Zamfara State governor, Bello Matawalle, has been in the news lately, following his recent calls for the Citizens of the State to bear arms in the wake of the senseless killing of innocent citizens and residents of the State.
Recall that after becoming governor on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2019, the Matawalle in July 2021 defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC). Although the PDP threatened to retrieve their “stolen” mandate from the ruling party, the governor defended his move, saying Zamfara needed to have federal government attention in stemming the tide of insecurity in the North-Western state.
However, Matawalle’s recent call to arms has been eliciting reactions from Nigerians of all walks of life, with some attributing his directive to an indication of a collapsed security system in the land.
Speaking to newsmen, former governor of Jigawa State and a PDP chieftain, Sule Lamido said Matawalle’s cry mirrors the failure of the ruling party to meet the expectations of Nigerians.
He said: “The governor of Zamfara was a PDP governor and he thought that he would be better secured in APC; because as a governor, his primary obligation is to preserve lives, and to him, that is why he left PDP for the APC.
“What he is doing now is a clear testimony to APC’s failure; because you are looking for succour, you are looking for security and you went and met death. So, in his desperation to secure his people, he can think anyhow, and we do not blame him for thinking that way.
“The whole thing seems completely impossible, but he is doing so out of desperation. It is a wrong approach. Getting people armed is not the best way because there are institutions in our constitution which are given the responsibility of securing Nigeria and its people”.
“He is someone who went looking for security and found none. It’s like you are running away from death and you found yourself in a coffin with a grave already dug”, he stated.
Observers have however said whether Matawalle has his prayers answered or not, what is crystal clear is that the level of insecurity in Zamfara State and everywhere in the country calls for urgent solutions.
