N54bn school renovation: Stop distractions, show Abians evidence – Ikonne challenges Gov Otti

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State, Prince Paul Ikonne, has challenged Governor Alex Otti to stop “distracting the people with contradictions” and come clean on the N54 billion school renovation controversy.

This comes after the governor, at the weekend during his monthly media chat, dismissed claims that N54bn is missing from the state treasury, describing the allegations as baseless and a reflection of ignorance about government budgeting and spending processes.

Reacting to the governor’s claim through a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Ujo Justice, Ikonne wondered why a governor who boasts of having “seasoned accountants” in his administration would be contradicting himself “all in a bid to downplay a now national issue and the question on the lips of every Abian.”

Ikonne reminded the governor that similar sums had been written off in the past without evidence on the ground, noting that about ₦18 billion was previously announced for school renovation with “nothing to show for it.”

Quoting a recent media report, Ikonne said the governor’s dismissal of the N54 billion expenditure claim as a “mistake” is contradicted by official state budget performance documents.

According to the reports, budget performance data shows that in the last quarter of 2024 alone, Abia State recorded ₦54.066 billion as spent on rehabilitation and repairs of public schools. The total amount spent throughout the 2024 fiscal year stood at ₦58.323 billion.

Ikonne argued that if Governor Otti insists that only ₦2.1 billion was spent on schools, then he must explain why his own administration’s budget records state otherwise.

He further pointed to the online report’s review of the approved 2024 budget, which showed that ₦64.7 billion was allocated for renovation/modelling of 51 schools, averaging ₦1.26 billion per school.

“This data,” Ikonne stressed, “makes it clear that the governor is either deliberately misleading Abians or is unaware of what his government is signing off on.”

“Governor Otti should stop hiding behind semantics. Budgets are estimates, but expenditures are facts. The documents clearly show ₦54 billion was reported as spent between October and December 2024. If he disputes this, let him publish the schools. Abians are not asking for excuses, we are asking for evidence,” Ikonne said.