Abia : APC group petitions anti-graft bodies, UNESCO over N54bn school renovation ‘scandal’

A pro-All Progressives Congress (APC) group in Abia State, operating under the banner of the Abia Best Interest Association (ABIA), has petitioned both local and international anti-corruption watchdogs to investigate Governor Alex Otti’s administration over a reported N54 billion expenditure on public school renovations.

In addition to approaching Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the group said it has written to the National Assembly, the Federal Ministry of Finance, the World Bank, Transparency International, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), among others.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, the group’s convener, APC chieftain Eze Chikamnayo, Esq., alleged that the state government had failed to disclose details of the purported 51 school projects funded between the first and fourth quarters of 2024.

According to him, “the failure or refusal to publish the list, location, contractors and pictures of the purported 51 public school projects for which over 54 billion naira has been spent… is indicative of systemic corruption, impunity, lack of transparency and accountability in governance.”

He described it as “alarming” that, nearly two years into the administration, “there is no single new smart school project anywhere in Abia State as widely reported by the Government.”

Chikamnayo added that fact-finding missions to various schools revealed that “over 95 percent of them remain in a state of severe neglect— with dilapidated buildings, unfenced compounds, together with absence of learning and teaching equipment,” a situation he said sharply contradicts official spending records.

The group urged anti-graft agencies, civil society organizations, and international partners to press for accountability. “Already, we have written official letters… demanding urgent intervention to rescue the State from any attempt by Mr. Alex Otti from using Education as a conduit pipe for misappropriation of public funds,” Chikamnayo stated.

He further disclosed that the association has contacted UNESCO, the World Bank, the National Assembly, and watchdog organizations such as Transparency International and Amnesty International “for urgent intervention and sanctions where necessary.”

The APC group also claimed that Governor Otti had threatened its members after they publicly demanded proof of the projects. “For asking for the pictures, names and locations of the renovated schools… the governor… called me names and threatened my life,” Chikamnayo said, vowing not to be silenced.

Taking a swipe at Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, the group said, “It means that Labor Party is not a party to be trusted with the Federal Republic of Nigeria… we are challenging Mr. Peter Obi to stop, immediately, all the noises making across this country about transparency and accountability because charity ought to begin at home.

“Let Mr. Peter Obi take Mr. Alex Otti into one small room and give him sufficient tutelage and lecture on transparency and accountability.”