Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State has faced strong criticism and widespread condemnation from both locals and outsiders for his noticeable absence and apparent disregard for the suffering of his constituents.
Despite the horrific massacre carried out by terrorists in Mafa, a vulnerable community in the Tarmuwa Local Government Area, Yobe state, on Sunday, which resulted in many deaths, Governor Buni has yet to visit the grieving families and affected communities to offer his condolences.
This has ignited public outrage, especially due to Yobe Governor Buni’s tendency to govern the state remotely from his residence in Abuja, a pattern that has continued since his election in 2019 and re-election in 2023.
The Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) claimed responsibility for the attack in a letter written in Arabic and released by the assailants. The group stated they carried out the assault, which killed at least 81 people, in response to the village allegedly providing information to the military that led to the deaths of ISWAP 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.
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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 aned 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.
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