***Demands Detailed Expenditures of N58bn For Smart Schools Rehabilitation In 2024
A civil rights organization, the African Centre for Human Advancement and Resource Support (CHARS-Africa) on Wednesday demanded from the Alex Otti-led administration of Abia State, the immediate Publication of a Detailed Breakdown of N58 billion expenditures on the rehabilitation of schools in Abia State in 2024 within fourteen (14) days .
DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS reports that the civil rights organization committed to fiscal probity, CHARS-Africa made the demand in a press release signed by Barr Amaka Biachi, CHARS-Africa Executive Director, in which it insisted that the group “will continue to monitor, engage, and, where necessary, litigate to ensure that every naira budgeted and spent is accounted for”.
”CHARS-Africa, standing on the tripod of truth, transparency, and accountability, affirms that the controversy is not an abstraction but a direct question of whether the ₦58 billion recorded as spent truly translated into physical, measurable school infrastructure across Abia’s 17 LGAs. The people deserve to know: Where are the “smart schools”? How many exist? What are their names, locations, and actual costs?
”We demand that the Abia State Government, through the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, publishes within 14 days a detailed breakdown of all expenditures under the ₦58 billion school rehabilitation head, including project locations, contractors, and amounts disbursed.
”Independent Audit: An independent financial and project audit should be commissioned in line with Section 85 of the Constitution which empowers the Auditor-General to audit public accounts. This audit must be made public,” the statement stated.
See the details of the press statement:
”PRESS RELEASE
“FIGURES DON’T LIE, BUT LIARS CAN FIGURE: THE N58 BILLION ABIA SMART SCHOOL CONTROVERSY AND THE TEST OF TRANSPARENCY”
20th August, 2025 | Aba, Abia State
The African Centre for Human Advancement and Resource Support (CHARS-Africa) is alarmed by the swirling contradictions surrounding the reported ₦58 billion allegedly expended on the rehabilitation and renovation of schools in Abia State in the 2024 fiscal year. This controversy—sparked by budget performance documents published by the Abia State government itself—has placed both the credibility of governance and the sacred principles of fiscal transparency under heavy clouds of doubt.
At the weekend, His Excellency, Governor Alex Otti, publicly dismissed the figure of ₦54 billion said to have been spent within the last quarter of 2024 as “a mistake,” claiming instead that only ₦2.1 billion was expended. However, checks by independent watchdogs, including SaharaReporters, indicate that official state budget performance reports clearly show that ₦54.066 billion was recorded as spent between October and December 2024, and a total of ₦58.323 billion spent throughout the year on school rehabilitation.
In the words of the late Chinua Achebe, “One of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised.” The issue before us is not merely about arithmetic but about the integrity of governance. Citizens deserve clarity, not contradictions. When budget documents reveal one truth, and official statements attempt to rewrite that truth, public confidence is eroded.
THE ISSUES AT STAKE
1. Fiscal Opacity: Section 2 of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011 guarantees citizens the right to access information relating to public expenditure. Any attempt to downplay or obscure figures already published by government agencies is a breach of this right.
2. Good Governance and Accountability: Section 14(2)(c) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) makes it clear that “the participation of the people in their government shall be ensured.” Participation is meaningless without transparent information on how public funds are utilized.
3. Disdain for Dissenting Voices: We note with concern the Governor’s dismissal of dissent as “mistakes” that have been “walked back.” In a democracy, dissent is not a nuisance but a necessity. Fiscal questions raised by citizens and watchdog groups should not be met with ridicule but with verifiable evidence.i
OUR POSITION
CHARS-Africa, standing on the tripod of truth, transparency, and accountability, affirms that the controversy is not an abstraction but a direct question of whether the ₦58 billion recorded as spent truly translated into physical, measurable school infrastructure across Abia’s 17 LGAs. The people deserve to know: Where are the “smart schools”? How many exist? What are their names, locations, and actual costs?
OUR DEMANDS
1. Immediate Publication of a Detailed Breakdown: We demand that the Abia State Government, through the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, publishes within 14 days a detailed breakdown of all expenditures under the ₦58 billion school rehabilitation head, including project locations, contractors, and amounts disbursed.
2. Independent Audit: An independent financial and project audit should be commissioned in line with Section 85 of the Constitution which empowers the Auditor-General to audit public accounts. This audit must be made public.
3. Respect for Civic Space: Government must desist from dismissing dissenting voices as “mistakes.” Instead, it must embrace constructive scrutiny as the lifeblood of democracy.
4. Strengthened Legislative Oversight: We call on the Abia State House of Assembly to exercise its constitutional duty under Sections 128–129 to investigate the true status of the ₦58 billion expenditure.
CONCLUSION
Public funds are sacred trust. The right of Abians to know how their money is used is not a privilege but a constitutional entitlement. Fiscal transparency is not a favour granted by government—it is an obligation.
As a civil rights organization committed to fiscal probity, CHARS-Africa will continue to monitor, engage, and, where necessary, litigate to ensure that every naira budgeted and spent is accounted for.
To the Abia government, we say: “Figures don’t lie, but liars can figure.” Let the truth speak for itself.
Signed:
Amaka Biachi, Esq.
Executive Director,
CHARS-Africa
charsafrica.ng@gmail.com
