2026 budget: Zamfara to spend N87bn on health, N86bn on agric, N65bn on education

File photo: Governor Dauda Lawal, Zamfara State

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Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal yesterday presented a proposed N861 billion budget for the 2026, planning to spend N87 billion on health, N86 billion on agriculture, and N65 billion on education

The state would also spend N45 billion on public order and safety, N22 billion on environmental protection, and N17 billion on social protection.

Governor Lawal presented the budget estimates to the Zamfara State House of Assembly on Thursday in Gusau.

He said the budget serves as a roadmap for transformation and a declaration that Zamfara State will rise stronger.

A statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, revealed that the 2026 proposal has a capital expenditure of N714 billion, which accounts for 83% of the budget.

The statement also noted that the proposal has a recurrent expenditure of 147,279,945,000.00, which accounts for 17% of the budget.

In his remarks at the presentation, Governor Lawal reiterated that as a government elected on the promise of rescue, reform, and revival, his administration has worked tirelessly to restore trust in public institutions, rebuild critical sectors, and lay a strong foundation for sustainable progress.

He said, “The people of Zamfara State, who once despaired under neglect, now see visible light, progress, accountability, and renewed direction. The 2026 Budget of Stability and Growth represents the next chapter in this journey.

Budget presentation

“It is not merely a financial plan; it is a political commitment to entrench stability in governance and accelerate the growth our citizens yearn for, for it is crafted to deepen the gains achieved through our Six-Point Rescue Agenda; strengthening the security architecture, moderninzing agriculture for food security and prosperity, upgrading the healthcare system for every community, expanding access to quality education, accelerating infrastructural renewal, and empowering our youth, women and vulnerable populations. This Budget prioritizes inclusive development so that no ward, village, or community is left behind.

“Mr. Speaker, the 2026 Budget of Stability and Growth proposal reflects a politically strategic shift that aligns with the administration’s rescue agenda under my leadership. Our 2026 recurrent expenditure proposal of One Hundred and Forty Seven Billion Two Hundred and Seventy Nine Million Nine Hundred and Forty Five Thousand takes 17% of the proposed budget. It clearly demonstrates fiscal discipline and a responsible approach to public spending. It has ensured that personnel costs and other operational obligations are met without compromising our broader developmental agenda.

“When compared with the international public finance standard, which recommends that subnational governments’ recurrent spending remains at or below 60% of the total expenditure, Zamfara stands well within the acceptable boundaries. This is evidence that our financial management is not only improving but also aligned with global benchmarks of responsible governance.

“Honourable Members, the heart of this budget, and indeed the heart of the rescue mission, is our Capital Expenditure Plan. The 2026 proposal of Seven Hundred and Fourteen Billion Naira (which is 83% of the budget) marks a historic commitment to rebuilding infrastructure, strengthening security, revitalizing agriculture, and expanding opportunities for our youth.”

Governor Lawal further emphasized that none of these ambitions, from security to education, from agriculture to infrastructure, from civil service reform to economic revitalisation, can be achieved without political will, the unwavering commitment of the government, and the patriotic cooperation of this State assembly.

“Political will is the courage to make difficult decisions today for the sake of a better tomorrow; it is the strength to remain focused on the collective interest, even when distractions abound. Your continued support, understanding, and legislative partnership have been invaluable in advancing the rescue mission. Together, we have laid the foundation for a prosperous, secure, and progressive Zamfara State.

Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has said politically-motivated peace deal would not end the insecurity ravaging the North.

He stated that Zamfara firmly rejects any form of unregulated or politically-motivated peace initiative with violent non-state actors anywhere in the North-West, insisting that such parallel negotiations undermine constitutional authority, embolden criminal networks, compromise ongoing operations and create contradictory messaging across states.

“Peace without disarmament is deception. Reconciliation without enforceable control is surrender. Negotiations must come from a position of strength and be backed by superior force,” the governor said.

He said the scale and complexity of the crisis now transcend Zamfara and threaten the collective stability of the entire Northern region.

The governor said the insecurity ravaging the North-West carries broader implications for regional stability, food security, community resilience, and national sovereignty.

He stressed that frontline states must adopt a decisive, coordinated and intelligence-driven strategy to confront criminality at its roots.

“Zamfara continues to bear the heaviest weight of banditry in the North-West. The state is experiencing escalating killings and mass abductions, disruptions to farming and rural livelihoods, attacks on highways and border communities, displacement of thousands, and an erosion of public confidence and social cohesion,” he said.

Lawal noted that Zamfara serves as a strategic transit and operational base for multiple criminal networks, making its vulnerability a direct threat to Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Kaduna, Niger and beyond.

