The million dollar question on the lips of many Nigerians is why is former Governor Abdul Aziz Yari of Zamfara State after the incubent governor of the state, His Excellency, Governor Muhammad Bello Matawalle?
During the 2019 general elections, if former Governor Abdulazeez Yari had succeeded in installing his own successor at the expense of more qualified party candidates, he could have become untouchable.
No one could have known about the 10 million naira he has been paying himself monthly as upkeep allowance after leaving office.
But rather fortunately or unfortunately, Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle took over the administration of Zamfara State after the outcome of a monumental 2019 general elections.
Although, he met multiple of crises especially in the area of security, education and health, his immediate concern was to address the security issues which was at a point of societal breakdown. The first few months of his administration was occupied with addressing this security issue which brought peace to Zamfara State after eight years of escalating banditry which has since claimed over 6,000 innocent lives, widowed more than 5,000 women and orphaned more than 25,000 children.
The rot in health and education sector was equally monumental. The hospitals in the state were in a very sorry state. This is in spite of the fact that rural areas do not even have dispensaries to address their primary health demands.
Governor Matawalle, in less than two years has built hospitals and also improved the existing ones in the state by providing them with many of their requirements which included drugs and brand new ambulances.
In spite of the unparalleled efforts of Governor Matawalle in bringing lasting peace to the state, pockets of insurgency continued to persist so also has schemes, evil machineries and bad press has been directed at him so as to batter his soaring reputation.
Upon Intelligence report, Governor Bello Mohammed once had a cause to issue former Governor Abdulazeez Yari a stern warning against inciting upheavals whenever he visited home.
The ex-Zamfara State Governor who is currently involved in over a billion naira scandal involving cash deposits in bank accounts that he can’t account for, after failing to win in its dirty machinations to create scandal using the former IGP M. D. Abubakar Committee on finding lasting peace to the lingering security crises which they mismanaged for nearly a decade, is still after Governor Matawalle.
It is worthy of note that the administration of Governor Bello Matawalle has called times without number to examine the role of bitter politicians in the complexity of escalating rates of banditry in the state yet, it seems those destructive elements do not want to persist.
Little by little, Yari’s camp is being decimated and his loyalist denying him but he has vowed to scheme his ways back to power by any means available.
For those who thought Governor Matawalle was being political with the issue of security in the state, it became crystal clear that the hands of bitter politicians who are at work in the zig-zag path to finding a lasting peace from the menace of banditry and other criminality which, before the coming of Matawalle, was a comfortable ally of the previous administration in the state was exposed.
Security operatives found indisputable evidence of Dan Makau’s ally, Alhaji Abu Dan Tabawa in glaring secret meeting with recalcitrant bandits (thanks to the sophisticated CCTV cameras installed by Matawalle) and is now under extensive interrogation with the state security operatives.
That his allies and political platforms are disassociating with him wasn’t Matawalle’s handiwork; rather just like one of the leaders of such platform, APC Social Media Forum, Comrade Aminu Mohammed Kaura (Lecturer) and Comrade Ahmed Mohammed Janbako said; “Our decisions to dump our former party, the APC and join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was as a result of the leadership qualities of Governor Bello Matawalle.”
“We decided to dump our former master Alhaji Abdul Aziz Yari and his party the APC because of the way and manner Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle is handling the security situation of the state”.
“As a result of his leadership qualities and his efforts in tackling the insecurity challenges in the state, the economic activities have since gotten a face-lift.”
One important questions every well meaning Nigerians and the good people of Zamfara to ask the former Governor is; What happened to Zamfara State bailout he collected to pay workers liabilities?
Where did Yari Develop with billions of Paris Club fund he collected?
All the 36 State’s Governors received billions of Naira from the Federal Government, then to settle the immediate liabilities in their various states as directed by president Muhammadu Buhari but, sadly, the former Zamfara State Governor Abdul Aziz Yari and his brother Koguna the former Finance Commissioner did not pay any leave entitlements to the workers and other liabilities for 8 harrowing years until Gov. Matawalle came on board and settled some of the liabilities.
That Abdulaziz Yari has now become a perpetual guest of the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has no political undertone. He has to answer for the offenses he committed while in power.
Yari was said to have monies domiciled in Zenith and Polaris Banks.
While $56, 056.75 was lodged in Polaris Bank account, the sums of N12.9 million, N11.2 million, $301, 319.99; N217, 388.04 and $311, 872.15 were kept in different Zenith Bank accounts in the name of Mr Yari and his companies.
Matawalle wasn’t the one that invited the EFCC arrest him, so why is he after the Governor?