Abia State: PDP Queries Gov Oti Expenditure Of ₦54bn In Renovation of 51 Schools
The Abia State chapter of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) has raised the alarm over the Governor Alex Otti administration’s reported allocation and expenditure of ₦54 billion for school renovations, questioning transparency and accountability in the state’s budget execution.
Speaking on Arise TV, Eric Ikwuagu, the PDP state publicity secretary, expressed incredulity over the state government’s claims of progress.
Eric Ikwuagu said, “54 billion naira to renovate 51 schools and the rest—and you say the opposition is not happy. It's mind-blowing. What is wrong with that?” The quote, which has stirred public debate, highlights the opposition’s frustration with what they describe as discrepancies between reported expenditures and visible outcomes.
Ikwuagu criticized the governor’s assertion that the 2024 budget achieved a 90% performance rating, pointing out that only 26 billion naira was spent on school renovations in Q4, with another 4 billion accounted for in Q1.
“We are asking where are the schools in the state,” Ikwuagu said, drawing attention to other dubious expenditures in the budget report, including 6.5 billion for recreational facilities and 10 billion for ICT projects that are yet to materialise.
The PDP official further questioned the government’s payment practices, noting that standard contractor agreements require payments to be made in phases based on completed milestones, not as full upfront sums.
“Normal contractor agreements pay based on milestones, not upfront for almost a year. Yet we are still asking: where are the schools?” he stated.
Ikwuagu also clarified that federal and World Bank-funded technical schools in Abia—such as BCT, Aba, Afra, and Omaha—should not be conflated with the state’s FAAC allocation for school renovation.