He warned that criminality in one Northern state inevitably spills into others, underscoring the need for a unified regional response backed by the Federal Government.

He urged Northern Governors to agree that any peace engagement must be state-led, security-aligned, intelligence-supported and fully coordinated across all member states.

Governor Lawal also proposed the establishment of permanently manned Regional Intelligence Fusion Units covering human intelligence, signals intelligence, aerial surveillance and inter-state early warning systems.

He called for synchronised land and air operations across forest belts shared by Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Kebbi and Niger.

The governor said Zamfara continues to invest heavily in supporting security formations through logistics, fuel, operational support, equipment maintenance, community intelligence networks, humanitarian assistance for displaced persons, and the strengthening of the State Security Council.

The Zamfara State Government has reaffirmed its dedication to improving nomadic education and addressing the pressing challenge of out-of-school children in the state.

The commitment was made by the Secretary to the Zamfara State Government (SSG), Malam Abubakar Mohammad Nakwada on Wednesday, while receiving the Zamfara State Agency for Nomadic Education in his office.

The agency, led by the Honourable Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Malam Wadatau Madawaki paid a courtesy visit to the SSG, during which awards of excellence were conferred to 23 individuals who demonstrated outstanding dedication and performance towards delivering the agency’s mandate.

The meeting was joined by the Emir of Kaura Namoda, Alh Sanusi Ahmad Asha, Emir of Bungudu, Alh Hassan Attahiru, and some leaders of the Fulani community among other critical stakeholders.

The agency, saddled with responsibility of providing quality basic education to nomadic communities in the state is currently managing 108 Nomadic Schools across the state, with student enrolment of 6,412 out of which 2,017, representing 31.5% were female.

The SSG emphasized that education is among the effective doses for preventing criminality, prompting Governor Dauda Lawal’s decision to declare a state of emergency on the education sector which has already started yielding results.

Malam Nakwada lamented that if the previous administrations and stakeholders had done the needful on the education sector, the state would have been much better off.

He further lamented the alarming number of out-of-school children, urging the Ministry of Education to put more efforts towards addressing the pressing challenge.

The SSG assured that the Zamfara State Government under Governor Lawal will not rest on its oars until the education sector is fully revamped.

Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the agency, Alh Bala Tafida expressed appreciation to the Governor Dauda Lawal for his commitment to improving quality education and for all the support being given to the agency for the actualisation of its mandate.

A member representing former Governor Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari’s constituency in Zamfara State House of Assembly, Shamsuddeen Hassan Basko, has defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The defection of Mr Hassan (APC, Mafara North), was announced on Thursday at the plenary by the Speaker of Zamfara State House of Assembly during the presentation of the 2026 proposed budget by Governor Dauda Lawal.

Mr Hassan’s defection is the latest blow to the APC and Senator Yari’s plummeting political influence in Zamfara state.

Mr Yari had contested to be Senate President of the 10th Senate over two years ago, but was roundly defeated by Senator Godswill Akpabio.

Mr Hassan said his defection was due to the deepening crises and poor leadership within the APC at both local government and state levels.

The lawmaker revealed his defection through a letter dated December 3, 2025, and addressed to the APC chairman of Galadima Ward, Talata Mafara Local Government, Zamfara State.

In the letter, titled, “Resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC)”, Mr Hassan said the endless crisis had hindered effective participation, and that he decided to step away to pursue commitments that align more closely with his political convictions and the development aspirations of the people he represents.

The letter reads, “After careful reflection of activities, crisis, divisions, sidelined and poor leadership of the party from local government and the state levels, I have decided to step away from active participation in the party.”

The lawmaker said his departure was necessary for the betterment of his constituents, even though he expressed gratitude for the opportunities and experiences gained during his time in the APC.

Mr Hassan told the ward leadership to consider the letter as his formal notice of exit from the APC, noting that he had forwarded the letter to the Zamfara State APC chairman and Talata Mafara Local Government APC chairman.

On November 28, 2025, a group called Human Rights Watchdog in Africa (HRWA) issued a press statement, signed by its Executive Director, Samson Adamu, calling on President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in Zamfara after accusing Governor Dauda Lawal of “pardoning and releasing convicted bandits.”

The HRWA’s statement, which was used by some sections of the media, claimed that Governor Dauda Lawal authorised the release of 69 convicted bandits in September through what it described as a “secret state pardon,” reportedly processed through the Zamfara State Zakat and Endowment Board, under a programme tagged “Religious Amnesty.”

The group further urged President Tinubu to invoke emergency powers under the Nigerian Constitution to suspend Lawal, overhaul the state’s security apparatus, and launch a federal probe into the alleged pardons.

