banditry, unemployment,lack of social and political cohesion amongst members of various groups in the state.
The Gov who since his inauguration on May 29th, has never stayed complete one week in the state for a complete one week, has failed to put up his government structure and the institutional framework that will will bring focus and direction to the government to ensure fighting the banditry headon, left the state in the hands of consultants who have no any knowledge of the state political terrain and culture, hired to help him loot the state resources.
The governor’s absenteeism which is seriously affecting the federal government zeal, commitment and determination to end the menace of the rural banditry also left the helpless vulnerable people at the mercy of the Carlos and babaric bandits leading to the establishment of more IDPs camps all over the the state.
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 responsive to the yearnings and the needs of the people.
That leader who primarily concentrate on vendetta and witchunting of those he perceived his enemies, heating the state polity is certainly not the type of leader Zamfara State requires. Deducing from his first comment immediately after his inauguration, where he categorically made it clear that he was not going to give any listening ear to anyone in the state, irrespective of one’s age, status and responsiveness, noting that he became the governor of the state without the influence or financial support of anybody, one can say the type of governance DaudaLawal Dare is going to provide to the people of the state. This firm stance of the Gov which also set him against even those who are considered elderstatemen has caused further damage between the Gov and all those who wouldhavegivenhim support and cooperation to make it easier for him to deal with the current insecurity of the state. This is why the government is being ran by a team of consultants with the Gov as sole administrator.
This is why the government vehemently rejected and refused to provide the traditional fasting and sallah welfare packages for the vulnerable and less privileged, the orphans, the traditional and religious leaders, state civil servants and other categories of beneficiaries of these Ramadan and Sallah welfare packages as was the case in the past. The insult and disgrace the Gov recently subjected the state religious leaders is undoubtedly expected from the administration of the absentee strong-headed and stubborn Gov.
Dauda has turned himself into a sole administrator, running the state like his private company. This is why he has been concentrating on massive drive in search of the previous administration’s faults and wrong doing to cover up his failure to tackle the worsening insecurity of the state. Dauda Lawal who proclaimed that his government came to rescue Zamfara State is now in dilemma, confusion amongst other accidents in governance. This is why he ended up borrowing the giant strides of former Gov Matawalle ranging from recruitment of Community Protection Gusrds to banning of illegal mining activities in the state. This is in addition to the closure of markets and roads in various parts of the state.
Some of the big questions many people of the state are asking are: ” Why is it that most of the major attacks and abduction are being carried out in the state are done whenever the Gov returned from his private business trips?” Why is the leader of Yan sakai is ……. What happened to Aminu Gusau, the man who was arrested for killing and …
* Dosara, a journalist, writes from Gusau
