RE: BELLO TURJI VIDEO CLIP: MATAWALLE'S HANDS ARE CLEAN, RECONCILIATION GENUINE AND PERFECT

By Aminu Abdullahi Gusau.

Former governor of Zamfara state and minister of state for Defence Bello Muhammed Matawalle has reacted to a video clip that went viral, which was credited to one bandit kingpin in person of Bello, accusing the minister of aiding banditry in the state, says his hands are clean and reconciliation is genuine and perfect.

Matawalle who spoke through his spokesman and his former commissioner of information, Ibrahim Dosara, in a Press release signed and issued to newsmen in Gusau, said the video was concocted and poorly edited by unscrupulous elements whose interest has always been to tarnish the image of the minister 

The statement reads,
The attention of the immediate past Governor  of Zamfara State, Bello  Mohammed Matawallen Maradun, now Minister of state for Defence has been drawn to a viral video of a bandits kingpin, Bello Turji, concocted and poorly edited by some unscrupulous elements whose interest has always been to tarnish the hard earned image and reputation of the minister.

In the video, Bello Turji accused the former governor of injustice in the conduct of the reconciliation by the then Zamfara state government.

 However,  the failure of the audio and video in the clip to synchronise simultaneously is clear evidence of the desperation and unprofessionalism of the hired media  handlers. It was also a vivid indication that Turji himself was commissioned by them to make the video to smear the name of Matawalle. 
This was contained in a statement signed and issued to newsmen in Gusau, 

 This has been the antics of Zamfara and Nigeria's enemies of progress against Bello Matawallen Maradun, who was carefully chosen and nominated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to serve in his cabinet, and was vetted and confirmed by the nation's security agencies, and the Senate for position of Minister of State Defence.

The minister, despite his efforts and performance, was subjected to a series of attacks both within and outside Zamfara state by people who want to set him against the president. 

For the record, Bello Matawalle had handled Zamfara state as governor with all sense of humility, honesty, and justice.

 Even though Bello Turji's viral video was unprofessionally concocted and poorly edited, we are obliged to use this avenue to exonerate the immediate past government and its leader, Bello Matawalle from the said allegations in the following manner/ areas:

Before the Matawalle government embarked upon the reconciliation project, it met and consulted with all stakeholders, including the traditional rulers, the Fulani leaders, the bandits kingpins,  state legislators and security agencies. It was during the meeting that the agreement was reached for the government to engage the bandits' leadership into reconciliation, with a view to having lasting peace across the state. 

This, Matawalle and his government believed, would help farmers cultivate their farms to produce enough food and cash crops, as well creat environment for business, both within and from outside of the state.