Residents and activists in Yobe State have criticised Governor Mai Mala Buni over a N300 million donation to the Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa Iqamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS), popularly known as Izala, for a proposed religious university.

Buni announced the donation on Sunday in Jos, Plateau State, during a one-day national symposium on “Enhanced Political Participation and Social Justice as a Panacea for Unity and Development in Nigeria,” organised by the group.

Critics questioned the priority of the donation amid ongoing challenges in education and healthcare across the state.Umar Yobe, a Peoples Democratic Party member, alleged that the funds came from the public purse without consultation. “N300 million was carelessly donated to Sheikh Jingir’s project from the public purse without anyone’s consent. He can’t afford a fraction of said amount outside power. This is how some people abuse power,” he said.

Activist KY Tebo highlighted difficulties faced by residents with kidney-related ailments in Bade and Jakusko local government areas, noting the absence of a dialysis centre. “Kidney disease is killing residents… while the governor failed to build a dialysis centre,” he said. 

“When you look at the amount of N300 million, you begin to ask what could have been done with that money in our hospitals.” He stressed that the issue was one of priorities, not opposition to the university or religion.

Another activist, Adamu Bello Jana, pointed to problems in the education sector, including out-of-school children and dilapidated public schools. “The education sector is among the worst in the state… The money should be channelled to the education sector, as many schools in the state are dilapidated,” he told PUNCH Online.

Several residents also took to social media to describe the donation as a misplaced priority, arguing that resources should first address essential services such as school rehabilitation and healthcare facilities.On Tuesday, the Director-General of Press and Media Affairs to the Governor, Mamman Mohammed, clarified that the N300 million was a personal donation by Governor Buni and not made on behalf of the Yobe State Government.

Mohammed said the governor attended the JIBWIS seminar in Jos alongside the governors of Kano, Sokoto and Jigawa, among others. He explained that the Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Kabiru Masari, announced a personal donation of N300 million as well as an additional N300 million pledge on behalf of Governor Buni towards the construction of the JIBWIS University.

“The donations made by Hon. Kabiru Masari on behalf of his humble self, and Governor Buni, were very personal and not on behalf of Yobe State Government,” Mohammed stated. He described reports suggesting the pledge would be paid from state resources as “totally false, inaccurate, misleading and a distortion of facts.”

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