Bello Matawalle, minister of state for defence, has reacted
to corruption allegations levelled against him by the Zamfara government.
Matawalle served as governor of Zamfara from 2019 to 2023.
He lost his re-election bid to Dauda Lawal, governor of the
state, who was candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Recently, the Zamfara government accused Matawalle of
embezzling billions of naira from the state cargo airport project.
The state government alleged that the former governor
directed the ministry of local government to withdraw N1 billion from the local
government joint account on October 25, 2021, and to pay N825 million to the
contractors without any valuation.
The state government also alleged that Matawalle approved
100 percent payment of over one billion naira for fencing, landscaping, and
furnishing of governor’s lodges in 14 LGAs.
The former governor was also accused of other forms of
financial recklessness.
MATAWALLE SPEAKS
Speaking in an interview with DCL Hausa, the former Zamfara
governor accused Lawal of sponsoring lies against him, adding that the
challenges in the state did not begin with his administration.
Matawalle claimed that the allegations are designed to
initiate his removal as minister.
The former governor accused Lawal of destroying his legacies
in order to humiliate him as a governor who did not work for the people of the
state.
“On the issue of the
airport road, after Dauda became governor, he deceived the people by saying he
was going to repair the airport road, only for him to take a bulldozer there
and scrap the road we already constructed,” he said.
“He did that to humiliate me and to say Matawalle did not
work in the state. He did the same thing with Ruga. We did everything, and
invested money but he destroyed the Ruga.
“He should know that he didn’t do that to me but cheated the
people of Zamfara.
“He also cheated himself because he took an oath to protect
the lives and properties of the people of Zamfara.
“Just one of the airport roads, it cost over N4 billion but
he came out lying about everything.
“He also destroyed our infrastructural projects in the state
just so he could come out and lie against me.
“I heard what he said
about state education. I have the documents but he refused to understand
because he is so blinded trying to humiliate me.
“Sponsoring people to lie and say despicable things about me
won’t push your agenda of me being removed as a minister.”
Matawalle said Lawal loathes the fact that he was appointed
minister by President Bola Tinubu.
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