A northern youth advocacy group, Arewa Youths for Democracy and Development (AYDD), has raised the alarm over the declining state of healthcare in Zamfara, accusing Governor Dauda Lawal’s administration of abandoning hospitals and worsening access to essential medical services across the state.
The group, in a statement issued on Sunday in Gusau, said general hospitals and rural clinics are now in a state of near-total collapse, with shortages of drugs, personnel, equipment, and even basic utilities like water and electricity.
“Today in Zamfara, pregnant women are asked to come with water and fuel to deliver their babies in public hospitals,” said AYDD President, Ibrahim Danladi Gwaska.
“This is a shameful indicator of failure in governance. Instead of fixing the system, the governor reportedly seeks medical attention abroad, leaving the poor at the mercy of crumbling facilities.”
According to the group, the collapse of the health sector is just one example of a broader breakdown in governance since Governor Lawal assumed office in May 2023.
It accused the administration of reversing developmental gains and plunging the state backward by at least six years.
“There is no clear health policy, no investment in medical infrastructure, and no recruitment of health workers to replace those who have left. Zamfara’s healthcare crisis is man-made and must not be ignored,” Gwaska said.
The AYDD further accused the Lawal administration of similar failures in education, security, infrastructure, and youth empowerment.
It said the state’s security situation has worsened, with armed bandit attacks becoming routine in Maru, Zurmi, Anka, Shinkafi, and Tsafe, while government officials remain silent.
“Rural Zamfara continues to burn. People are killed and displaced, yet there’s no coherent response from the state government. Governor Lawal promised to end the bloodshed, but the reality today is tragic,” the group said.
On education, the group claimed many schools in Bakura and Bungudu operate without chairs, chalk, or functioning classrooms. Teachers, it said, are either owed salaries or have left their posts due to poor working conditions.
“Children sit on bare floors while the governor travels abroad to speak on education. It’s insulting,” the statement added.
The AYDD also decried the absence of youth-focused programmes, saying unemployment and drug abuse are on the rise while job creation efforts remain invisible.
According to the group, major road projects initiated by the previous administration have been abandoned, making it harder for farmers and traders to access markets and deepening the state’s economic woes.
The group urged the Zamfara State House of Assembly, traditional leaders, and civil society organisations to demand answers from the Lawal administration.
It vowed to launch a grassroots mobilisation campaign against the governor’s re-election bid in 2027 if conditions in the state do not improve.
“Zamfara people are not asking for miracles. We want leadership that listens, acts, and delivers. If Governor Lawal cannot provide that, he should be honest enough to say so. This state cannot afford another lost decade,” Gwaska said.