For three consecutive years, the Bauchi State Government has sidelined the schools it allocated funds to renovate and construct their classrooms but, in its budget, prioritised the government house by spending N6 billion on its renovations in 2024 alone.
This it did, despite expending N10.8 billion on renovations and expansion of its government house between 2021 and 2023.
The state’s budget performance document for the third quarter of 2024 revealed that the state government spent N5,010,771,077 in the third quarter for renovating, expanding and furnishing its government house, bringing the total costs of this purpose thus far to N6,042,188,820.
Findings by FIJ have revealed that the state allocated N2,741,500,106 in its 2024 original budget, but it was reviewed in its 2024 revised budget and increased to N7,341,500,106.
While the state’s government house has the privilege of being considered a multi-billion-naira priority by the state government and has enjoyed additional funding of N6 billion for renovations and furnishing after relishing N10.8 billion between 2021 and 2023, the reality, however, is gloomy for schools that have been appearing in the same state’s budgets since 2022.
READ MORE: Bauchi Allocates N2.7bn for 2024 Govt House Renovation After Repairs Gulped N10.8bn Between 2021, 2023
GSS Bauchi, GDSS Ganye, GDSS Gololo, GDSS Birshin Fulani, GDSS Matsango, GDSS Isawa, GDSS T/Fulani, GDSS Akuyam, GDSS Darazo, GDSS Lukshi, GDSS Zwali, GDSS Kafin Madaki and GDSS Ningi have been listed in the state’s budgets from 2022 with no less than N30,000,000 allocated for the constructions of classrooms in each school.
Budget performance documents from 2022 to the third quarter of 2024 reveal that the state has not disbursed the funds allocated to construct classrooms in these schools.
Bauchi 2024 budget shows the schools the state government had allocated money for the construction of classrooms.
SCHOOL2022 BUDGETARY ALLOCATION2022 BUDGET PERFORMANCE2023 BUDGETARY ALLOCATION2023 BUDGET PERFORMANCE2024 BUDGETARY ALLOCATION2024 BUDGET PERFORMANCEGSS BauchiN25,000,000N4,263,940N40,000,000–N100,000,000–GDSS GanyeN5,000,000–N40,000,000–N60,000,000–GDSS GoloLoN53,000,000–N40,000,000–N40,000,000–GDSS Birshin FulaniN100,000,000–N40,000,000–N40,000,000–GDSS MatsangoN50,000,000–N40,000,000–N40,000,000–GDSS IsawaN50,000,000–N40,000,000–N40,000,000–GDSS T/FulaniN50,000,000–N40,000,000–N40,000,000–GDSS AkuyamN50,000,000–N40,000,000–N40,000,000–GDSS DarazoN50,000,000–N40,000,000–N40,000,000–GDSS LukshiN50,000,000–N40,000,000–N40,000,000–GDSS ZwaliN50,000,000–N40,000,000–N40,000,000–GDSS Kafin MadakiN50,000,000–N40,000,000–N40,000,000–GSS NingiN50,000,000–N40,000,000–N30,000,000–
This is the same situation for other schools such as GHUKUC Bauchi, GSS Darazo, GAC Jamaare, GDSS Kofar Idi, GSS Udubo, GSS Itas, GSS Duguri, GCDSS Ibrahim Bako and GSS Dagauda, which the state government has allocated money for the renovation of their classrooms since 2022 and have been sidelined yet again in 2024.
These schools were sidelined while the government focused more on spending billions on its government house renovation projects.
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SCHOOL2022 BUDGETARY ALLOCATION2022 BUDGET PERFORMANCE 2023 BUDGETARY ALLOCATION2023 BUDGET PERFORMANCE2024 BUDGET2024 BUDGET PERFORMANCEGHUKUC BauchiN50,000,000N8,327,343N40,000,000N5,000,000N100,000,000–GSS DarazoN50,000,000–N50,000,000–N100,000,000–GAC JamaareN30,000,000–N30,000,00–50,000,000–GDSS Kofar idiN75,000,000–N75,000,000–N100,000,000–GSS UduboN50,000,000–N200,000,00N150,875,000N50,000,000–GSS ItasN70,000,000–N125,000,000–N50,000,000–GSS DuguriN70,000,000–N125,000,000–N100,000,000–GCDSS Ibrahim BakkoN70,000,000–N50,000,000–N75,000,000–GSS DagaudaN70,000,000–N50,000,000–N50,000,000–
The great Bauchi reformer who will transform Nigeria pic.twitter.com/hb6UPGIcyC— Dan Bello (@BelloGaladanchi) October 1, 2024
Satirist Dan Bello criticises Bala Mohammed, the Bauchi State Governor, in an October 1 post on X.
In October, Dan Bello, a satirist, criticised Bala Mohammed, the governor of Bauchi, for allocating billions of naira for the renovation of the government house and also using state funds to build his personal residence while many schools across the state were in deplorable conditions.
Some of the schools he mentioned were in the same towns as the schools the government had sidelined, according to the budget performance documents.
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