Don’t Allow Zamfara Airport Project To Be Derailed, Ex-PDP Youth Leader Tells Gov Lawal

Zamfara State governor, Dauda Lawal, has been advised to safeguard and complete the cargo airport project initiated by his predecessor, Dr. Bello Mohammed Matawalle.

A former youth leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Comrade Mubarak Shi’itu, gave the advice in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday.

According to Shi’itu, the advice was imperative against the backdrop that certain aides close to Governor Lawal were against the airport project.

Recall that the immediate-past governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, initially awarded the airport construction contract to AVIC International Engineering Limited for ₦11.4 billion. The government paid ₦3.5 billion (30% mobilization fee) to start work and an additional ₦2.3 billion (20% of the contract sum) due to the COVID-19 lockdown, totalling ₦5.8 billion paid for the project.

However, Governor Lawal revoked and reviewed the contract with the project cost jumping to ₦62.8 billion.

The former youth leader said it will be disastrous for a project considered as key to the promotion of trade and tourism in the state to be left half way and abandoned by the time this administration winds up at the end of its tenure.

He noted that in view of the criticisms and outcries that have greeted the review of the project at a cost many alleged was grossly exaggerated, there was the need for the governor to guide the progress of work jealously while also ensuring that it was completed within the timeframe stipulated in the contract terms.

“We know the controversy the project generated in the past Matawalle-led government up to the time our present governor Dauda Lawal took over, we are also happily aware that the project sum was reviewed upward from N11 billion to over N60 billion because of the concern the present governor has to complete it and the progress made so far.

“It will be highly disappointing to hear of an evil plan to sabotage or destroy government project especially like the gigantic cargo airport that will further take our dear state which has been battling with armed bandits for years backward.

“According to the information at our disposable, the planned destruction of the airport will then be blamed on bandits attack so that the government can have genuine reasons to discontinue the project after the billions that have been sunk in from the tax payers’ money.

“So, as staunch suppoters of PDP and governor Dauda Lawal, we will not fold our hands to allow the information to go unnoticed as we did during the recent Nigeria hardship and bad governance protest, where some of our youths were engaged by some of our leaders to destroy innocent citizens’ properties in the name of politics.

“If the governor feels he cannot complete the project as he assured or that the project sum is still not enough, he can review it again for the benefit of State’s citizens.

“As PDP patriotic members, we will continue to monitor and assess all government projects in order to ensure timely execution and quality job so as to avoid wasting of government resources,” he stated.

He said his reason for joining Lawal during his electioneering campaigns was to contribute his own quota to the development of the state.

“We are not going to support anything evil especially such that is aimed to destroy or organise crimes in the name of politics which is dirty.

“So, let Governor Lawal ensure the protection of all the public facilities in the state and avoid being accused of not doing the right thing,” Shi’itu stated.