A document obtained by SaharaReporters has raised fresh questions about the spending priorities of the Yobe State Government after an official letter showed approval for the release of ₦1.5 billion for the International Cargo Airport, Damaturu, while an accompanying project schedule lists proposed projects with a combined value of about ₦20 billion.
The document, signed by the Secretary to the Yobe State Government, Baba Mallam Wali, states that Governor Mai Mala Buni approved the release of ₦1,501,766,245.66 to the Ministry of Transport and Energy to fund payments relating to the International Cargo Airport, Damaturu.
The accompanying schedule lists a wide range of projects, including airport equipment, furnishing and runway lighting, the completion of modern markets in Damaturu, Nguru, Potiskum and Gashua, electrification of family homes, drilling of boreholes, construction of a Potiskum Transit Park and ₦3 billion allocated for project consultancy.
The document has prompted questions about whether the state’s spending priorities adequately reflect the pressing needs of residents, particularly communities grappling with limited access to basic services such as education and potable water.
The concerns are particularly significant given Yobe’s persistent education crisis.
Data from Nigeria’s 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index showed that about 730,000 children aged between six and 15 in Yobe were out of school, representing 62.9 per cent of the state’s school-age children.
The figure placed Yobe third among Nigerian states with the highest proportion of children out of school, behind Kebbi, with 67.6 per cent, and Sokoto, with 66.4 per cent.
The same data put the number of school-age children in Yobe at approximately 1.17 million, meaning nearly two out of every three children in the age group were not attending school.
The education crisis has persisted amid the broader humanitarian and socioeconomic challenges confronting Yobe and other parts of the North-East.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported in November 2024 that approximately two million children across Borno, Adamawa and Yobe were out of school, with prolonged insurgency, displacement, poverty and other crises severely disrupting access to education.
Yobe has also continued to experience disruptions to basic infrastructure and services.
UNICEF reported that 31 schools in the state were affected by flooding between July and October 2024, contributing to disruptions in learning across the three North-East states.
Water Projects
Water infrastructure also features prominently in the approximately ₦20 billion project schedule.
The document lists an allocation of more than ₦1.196 billion for the drilling of boreholes and reticulation for the newly constructed Family Homes Housing Estate.
Another ₦467.6 million was earmarked for the drilling of 27 constituency boreholes.
The allocations raise questions about the implementation and current status of the projects, particularly whether the funds have translated into functional water facilities for residents.
For instance, the government could provide details on the locations of the boreholes, contractors awarded the projects, amounts eventually paid, completion certificates and the current operational status of the facilities.
Such information would help establish whether the substantial allocations resulted in functioning water infrastructure for the communities they were intended to serve.
Beyond education and access to water, the document also raises questions about the allocation of billions of naira to airport infrastructure, markets and consultancy at a time when Yobe continues to face significant developmental challenges.
The ₦3 billion consultancy allocation, in particular, warrants scrutiny given its size relative to several of the other projects listed in the schedule.
Details on the nature and scope of the consultancy services, the companies or individuals engaged, contract amounts and the work delivered would provide greater clarity on how the allocation is being utilised.