PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
BETWEEN BLUEPRINTS AND BRICKLAYERS: WHEN DEVELOPMENT ROADMAPS MULTIPLY BUT ACCOUNTABILITY THINS
CEHRAWS Commends Abia State’s Long-Term Planning but Warns Against Policy Duplication, Waste, and Weak Accountability
17 December 2025
Aba, Abia State
The Centre for Human Rights Advocacy and Wholesome Society (CEHRAWS) welcomes the unveiling and legal adoption of the Abia State 25-Year Development Plan and commends the Abia State Government for recognising the importance of long-term development planning.
In a governance environment often dominated by short-term policies, the articulation of a multi-decade development vision is, in principle, a positive step. However, long-term planning only delivers value when it is anchored in continuity, transparency, and measurable implementation.
CEHRAWS is therefore compelled, in the interest of constitutionalism and fiscal responsibility, to raise serious concerns arising from the introduction of a new long-term roadmap barely a few years after the previous administration unveiled a 30-Year Abia State Development Plan.
DUPLICATION, DISCONTINUITY, AND PUBLIC COSTS
The emergence of another long-term development plan, reportedly prepared at significant public expense, raises legitimate questions about policy duplication, institutional discontinuity, and value for money, particularly in a State faced with pressing development needs and limited financial resources.
Under Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the security and welfare of the people remain the primary purpose of government. Repeated expenditure on overlapping policy frameworks, without transparent disclosure of implementation outcomes, risks undermining this constitutional obligation.
Public information suggests that the earlier roadmap involved substantial consultant costs. In this context, every Naira spent on planning must translate into demonstrable benefits for citizens.
TRANSPARENCY IS A LEGAL DUTY
Good governance demands policy continuity and public accountability. Yet, there is little publicly available information on the level of implementation of the previous roadmap, the lessons learned, or the specific elements carried into the new plan.
This opacity conflicts with Section 15(5) of the Constitution and Nigeria’s obligations under the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, as well as Article 22 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which guarantees the right to development conducted in conditions of transparency and accountability.
Development plans that are not publicly accessible, legally anchored, and tied to annual budgets risk becoming political branding exercises rather than actionable frameworks for social progress.
OUR CALL
CEHRAWS therefore calls on the Abia State Government to:
1. Publicly release both the previous and current development plans for citizen and expert review;
2. Publish an implementation and financial audit of the earlier roadmap;
3. Disclose the full cost and procurement process of the new plan;
4. Clearly demonstrate alignment between the roadmap and annual budgets;
5. Institutionalise safeguards to ensure continuity beyond political tenures; and
6. Involve civil society and citizens in monitoring implementation.
CONCLUSION
Development is not measured by the number of plans produced, but by their impact on people’s lives. Abia State cannot afford a cycle where development blueprints multiply while accountability thins.
CEHRAWS remains committed to constructive engagement and vigilant advocacy to ensure that development planning in Abia State results in real, inclusive, and rights-based outcomes for the people.
Blueprints must lead to bricks. Vision must submit to accountability.
Signed:
Okoye, Chuka Peter
Executive Director
cehraws@gmail.com | +234(0)808-035-1242.
F/book: @cehraws
