By Jude Opara, Abuja
The administration of Governor Alex Otti has come under a heavy criticism concerning how the whooping sum of N54b was said to have been spent just on the retrofitting and construction of public schools in Abia state.
The immediate past Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Lands Development Authority (NALDA), Prince Paul Ikonne, who was speaking through his media assistant, Ujo Justice, told Abia stakeholders in Ukwa, that the claim was very curious and unacceptable.
Prince Ikonne further described the government’s claim as “deeply suspicious, laughable, and insulting to the collective intelligence of Abians,” especially when compared to the current condition of schools in the state, which he insisted was rather shameful.
He questioned how any responsible government could boldly claim to have spent such an humongous sum of ₦54 billion on only 53 schools, without a verifiable corresponding evidence on the ground.
A state government report, signed by the Accountant General of Abia state, Njum Uma-Onyemenam, had revealed that the state generated N320 billion in 2024 from Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocations, internally generated revenue (IGR), and other capital receipts, excluding local government earnings and borrowings.
Among the key expenditures listed in the report—published on the state government’s official website on January 28, 2025—are include rehabilitation of Public Schools – N54.07 billion.
In the statement which was made available to newsmen on Sunday, Ikonne said: “What we see in Ukwa and several other parts of Abia is an education sector that is visibly in ruins. Ceilings are caving in, blackboards are barely usable, roofs are missing, walls are covered in moss, and some students still sit on bare floors under leaking roofs. If ₦54 billion was truly spent, then show us where. Which schools? What exactly was done? Let the government name them and take us there”.
He challenged the government to immediately publish a total breakdown of how the ₦54 billion was disbursed—identifying the contractors, locations, timelines, and photographic or video evidence of completed work.
Prince Ikonne equally challenged Gov. Otti to invite journalists, civil society organizations, and independent assessors to embark on an open and unscripted tour of the schools he claimed to have renovated.
“Until then, this ₦54 billion remains a phantom project—something that only exists on budget documents and media headlines.”
He also pointed to the dilapidated condition of state-owned tertiary institutions such as the Abia State College of Health Sciences and Management Technology, where parts of the buildings have collapsed, leaving students in unsafe and non-conducive learning environments.
“If we can’t even maintain our own health college, how can we claim that we’re making progress in education? It is an utter disgrace and a sign of failed priorities,” he said.
He emphasized that good governance is not about viral videos or curated press releases, but about results that citizens can see and benefit from.
“How on earth does anyone justify spending ₦54 billion on just 53 schools, with nothing visible to show? This must not be swept under the carpet. Abians must ask questions. Lawmakers must wake up. We need a comprehensive forensic audit of this expenditure. Our children deserve better,” Ikonne concluded.
