Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara state, yesterday, strengthened the operations of the Zamfara State Transport Company as he unveiled 50 new 18-seater buses.
Inaugurating the new buses, Governor Lawal said it marked a fulfillment of a promise and a legacy which demonstrated Zamfara State’s commitment to greatness and excellence.
Governor Lawal reiterated that the event marked a new chapter in Zamfara State’s journey, defined by a determination to leave behind the habits of waste and mismanagement and to embrace a new spirit of discipline, accountability, and progress.
He said, “Many have asked why it took time between the arrival of these buses and their proper deployment to commence operation? In the past, Governments might have rushed to inaugurate them immediately, content with the ceremonies of ribbon-cutting without addressing the deeper structures that ensure sustainability.
“But my administration is different. We do not rush where caution is required. We are not satisfied with mere symbolism when the substance of governance is at stake. That delay was deliberate.
“We chose to first put in place proper frameworks of accountability, monitoring, and management so that what you see here will last and will not descend into the fate that befell vehicles procured in years gone by.
“The history of public transport in Zamfara State is full of examples of neglect. Vehicles procured with public funds often ended up being diverted for private use, parked in the compounds of a select few, reduced to rubble by reckless driving, or abandoned because no maintenance plan had been implemented.
“What was meant for the masses became the toy of the few. We resolved that, under our watch, such misuse will never be tolerated again. These buses will remain on the roads, serving the people who paid for them with their trust, their taxes, and their hope.”
The governor stressed that his administration goes beyond procuring machines, saying the government invested in people.
“In recent months, Zamfara State Transport Company staff—including management, drivers, mechanics, ticketing officers, and admin workers—underwent a comprehensive capacity-building program. It focused on technical skills, ethics, service, and modern transport management methods.
“When transportation is broken, society is broken. By strengthening transportation, we strengthen the entire web of life in our state.
“Our Zamfara, in Northwest Nigeria, links to Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Kaduna, Abuja, Bauchi, and Gombe, serving as vital routes for commerce, education, healthcare, and social ties. Placing buses here improves local mobility and connects residents to the wider nation. Traders access broader markets, students attend institutions efficiently, families stay connected, and civil servants travel for work smoothly.
“As we commission these buses, I call upon the people of Zamfara to embrace them, to patronize them, to protect them. Public property must not be vandalized, abused, or neglected. A bus scratched, a seat torn, a window broken is not a loss to the Government but a loss to us all. Let us cultivate a new ethic of collective ownership. Just as these buses are public, so must our sense of responsibility be public.”
A statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, disclosed that the 50 brand-new commercial buses are air-conditioned vehicles designed to achieve dual purposes of comfort and safety.
Idris said the buses, equipped with cushioned interiors, featured reliable suspension for rough roads, as well as GPS tracking devices that enabled real-time monitoring of their location and performance.
