Bauchi gov’s son threatens Hausa satirist, Dan Bello, with lawsuit over exposure of alleged corruption
Shamsudeen Bala, the son of Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has issued threats to Bello Galadanci, popularly known as Dan Bello, a Chinese-based Nigerian that uses satire to expose corruption.
The threats followed a skit by Dan Bello revealing ‘massive and shameless’ corruption happening in Bauchi State under Bala Mohammed.
READ ALSO: Laugh, Think, Repeat: Meet Dr. Bello Galadanci, the Nigerian satirist and comedian
According to a report obtained by this platform, the state government wasted billions on security votes, with little allocation to healthcare, education and other important sectors.
In a skit posted on his Facebook page, Mr Bello referenced a report by Neptune Prime reviewing Bauchi’s Budget Performance reports from 2021 to the first quarter of 2024 which revealed how security vote expenditures significantly outpaced those for health and education.
According to the report, the state government allegedly spent an astounding ₦67.39 billion on controversial security votes over the past four years in contrast to the combined capital expenditure for education and healthcare during the same period, which totalled ₦47.79 billion.
Similarly, in a humorous twist, the satirist asked whose governor’s son had been “caught overseas for money laundering to buy houses” and detained for three weeks.
The governor’s son was also alleged to have issued threats to some journalists in the country and tagged some news outlets as blackmailers.
In the skit, Dan Bello satirically revealed how Bauchi State Governor, Mohammed, aspires to become Nigeria’s president despite his poor performance in healthcare delivery and education.
READ ALSO: Dan Bello: Spearheading political satire in Northern Nigeria, by Abubakar Abba Sanusi
He contrasted the rundown of schools (including the one attended by the governor) and hospitals across Bauchi State with the recently renovated Bauchi State Government House, which was reconstructed by Architectronix Limited at a staggering cost of ₦6 billion, later increased by over 100 per cent to ₦13 billion, to build the governor’s personal mansion.
Dan Bello asked the governor where he got money to build his mansion in the heart of Bauchi, being a civil servant.
The satirist said the governor thought, “We are not aware of how the government house construction doubled from ₦6 billion to ₦13 billion.”
According to him, the price was inflated to simultaneously build the governor’s mansion.
“I don’t think Bauchi people understand the staggering quantity of this money. One billion naira is ₦1 million times 1,000, and this money can be used to renovate 1,000 classes for ₦6 million per classroom.”
Furthermore, Dan Bello presented pictorial evidence of various dilapidated general hospitals and schools in Bauchi, asking the governor if he was not aware of how many people have died in the state as a result of the negligence of healthcare by his administration.
The satirist said he had combed through the state budget performance documents between 2021 and 2024, adding “The embezzlement is astonishing.”
“You have cheated Bauchi people,” Dan Bello told the governor, adding that justice would prevail.
The satirist vowed to take the challenge to the “Next Level” if the state government did not tender an apology for calling him a “liar who was trying to make a name.”
According to him, the scourge is not peculiar to Bauchi alone. It is all of Northern Nigeria and “we can not continue this way,” he said in Hausa, declaring a “war on corruption in terms of education and healthcare in all Northern Nigeria.”
Dan Bello berates the Bauchi State governor, saying his ridicule for Bauchi citizens has “emboldened you to loot their treasury in broad daylight.”
“If you are a governor, would you rather let your people die or fix healthcare?” he asked the governor.
The governor’s son, on his part, politicised the allegations, saying Dan Bello’s claims are nothing but All Progressives Congress (APC) agenda and propaganda, while threatening the satirical activist with lawsuit.
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Watch the skit by Dan Bello below:
Follow the Neptune Prime channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va74ZvU2v1IqKByXoX3d
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