By Sani Gazas Chinade, Damaturu
Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni’s reported N300 million pledge to the JIBWIS University project in Jos has sparked controversy on social media, prompting the governor’s media office to set the record straight.
The Director-General of Press and Media Affairs to Governor Buni, Mamman Muhammad, said the donation was strictly personal and had nothing to do with the coffers of the Yobe State Government.
Muhammad, in a statement issued to journalists, said the clarification became necessary following what he described as “arguments and misconceptions” over the pledge announced during a JIBWIS seminar in Jos on Sunday, August 23, 2026.
Governor Buni attended the event alongside his Kano counterpart, Abba Kabir Yusuf; Sokoto Governor Ahmed Aliyu; Jigawa Governor Umar Namadi; Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Political Affairs, Kabiru Masari; and other dignitaries.
The delegation reportedly paid a courtesy visit to Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang before heading to the venue of the seminar.
During the event, the dignitaries were invited to deliver goodwill messages. Governor Buni spoke, followed by the other guests, with Masari delivering the final goodwill message.
It was at the end of Masari’s remarks that the donation was announced.
According to Muhammad, Masari disclosed that he had just learnt that JIBWIS was constructing a university and subsequently announced a personal N300 million donation, alongside another N300 million pledge on behalf of Governor Buni.
The governor’s spokesman stressed that neither contribution was made on behalf of the Yobe State Government.
“Hon. Masari cannot make any pledge nor take any decision for, or on behalf of, the Yobe State Government,” Muhammad said.
He described as false and misleading any report suggesting that the N300 million pledged by Governor Buni would be sourced from public funds or paid from the state government’s resources.
Muhammad said the distinction was important because the announcement was explicitly presented as a personal commitment rather than a government intervention.
He therefore urged members of the public to disregard narratives portraying the pledge as an expenditure or financial obligation of the Yobe State Government.
The clarification comes amid heightened social media debate over the donation, with the governor’s media office insisting that Buni’s pledge was a personal gesture and not a commitment binding the Yobe State treasury.
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