The Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy & Development (FENRAD), an environmental and anti-corruption advocacy group, has raised fresh concerns over the ₦54.07 billion reportedly spent by the Abia State Government on the retrofitting and rebuilding of public schools during the 2024 fiscal year.
In a statement signed by its Executive Director, Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor, and Barr. Femisi Akande, Head of Corporate Accountability and Anti-Corruption, the organisation described the expenditure as “deeply questionable” and “lacking in transparency,” citing the widespread infrastructural decay that still plagues many schools across the state.
“It is not enough for the government to throw figures at the public,” Nwafor said. “What the people demand and deserve is clarity, accountability, and verifiable evidence of impact. ₦54 billion is not an invisible sum.”
FENRAD said it conducted independent spot assessments of public schools in Umuahia, Aba North, Aba South, Osisioma, Ukwa West, Ukwa East, Ikwuano, and other local government areas. The group’s findings, according to its statement, exposed glaring gaps between government claims and realities on the ground: Many schools still have leaking roofs, broken furniture, uncompleted classrooms, and unsafe learning environments.
Some schools listed as “beneficiaries” showed no trace of renovation or construction work. Several sites had no contractor signage, making it impossible to verify handlers, timelines, or project details.
FENRAD said it is compiling photographic and documented evidence from these visits for public presentation and submission to oversight agencies.
“What we saw on the ground is at variance with what was announced in the media. Abians cannot be gaslit. If ₦54 billion was spent, we want to see the schools, the contracts, and the results,” the group insisted.
To back its demands, FENRAD disclosed that it has submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, seeking: A breakdown of all renovated or rebuilt schools, with names and locations, The cost of each project and contract award details, including contractors and scope of work, Monitoring and evaluation documents, including completion certificates and payment records and Evidence of teacher recruitment, classroom equipment, and other investments tied to the reported spending.
The organisation reminded the Ministry that the FOI Act (2011) mandates a response within seven working days.
FENRAD also cautioned the Abia State Government against politicising or dismissing its demands for accountability, stressing that citizen advocacy is a democratic right. “We urge the Governor to address the message, not the messenger. Transparency is not an attack it is a necessary component of good governance,” Nwafor added.
The group warned that failure by the government to provide a detailed and verifiable account of the ₦54 billion spending would force it to escalate the matter through legal and civic channels, including petitions to anti-corruption agencies and public interest litigation.
FENRAD said it will release its preliminary spot assessment report in the coming days and plans to work with civil society partners, education stakeholders, and community watchdogs to convene a public accountability forum.
The group also urged the Abia State House of Assembly to probe the alleged spending irregularities and rein in what it described as “executive fiscal indiscipline and reckless use of taxpayers’ money.”
