Zamfara Students Missed WAEC, NECO For 2 Years Due To N3.2bn Debt – Governor

Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has disclosed that students in the state missed West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) exams for two years due to N3.2bn debt inherited by his administration.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Lawal lamented the dire situation he met upon assuming office in May 2023.

According to the governor, his administration has since settled the debts, enabling students to write their exams.

“We had to settle WAEC and NECO debts to the tune of N3.2 billion. We’ve worked on over 450 primary and secondary schools, and some tertiary institutions. We were always at the bottom, but I’m happy to say things are changing,” the governor said.

Lawal also revealed that his administration inherited huge liabilities, including N13.6bn in pension arrears dating back to 2011.

However, he said his administration has been able to settle all pension and gratuity without borrowing, using the state’s internally generated revenue.

Lawal attributed the state’s financial woes to mismanagement under the previous administration, challenging his predecessor’s camp to provide verifiable evidence to contradict his claims.

The governor also revealed that the state is still paying over N1.2 billion monthly in debt deductions, with no visible projects to show for it.

“Go and check with the Office of the Accountant-General and the Debt Management Office. We are still paying over N1.2 billion monthly through direct deductions. Yet, there are no visible projects to show for all that spending,” he said.

Despite the challenges, Lawal assured that his administration is committed to transforming the state’s education sector and infrastructure.

He noted that every local government area in Zamfara is now witnessing significant development projects, with each of the 14 local governments having projects worth between ₦5 billion and N10bn.