In this interview, Governor of Zamfara State, Dauda Lawal speaks on his agricultural revolution, insecurity challenges and other issues bedeviling the state. Excerpts:
What are the reasons behind your agricultural revolution?
We just distributed fertilizer across the state, but we didn’t flag off in the capital city of Gusau. This is supposed to go round all the farmers across the 14 local government areas up to the ward level. As you rightly know, Zamfara is an agrarian economy. We basically fed this nation in the past.
Yes, we are having the challenge of insecurity now, but that doesn’t mean we should just sit down and do nothing. For me, being an agrarian state, there’s a need to help these farmers, and part of which was what we did recently by distributing these fertilizers across the 14 local government areas.
What we did was to set up a committee which includes the honorable Commissioner for Agriculture, the sole administrators, the police, DSS, civil defence, and traditional rulers to make sure this fertilizer goes round to the needy farmers. And I have absolute confidence that this will be done. This is not the first time we did this. During the dry season, we usually gave fertilizers free, as well as other farming implements, including seedlings, insecticides, and modern technology that will increase productivity. And this is ongoing, and I believe it is a step forward to assist the needy farmers.
What is your production target?
Well, let me say this, we are looking at how to enhance productivity. That is number one. Number two, by making sure you give incentives to farmers it will help them in terms of the yields in a situation where they normally produce very minimal.
What we are trying to do right now is to optimize that production, and that will go a long way in helping the farmers, and we are on the right track. Let me make a categorical statement here that Zamfara is an agrarian economy prior to all these insecurity challenges. Zamfara used to feed the entire South West in terms of food production, not just food production, but also cash crops, including cotton and the rest of it. And that is what we are known for.
However, with the challenges in insecurity, it has slowed down the process, and what we are trying to do right now is we are trying to defy those challenges by making sure we encourage farmers to go back to their farmlands and produce more. We are also handling this registration in states to make sure they have the ability to farm in their farmland. And that is exactly what we are doing. And I believe by doing this, it will increase production of agricultural products, or rather, the productivity will be higher than before.
Remember, in those days, we were using the traditional method of farming, but now with modernity and technology, we are bringing new tools that will increase productivity in agriculture. And if we sustain this, I believe it is the right way, and I believe it will help the farmers a long way, and the yield will be higher than it used to be in the past.
We are trying to change the narrative now, from a state known for so much insecurity issues to a state where productivity will be the way forward, and that is why we are doing all these, including the distribution of fertilizers and other farming implements so that we can help the needy farmers, and that is ongoing like you saw the other day.
As a banker, are you just helping the farmers in Zamfara State to be able to feed themselves? Are you not also thinking of getting the whole nation to feel the effect of the agricultural strides that you are making?
It is a combination of two factors. Number one, the ability of the farmers to produce food for sustenance. That is one; two, there is another group of farmers that are beyond just for sustenance, they are also doing that for commercial purposes.
What we are doing right now is the palliative, what we are giving is for the small farmers, in order for them to be able to produce what they can eat in the moment. However, the large scale farmers also will have a different approach in terms of how they enhance or how they increase them to grow beyond just sustenance, but it’s also for commercial purposes.
For example, we scale them in different groups; the similar ones are the ones just for subsistence, while the other side is the ones for commercial activities. So the two go hand in hand, and that is exactly what we’re doing. And I believe by doing that, with this entire crisis we’re facing in the country, shortage of food here and there, it will reduce the effects.
You are a mining state, though Zamfara is not benefiting from it. But in terms of agricultural produce, what produce will you actually want to be noted for?
It is a combination of maize, sodium, rice, cotton, beans and so on. Basically, we grow everything in Zamfara State. There is nothing that we don’t grow in Zamfara. So, like I said, we’re doing this in two stages. One is for subsistence farming, for food production, which is just for consumption, and then the other one is for the commercial quantity. And the two go hand in hand.
What is the security situation and how are you helping farmers go back to their farmlands?
What we are trying to do right now is to change the narrative. Yes, whenever you hear about Zamfara, it’s about insecurity or negative things, in education, poverty and so on. But what we are trying to do right now is to change that negative perception to a positive one.
Now, the issue of insecurity is something that we inherited for over a decade, and it is not something that I will say, we are going to solve overnight. However, we are making conscious efforts to make sure we face these security challenges head on, and it’s part of the reason why last year, we set up the Community Protection Guard which are working hand in hand with the conventional security personnel in terms of combating this banditry and other criminal activities that are taking place in the state. And I will say that it has gone down drastically.
