Zamfara State Government under the leadership of Governor Dauda Lawal has earmarked N7.2 billion for development projects across 375 communities in the state, under the Nigeria Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES), a World Bank-funded initiative. Deputy Governor Mani Mummuni disclosed this in Gusau on Tuesday while flagging off a free project implementation training programme for participants drawn from 158 communities across the state.

He explained that Governor Dauda Lawal had approved the N7.2 billion for various community development projects through the State Community and Social Development Agency (CSDA), adding that the funds would finance projects spanning health, education, water supply, agriculture and drainage, among others, across the state’s 14 Local Government Areas. The deputy governor noted that the projects would be implemented by Community Project Monitoring Committees (CPMCs) under the supervision of the CSDA, and reiterated the state government’s commitment to providing social amenities to vulnerable communities.

Mummuni urged participants to ensure transparency and accountability in managing resources for project execution in their communities, describing the initiative as part of Governor Lawal’s administration’s effort to extend the dividends of democracy to the people, especially at the grassroots level. He expressed confidence that the training under CSDA would encourage community participation in project implementation, while also promoting transparency, accountability, and commitment to the development of their communities.

In his remarks, the General Manager of CSDA, Umar Nakwada, revealed that the participants were drawn from CPMCs responsible for monitoring projects in their communities, and that the training was designed to sensitise them on effective project implementation. He stated that the training covered Batch A projects worth N3.2 billion, spanning 158 communities, and assured that the agency would ensure effective monitoring of all projects to be implemented by CPMC members in benefiting communities. Nakwada also commended Governor Lawal for his unwavering support in improving the livelihoods of grassroots communities.

Also speaking, the State NG-CARES Coordinator, Mukhtar Ibrahim, praised the Zamfara Government for its commitment to supporting the livelihoods of vulnerable households. He explained that NG-CARES aims to expand access to livelihood support, food security services, and grants for poor and vulnerable households and firms, focusing on three result areas: livelihood and social support, food security and agricultural value chain, as well as micro and small enterprises recovery. small enterprises recovery,” Ibrahim said.

His Excellency, Dr. Dauda Lawal, Executive Governor of Zamfara State, has approved a minor cabinet reshuffle involving three Honourable Commissioners as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen governance and enhance service delivery across the State.

Announcing the development, the Secretary to the Zamfara State Government, Malam Abubakar Mohammad Nakwada, stated that the redeployment is aimed at strategically repositioning key Ministries for greater efficiency and effective implementation of the Administration’s Rescue Agenda.

The affected Commissioners are:

I. Hon. Abdulrahaman Tumbido, redeployed from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources;
II. Hon. Kasimu Yahya Kaura, redeployed from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources to the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development; and
III. Hon. Tasiu Musa Shinkafi, redeployed from the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The redeployment takes immediate effect.

Governor Lawal has directed the affected Commissioners to ensure a smooth transition and complete all necessary handing-over processes within one week.

The Governor further charged them to bring renewed vigour, dedication, and innovation to their new assignments, while remaining focused on delivering tangible benefits to the people of Zamfara State in line with the objectives of the Rescue Agenda.

His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Zamfara State, Dr. Dauda Lawal, has officially approved the sum of N3.2 billion for the complete renovation, accreditation, and commencementof academic activities at the Zamfara State School of Nursing and Health Sciences, located in Zurmi Local Government Area. This was confirmed in an official statement released marking a major intervention in the state’s ailing healthcare education sector, which has suffered years of neglect and infrastructural decay.

According to government sources, the funds will be channeled into three critical areas: the overhauling of lecture halls, administrative blocks, student hostels, and practical demonstration labs to meet modern standards; the settlement of regulatory fees and implementation of curriculum upgrades required by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN); and enabling the school to admit its first batch of students in over five years, with a focus on midwifery, community health and general nursing. Speaking on the development, the state Commissioner for Health described the approval as a new chapter in healthcare manpower development, noting that the Zurmi school has remained non-functional for nearly a decade due to poor infrastructure and loss of accreditation.

Governor Dauda Lawal is not just renovating a school but rebuilding the backbone of primary healthcare delivery in Zamfara, adding that without trained nurses and community health workers, the state’s hospitals cannot function and that this N3.2 billion investment will change the narrative.

Residents of Zurmi and prospective students have greeted the news with excitement, with many having lost hope of ever seeing the institution reopen. Governor Dauda Lawal, who has made health sector revitalization a cornerstone of his administration, was quoted as saying that his government remains committed to accessible, quality education and healthcare across all 14 local government areas of the state, adding that no Zurmi child should travel hundreds of kilometers just to become a nurse. The state government has issued a directive to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education to ensure the project is completed within nine months, with accreditation visits scheduled to begin before the end of the current fiscal year.