Abia’s Non-Existent School Projects: ₦54 Billion Expenditure Exposed as Empty Claims (VIDEOS) | #NwokeukwuMascot

 News 

A storm of controversy is brewing in Abia State over what many now describe as one of the biggest governance scandals in recent years. In its 2024 budget performance report, the administration of Governor Alex Otti claimed to have spent a staggering ₦54 billion retrofitting 51 public schools across the state into “model and smart schools.” However, on-the-ground investigations reveal a disturbing reality: most of the projects either do not exist or bear no semblance to the massive sums purportedly spent.

According to official documents released by the state government following mounting pressure for accountability, Obingwa Local Government Area was allocated two of the supposed model schools: Itungwa Primary School and Ibeme High School.

When our team at www.nwokeukwumascot.com visited both sites on August 25, 2025, what we found were old structures built by past administrations, with only epileptic touches on a few classroom blocks a far cry from the promised “smart schools.” Eyewitness video footage captured at both schools shows pupils still learning in largely the same poor conditions.

Mr. Charles Nwosu, a resident of Ibeme, expressed his dismay: “They told us this place was a smart school project worth billions, but what we see is the same old buildings from past governments. If this is what they call retrofitting, then Abia people have been deceived.”

At Itungwa, another community leader, Dr. Jumbo Ajuzieogu, condemned the state of affairs: “This is nothing but cosmetic work on a few classrooms. You cannot spend over a billion naira and end up with this. It is a clear case of inflated contracts and abandoned promises.”

Shockingly, government records suggest that over ₦1 billion was fully paid out for each of these schools, yet the physical evidence on the ground tells a completely different story.

The situation in Isiukwuato Local Government Area is even more alarming. The state government listed three schools in the area as beneficiaries of the ₦54 billion model and smart school projects:

1. Achara Uturu Central School

2. Eluama Central School

3. Mbaukwu Community Secondary School

However, a visit to the three sites shows no sign of any new development or retrofitting. Community members expressed shock when shown official documents naming their schools as part of the multi-billion naira projects.

Mr. Iheukwu Ihejirika of Achara-Uturu lamented: “We have not seen any smart school here. What we have are the same old classrooms. If they say money was spent here, then it must have been spent somewhere else, not in Isiukwuato.”

Education experts and political analysts reviewing the matter have suggested that what little construction work observed in Obingwa may not even be connected to the ₦54 billion expenditure. Instead, they argue the visible work aligns more closely with 2025 projects of the Abia State Universal Basic Education Board (ASUBEB).

This raises a pressing question: If ₦54 billion was indeed spent in 2024, where are the projects?

Civil society groups, opposition parties, and community leaders have begun to demand explanations from the Otti administration. Many argue that this is a textbook case of phantom projects, projects awarded, funds disbursed, but no actual development delivered.

The controversy is particularly sensitive given Governor Otti’s campaign promises of transparency, accountability, and a new paradigm in governance. The now popular phantom projects have further undermined public confidence in the struggling image of his administration.

As evidence mounts and video documentation continues to surface, pressure is building for an independent probe into the ₦54 billion expenditure. The fear among stakeholders is that if left unaddressed, the scandal could entrench a new cycle of financial opacity in Abia’s education sector, depriving children of the modern learning environments they desperately need.

For now, the question remains unanswered: Where did ₦54 billion meant for Abia’s children go?