A recent review of the Yobe State budget performance document has revealed that Governor Mai Mala Buni spent a whopping N600 million on three generator sets between January and September 2024. The expenditure, which was posted on the state government’s website, was incurred for the purchase of “1no 500KVA Mikano Generator for Government House in Damaturu, 1no 800KVA Parkins Generator for Maternal and Child Centre and 1no 500KVA Caterpillar Generator for Specialist Hospital.”
The amount spent on each generator set was not disclosed, but the total expenditure for the three sets was put at N600 million. Furthermore, a check by SaharaReporters revealed that the government also spent N1.1 billion on stoves and cooking gas “for distribution to the public to reduce pressure on fragile ecosystem, deforestation and emission of GHGs.”
The massive expenditure on generator sets and cooking gas has raised eyebrows, given the state’s security challenges. Yobe State has been plagued by terrorism, which has resulted in the loss of thousands of innocent lives and the destruction of property worth millions of naira, including places of worship. In September 2024, terrorists killed over 100 persons in Mafa village, highlighting the need for urgent attention to the state’s security situation.