“Strip away his authority before more blood is spilt. HRWA stands with the voiceless victims of Zamfara; we will not rest until accountability prevails,” Adamu said.

In order to verify this claim, this newspaper tried to obtain the original statement issued and signed by the Human Rights Watchdog in Africa, which was the source of the story published by some online platforms. However, this newspaper couldn’t get the original statement issued by the group.

Our correspondents tried to reach out to Samson Adamu, the so-called executive director of the group, who signed the statement according to the published stories. Checks with journalists in Zamfara, Kaduna and Abuja, where the purported statement was allegedly released, couldn’t yield any tangible result, as no journalist could confirm receiving any statement by the said group or from Samson Adamu.

Our reporters deployed open search tools to see whether the group has a registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) or any office, website, contact, or physical address. The results from the online searches were all negative.

This newspaper’s fact-check team has tried checking the identity of Samson Adamu through online tools. Like the group he purportedly represents, there was no name matching his online before November 28, 2025. He has no digital footprint or social media identity, nor any virtual or physical address or phone number.

The Human Rights Watchdog in Africa, it was found, first appeared in late November 2025, through news coverage in Nigeria for urging President Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in Zamfara State. Before this time, there was no mention of the organisation online or anywhere.

On the validity of the group’s claim, a team of fact-checkers deployed by this newspaper uncovered that the Zamfara State Zakkat and Endowment Board had facilitated the settlement of DEBTS and subsequent release of 909 inmates between 2024 and 2025.

This was revealed by the Executive Secretary of the board, Alhaji Habib Muhammad Balarabe, during the 2025 End-of-Year Activities held at the Board’s premises, Bypass, Gusau, recently.

Mr Balarabe said the board secured the freedom of 473 inmates in 2024 and this year released ₦67.2 million for the settlement of DEBTS owed by 436 inmates, bringing the total beneficiaries to 909 within two years.

The board also empowers 200 women small-scale business owners, who received ₦50,000 each, to strengthen their enterprises. Another set of 100 women were presented with starter packs, completing a three-week poultry production training to enable them to start their own businesses.

Checks with the officials of the Zakkat board have further revealed that their scope of humanitarian activities, which includes paying up the debts of persons convicted of civil cases, and have proven to be of worthy character while in prison, DIDN’T include bandits, who are convicted of criminal activities.

“We don’t have such a mandate. And no convicted bandit was pardoned or released. It is laughable for someone to say the Governor of Zamfara, who, time without number, declared publicly that he won’t negotiate with bandits, would turn back to release them from prison after their conviction. This is a huge joke,” the official, who was not authorised to speak to the press, said on Tuesday.

Further checks have shown that the Zakkat board paid the debts of the convicted debtors after a thorough process in collaboration with the officials of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS).

This newspaper has further confirmed that in the last two years, Governor Dauda Lawal has been consistent in insisting that his administration won’t negotiate with bandits.

On October 29, 2025, while serving as a guest lecturer to participants of the Executive Intelligence Management Course (EIMC) at the National Institute for Security Studies in Abuja, Governor Lawal warned against the ongoing federal government peace deal with bandits.

The governor further stressed that Zamfara State strongly frowns on the ongoing, unregulated peace efforts being undertaken in parts of the North-West with violent non-state actors.

“Dialogue can aid conflict management, but true peace requires disarmament, and reconciliation without control equates to surrender. Allowing armed groups to keep their weapons while setting peace terms simply delays violence and compromises state sovereignty.”

“At this crucial time, peace efforts should be strong, coordinated, state-led, and backed by legitimate authority. The State must show it has both the capacity and the will to enforce peace. Sustainable peace arises when armed actors acknowledge the rule of law and the Government’s commitment to protect its citizens.”

Lastly, our reporters reached out to Governor Lawal’s spokesperson, Suleman Bala Idris, to establish whether his principal had actually pardoned and released convicted bandits. Mr Idris said there was no time Governor Lawal pardoned or released any bandit.

He said, “The story is a juvenile work of fiction. It is a figment of the imagination of some failed politicians in Abuja whose political career is in jeopardy because of their links with bandits. As that haunts them, they would continue to catch straws, including manufacturing puerile lies, to tarnish the Rescue Mission revolution being undertaken by Governor Dauda Lawal in Zamfara state. It is a desperate attempt to distract Governor Lawal, but that has also failed, as it did before.”

After a thorough investigation by our fact-check directorate, it has been established beyond doubt that the Human Rights Watchdog in Africa (HRWA) and its executive director are fictitious. The claim that Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State had pardoned and released convicted bandits is found to be FALSE.

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