Yari Replies Dambazau: It’s Shameful You’ve Failed As Interior Minister

The brickbats between Interior Minister, Abdulrahman Dambazau, and the governor of Zamafara State, Abdullaziz Yari, reached a new height on Friday after the latter described the minister as having failed in his line of duty.

Retired General Dambazau had during the 67th International Press Institute Congress on Thursday lampooned Governor Yari for allegedly failing in his duty to deliver good governance to the people of Zamfara.

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The minister had said this after Yari reportedly said his designation as the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of his state is ‘‘just a name” as he has no control of the security apparatus in the state.

“We have been facing serious security challenges over the years, but in spite of being governor and Chief Security Officer of the state, I cannot direct security officers on what to do nor sanction them when they err,’’ said the governor while announcing his withdrawal as CSO of the state.

Reacting to the governor’s outburst, Dambazau had wondered if it is ‘‘good governance for the governor of Zamfara to say he is withdrawing as chief security officer. Even if he is given all the soldiers in the world, he can’t use those forces to deal with those issues.”

But responding, Governor Yari, in a statement by his spokesman, Mal Ibrahim Dosara, expressed regret that Mr Dambazau has ‘‘shamefully’’ failed as the minister of interior.

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The governor urged President Muhammadu Buhari to hold the “leadership of security organizations accountable (of killings) instead of officials blaming the Zamfara state government, despite committing billions to help our federal security personnel.”

Yari said, “Good governance is the final solution to the security challenges in Zamfara state. It is not the number of soldiers.

“It is not good governance for the governor of Zamfara state to say he is withdrawing as Chief Security Officer. Even if he is given all the soldiers in the world, he can’t use those forces to deal with those issues.

“Is the minister’s refusal to visit Zamfara as minister of interior who is in charge of internal security, to assess the situation there, listen to and address the complaints by the junior security personnel, sympathize with the people of Zamfara state and offer professional advice that is good governance?

“Is the minister’s inability to control the infiltration or influx of foreign agents with evil intentions into the country, paving ways for criminality, that is good governance?

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“Or is it keeping soldiers with him cleaning his shoes instead of sending them to the front line that is good governance?

“It is totally misleading and insulting to the intelligence of Nigerians to blame a state governor for the failure of security when he has no power and control over the deployment of troops to fight the bandits and protect lives.

“Most of the bandits and terrorists in Nigeria are foreign nationals, how do they find themselves in the country if the ministry of interior under Dambazau’s watch is carrying out its responsibilities efficiently and effectively?

“Is it not shameful on the part of the minister that internal security of this country under his watch become worrisome more than ever before?

“We are utterly surprised that the minister of interior should be blaming the victims of insecurity instead of making a case for Zamfara state for prompt and decisive action to defeat the armed bandits committing atrocities in the state.

“We should also like to ask the minister why he didn’t blame poor governance for terrorists attacks in other northern states or why he thinks state governments should be blamed when they have no power to order troops deployment.

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“Blaming the Zamfara state government by the minister is sheer blackmail, a diversionary ploy and an attempt to protect certain people from taking responsibility for their failure,” said the governor.

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