Quite a number of people now are able to go to their farms. And what we are doing right now, in conjunction with the CPG as well as other conventional security agencies, is to make sure people are able to harvest their farm outputs without any form of fear or attack. That would at least douse a lot of tension with respect to acute poverty that the state is facing, the lack of food and so on. Like you said, also it is a state that has a lot of potential.
In fact, I will confidently say that in terms of solid minerals, Zamfara has the highest mineral deposit in the country. And what we are doing right now is putting all the necessary structures in place in terms of getting investors who invest in the mining sector, and they will also go a long way in terms of elevating some of the major challenges we are facing in the state in terms of infrastructure, in the area of education, in the area of health, and so on.
For example, recently, you saw what we did in Kaura Namoda, one of the hospitals there was upgraded to make sure healthcare is given the necessary attention. And we are actually doing that in Arabic education; right now we have over 350 schools across the state that we are innovating, rebuilding, and we are also building capacity. So with all these changes taking place, it has considerably brought down the insecurity issue, and we are changing the narrative in the state.
We are the least in terms of infrastructure, and we’re doing so much now to make sure we have adequate roads, clean water supply and so many other things. So it’s an ongoing process. We are just barely one year in office, but I’m telling you, the narratives are changing for the better, and I’m hoping that this will continue, so that people will enjoy the dividends of democracy in Zamfara State as well as Nigeria at large.
“We understand the system. We know where the issues are, and I’m happy now that there’s a synergy between us and is making a positive impact in terms of reducing insecurity in the state, and I hope it will continue so that banditry and all the criminalities will be a matter of history”
Some people don’t believe your tactics, how are you taking on some of these multi- pronged issues related to security?
Let me make a categorical statement here. I did not appoint Bashir Hadejia as a Special Adviser. If you look at the letter with the dates, you know something is fishy somewhere, and we issued a statement that we have nothing to do with that, that was a forged letter. And all my advisers…whenever I appoint Advisers, I inform the media that I appointed X, Y, Z in different positions.
And I challenge anybody to show me where we made that kind of statement. We are very transparent in everything we do. There was never anywhere we mentioned that we appointed Hadejia as an Adviser. But check every other Adviser that was appointed in Zamfara, the news is out there in the media. So that is something political. And we made a categorical statement that we have nothing to do with it, and we stand by it.
Now coming back to the issue of the security, we are making conscious efforts, and there is a kind of collaboration now between the state government and the Office of National Security Adviser as well as Ministry of Defence, working together to make sure we achieve the kind of our desired objective for the state in terms of insecurity. And this is all that we have been saying in the past. Let there be collaboration between the Federal Government and the state government. We live here. We understand the system. We know where the issues are, and I’m happy now that there’s a synergy between us and is making a positive impact in terms of reducing insecurity in the state, and I hope it will continue so that banditry and all the criminalities will be a matter of history.
Has the political dynamics to the insecurity in Zamfara been flushed out, or are they still there?
Despite all the challenges we are facing from the opposition; let me also make a categorical statement that the security in the state has improved drastically. People now are going about their businesses. In fact, your crew is here, they can testify to the fact that things have improved in terms of insecurity.
Are you under pressure following the August nationwide protest? We understand that you are working to show the people that you are really in for a good deal?
I’m not under any pressure right now. All I’m doing is, doing the right thing, bringing governance to people, and that is why we are making conscious efforts to make sure we take care of security issues. We are taking it very seriously in the area of education, where we are seriously disadvantaged. We are also making a conscious effort to make sure that our students go to school. And from the recent happening in terms of the gifted students, you agree with me that we in Zamfara became number two after Anambra State. That is to show you that we are making significant progress in Arabic education and so other sectors. And that is exactly what we are also doing in the area of agriculture by helping the farmers in a little way, reducing waste and increasing productivity in the area of agriculture.
The same thing in the health sector, if you go around the state now, we can comfortably say that we have about five hospitals that have been upgraded to standard hospitals. So, that is something. For the local governments, yes there may be issues here and there, but we are all in it together, and all we are doing is to make sure we have the best for our people, and we will continue to do that.
What lessons have you learnt from the August nationwide protests?
The lesson for me here is, it is always good for people to express themselves so that leaders will be in check. Now, the experience about the protest shows concern, and I mean, as a responsible government, we look at the issues and try to find solutions to some of these problems. Because if you don’t hear from the people, it means something is fishy somehow, but it’s always good for people to express themselves.
I can also say that in Zamfara, it was very peaceful, especially the first week. There wasn’t any issue. It’s okay, we are handling the situation but people should always speak. Yes, it is allowed. At least that will also make some of us to be in our right position to remember that we have responsibility as leaders, and we are expected to deliver good governance. I can tell you also in Zamfara, we are very transparent in everything we do. We are concerned about the people, and we will continue to deliver democracy dividends to them.
