Yobe N20Billion Project Trail: Sources Accuse Gov Buni Of Backing Wali As Successor To Block Future Probe

The allegations have gained renewed attention following a SaharaReporters investigation into a government approval releasing ₦1.5 billion to the Ministry of Transport and Energy for payments relating to the International Cargo Airport, Damaturu. The political succession plan being championed by Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni is coming under scrutiny amid allegations that his support for former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Baba Mallam Wali, as the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate could help shield key officials from scrutiny over billions of naira spent on government projects. SaharaReporters gathered from sources familiar with the workings of the Yobe State Government that Wali’s emergence as the ruling party’s candidate was not only a political calculation but was allegedly tied to his close involvement in the administration and his knowledge of how major projects and financial decisions were handled. The allegations have gained renewed attention following a SaharaReporters investigation into a government approval releasing ₦1.5 billion to the Ministry of Transport and Energy for payments relating to the International Cargo Airport, Damaturu. Wali signed the letter approving the projects in his capacity as SSG while he was in office. More significantly, an accompanying project schedule lists projects with a combined value of approximately ₦20 billion, raising questions about how the projects were selected, priced, awarded and executed. The schedule includes airport equipment, furnishing and runway lighting; completion of modern markets in Damaturu, Nguru, Potiskum and Gashua; electrification of Family Homes; borehole projects; construction of the Potiskum Transit Park and ₦3 billion for consultancy. A source who worked in Wali’s former office told SaharaReporters that the former SSG was deeply involved in the administrative processes surrounding several of the projects and that his office served as a key channel through which project-related decisions and correspondence passed. “The issue is bigger than one approval. You have to look at how the projects were priced, who got them, what was paid and what was actually delivered,” the source said. The Wali succession question According to sources familiar with the administration, Buni’s relationship with Wali goes beyond ordinary political patronage. One source described Wali as the governor’s trusted political “godson” and alleged that Buni sees him as someone capable of succeeding him while protecting the interests of officials who served in his administration. “The reason they are pushing Oga [Wali] is not only because he is their man. They believe that if he gets there, nobody will investigate what happened under Buni. He is the person they trust to protect everything they did,” the source alleged. Another source said the succession arrangement was being viewed in some government circles as a way of maintaining political control after Buni leaves office. “They know that once Buni leaves, the question will be, ‘What happened to all these billions?’ So they need somebody they can trust to take over. That is why they want Wali there,” the source alleged. The source further alleged that Wali’s familiarity with the administration’s financial and administrative decisions would make him unlikely to expose wrongdoing by officials who worked under Buni. “The thinking is simple, if your own person takes over, he will not open the books against you. He will protect the house because he was part of the house,” the source alleged. There is, however, no independent evidence establishing that Buni backed Wali’s candidacy specifically to prevent future investigations. Following The Money The sources said the ₦1.5 billion airport approval should not be examined in isolation, arguing that investigators should scrutinise the entire project schedule and trace the funds from approval through payment and execution. One source alleged that the structure of some projects and their pricing raised concerns among officials, creating opportunities for funds to be diverted from their stated purposes. According to the source, the alleged pattern involved projects receiving large allocations, approvals being processed through established government channels and costs allegedly being inflated to create financial room that could later be deployed for political purposes. “This is what the governor is blocking, and this is because Oga [Wali] was working under his instruction,” the source alleged. Another source claimed that Wali’s office wielded significant influence over project-related administrative processes. “He was not just signing papers. His office was where many of these things passed through before they moved to the next stage,” the source alleged. The source described the office as a “major clearing point” for administrative decisions and correspondence relating to government projects. Among the items on the project schedule, the ₦3 billion consultancy allocation stands out as another area the sources said deserves scrutiny. The source said investigators should establish who the consultants were, how they were selected, the scope of their assignments, how much was eventually paid and what work was delivered. “What did Yobe get for ₦3 billion in consultancy? That is one of the questions investigators should ask,” the source said. Water projects also account for significant sums on the schedule. More than ₦1.196 billion was earmarked for drilling boreholes and reticulation for the newly constructed Family Homes Housing Estate, while another ₦467.6 million was allocated for drilling 27 constituency boreholes. The sources said the key issue was not whether the projects were necessary, but whether the amounts allocated were reasonable, whether contracts were properly awarded and whether the projects were fully delivered. “After that your [SaharaReporters] report, a lot of people have been interested in where a whole N20 billion went without proper accountability and transparent; even people within government and the APC want the Governor to let Wali be investigated. But he is blocking that,” one source said. Billions amid Yobe’s poverty crisis The questions over the spending are particularly significant in a state facing severe socioeconomic challenges. Nigeria’s 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index estimated that about 730,000 children aged six to 15 in Yobe were out of school, representing 62.9 per cent of the state’s school-age children. Yobe ranked third among states with the highest proportion of out-of-school children, behind Kebbi and Sokoto. The figures underscore the competing demands on public resources in one of Nigeria’s poorest states and raise broader questions about how billions allocated to government projects are prioritised and accounted for. Government Denies Allegations An aide to Governor Buni, who spoke anonymously, rejected the allegations and said the governor was not blocking any investigation. “That allegation that it was the governor stopping the investigation into those projects is unfounded. The governor wants the best for the people of Yobe. Those projects were justified, and people complaining about them did not understand what led to the amount you saw in the document,” the aide said. The aide also denied that state funds were being diverted to finance the APC. “Our party (APC) is not broke to be diverting money from the state government to fund. That is a big lie. It is not even possible,” he said. On Buni’s support for Wali, the aide said there was nothing improper about a governor backing a candidate he believed would continue his policies. “There is nothing wrong with a governor supporting a candidate he believes would continue his legacy and good works, and that is what His Excellency is doing,” he said. He added that opposition to the governor’s political choice could be responsible for the allegations. “This does not please a lot of people, and that may be the reason allegations like these are flying around.”