Ex-Abia Commissioner Chikamnayo Drags Gov. Otti To EFCC, ICPC Over Alleged N54bn School Renovation Funds

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State and former Commissioner for Information, Barrister Eze Chikamnayo, has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over the alleged mismanagement of N54 billion purportedly spent on school renovation projects in the state.

Speaking to journalists on Tuesday in Abuja, Chikamnayo said he had also called on the National Assembly, the Federal Ministry of Finance, Transparency International, and the World Bank to investigate the matter.

According to him, the refusal of the Abia State Government to publish the list, locations, contractors, and pictures of the reported 51 school projects allegedly executed between the first and fourth quarters of 2024 is a red flag for systemic corruption.

“It is alarming that despite such huge allocations and disbursements, with almost two years gone, there is no single new smart school project anywhere in Abia State, as widely reported by the government,” he said.

Chikamnayo claimed that fact-finding visits to public schools revealed that over 95 percent of them remain in deplorable conditions, with dilapidated buildings, unfenced compounds, and a lack of teaching and learning facilities. He noted that this situation contradicts the government’s Budget Performance Report, which indicated billions of naira were spent on education, separate from federal interventions under UBEC and other programmes.

The former commissioner added that his group has already written official petitions to anti-graft agencies, civil society organisations, and international bodies such as UNESCO, the World Bank, Amnesty International, and Transparency International, urging them to demand accountability from Governor Otti’s administration.

“In the interest of Abia State, Abia children, and generations yet unborn, we have dragged the Otti-led government before relevant anti-corruption agencies, locally and internationally. We call for urgent intervention to rescue the state from any attempt to use education as a conduit pipe for misappropriation of public funds,” he said.

Chikamnayo urged civil society groups, leaders of thought, and citizens to lend their voices in the fight for transparency and accountability in Abia’s governance.