SAHARA REPORTERS
Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, has come under intense criticism and widespread condemnation from both within and outside the state for his conspicuous absence and glaring indifference to the plight of his constituents.
Despite the gruesome massacre perpetrated by terrorists in Mafa, a vulnerable community within the Tarmuwa Local Government Area, on Sunday, which claimed numerous lives, Governor Buni has refused to pay a condolence visit to the bereaved families and affected communities.
This has sparked outrage, particularly given his propensity for governing the state remotely from his Abuja residence, a practice that has persisted since his election in 2019 and re-election in 2023.
The Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), in a letter written in Arabic and released by the attackers, claimed responsibility for the assault and killing of at least 81 people in the state.
According to reports, the letter stated that the village was targeted for allegedly providing information to the military, which led to the deaths of its members.
“Instead of visiting the state, the governor staged a ridiculous visit to the chief of defence staff and shared the pictures and returned to his Abuja house to continue his routine of ruling the state from his palatial Abuja homes,” says a resident of Damagum.
A chorus of discontent has erupted among the state’s residents, who are utilizing WhatsApp groups as a platform to articulate their deep-seated frustration.
At the epicenter of this outrage is Governor Mai Mala Buni’s disconnection from the plight of his constituents.
His protracted absences, often spanning months, have become a defining characteristic of his tenure.
Even when he does visit, these sojourns are fleeting, lasting a mere day or two, or sometimes merely a few hours before returning to Abuja. This leadership deficit has been particularly pronounced in the aftermath of the devastating floods that have swept through the state since early August, laying waste to over 100 villages, claiming numerous lives, and destroying vital infrastructure, including the Jumbam bridge.
“Yobe has been an abandoned state since, governed by a distant, disinterested and incompetent governor, who stays permanently in Abuja and only visits the state once in the blue moon and returns to his house in Abuja.
“We have never seen anything like this in the history of the state,” says a resident of Babban Gida who spoke on condition of anonymity over fear of intimidation said.
Because the state government could not help victims of the floods, many have taken to begging and sleeping in primary schools whose many classrooms, especially in Potiskum are largely leaking.
Widows of men killed by Boko Haram at Mafa village are now sleeping under trees around the emir’s palace in Babban Gida.
In the face of hardship and neglect, these vulnerable individuals have also been driven to seek solace in begging, merely to sustain themselves and eke out a meager existence.
The spokesperson for the governor, Mamman Mohammed on Thursday confirmed that governor had not visited the state since the deadly attack.
He said Governor Buni returned from Saudi Arabia where he had gone to secure a deal with the Bank of Arabia for the benefit of the state the same day the incident occurred.
He said, “The tragic event occurred the same day the governor returned from an official engagement with Arabic Bank in Saudi Arabia.
“When he arrived the country, he went straight to discuss the matter with the Chief of Defence Staff. Unfortunately, the two could not meet that day.
“They however met yesterday (Wednesday) to discuss the need to deploy more manpower to Yobe State, because these terrorists don’t have a base here, all they do is to come in and hit soft targets; then run away.
“So the governor was represented by the deputy governor at the funeral of the victims, all totaling 34 as evacuated by the military.”
“He also ordered and monetary support should given to surviving families of the deceased,” Mohammed said.
Mohammed said contrary to conflicting figures in circulation, some as high as 130 casualties, 34 corpses were officially evacuated by the military in the aftermath of the tragic event.
