By Abimbola Ogunnaike
Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has signed an Executive Order reducing the state government ministries from 28 to 16, just as he also paid theinherited backlog of workers’ salaries, including that of June.
The Governor’s spokesman, Sulaiman Bala Idris, who confirmed the development in a statement, said the reduction of the ministries is to cut wastage in government and eliminate duplication of functions.
According Idris, the Governor signed the Executive Order on Thursday, 6 July, 2023, at the Council Chambers of the Government House, Gusau, the state capital.
The newly approved ministries include: Agriculture; Budget and Planning; Science and Technology; Environment and Natural Resources; Finance; Health; and Commerce; Trade and Industry.
Others are: Information and Culture; Justice; Housing and Urban Development; Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs; Religious Affairs; Women Affairs and Social Development; Works and Infrastructure; Youth and Sports; Internal Security and Home Affairs.
In another development, the State Government has fully paid the inherited backlog of workers’ salaries, including that of June.
When he assumed office, the Governor had lamented the salary backlog, saying he met only N4 million in a government account.
“I have been running the affairs of the state on debt since I assumed office as Governor of Zamfara State. I met the treasury account of the state with no money. I only saw a single account with about N3 to N4 million in it,” he had told BBC Hausa in an interview.
“It is about three months now and we are yet to pay the salary of the workers. If you look at all the government agencies, the power supply to the buildings has been disconnected due to the hundreds of millions of debts incurred.
“The security agencies, for three months now, the allowance given to them for their daily operations has not been paid. Currently, students of senior secondary schools have not written their WAEC and NECO exams because the government is owing over one billion naira.”
