By Obinna Oriaku
As a golfer, you know when you hit an eagle. The last few weeks have been extremely heated for the Government of Abia State, as layers of deception and manipulation continue to fall like pack of cards, unravelling exposure of fraud and corruption currently unfolding under Governor Alex Otti.
Audacity of Hope, the Government’s attempt to address the issues, rather compounds them. The repeated attempts to blame anyone with a contrary view for Abia’s underdevelopment will not hold water. I distinguished myself during my four-year tenure in service to the State, and no amount of political scapegoating can erase that fact.
Unfortunately, any reference to Abia’s last 24 years of history would be incomplete without mentioning the current Governor, who was directly involved in the State ’s financial affairs for eight of those 24 years either through First Bank or the now-defunct Diamond Bank, both of which managed Abia’s finances during that period.
I recall raising concerns about the government’s misleading debt repayment narrative, which was clearly designed to deceive Abians in the face of ongoing financial mismanagement.
At first, I tried to constructively engage the current administration, especially when I noticed glaring gaps in their understanding of public sector accounting. But I was shocked to discover that the entire approach was deliberately anchored on deception, an orchestrated attempt to turn Abians into a “hallelujah chorus” while state resources were being quietly looted.
Attached is a document showing that Abia’s total external debt stood at N80 billion in 2023 and rose to N115 billion in 2024. Interestingly, this document was prepared and signed off by the same government currently denying these facts.
Where is the lie? The truth is that the Abia State Government took the people for granted. It must be emphasised that external loans are not managed by state officials they are regulated by the Federal Ministry of Finance, CBN, and the Debt Management Office (DMO).
The same government, through its own reports, admitted to a ₦75 billion increase in external debt, which includes new loans secured under a World Bank initiative the “Women in Nigeria” project, with a facility of ₦14 billion. Unfortunately, this project was reportedly mismanaged, leading the World Bank to delist Abia and considering demanding a refund.
The ₦18 billion allegedly used for arrears payment remains untraceable, as many civil servants and pensioners are yet to be paid. This is in sharp contrast to other States currently paying down on years of gratuity debt, enabled by the increased federal allocations resulting from APC-led institutional reforms.
According to the 2024 Q4 financial report, ₦54 billion was expended on the “repair of public schools”. In public procurement, payment is only made upon presentation of certificates based on achieved project milestones. That this amount was reportedly “written off” between October and December 2024 while the projects are still at the DPC (Design, Planning, and Coordination) stage nearly a year later is not only unconscionable but outright fraudulent. Is it not disgusting showing those pictures one year after N54b was written off.
Did the government make anticipatory payments? That would be highly irregular and against all principles of public sector procurement. What transpired from October 2024 to date regarding the so-called school repairs amounts to misappropriation of public funds and should be investigated by relevant regulatory agencies.
For the record, the ₦54 billion was allocated for capital projects only, it has absolutely nothing to do with the employment of teachers, which falls under (personnel costs) recurrent expenditure. Mixing both is misleading and technically inaccurate, which is why I advised you to consult your more experienced colleagues before making public statements on technical areas.
It is also worth noting that I was instrumental in enrolling Abia State into the SFTAS (States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability) programme in 2017, one of the first seven States to adopt the SFTAS even before the World Bank made it compulsory for all 36 States and the FCT. Since then, Abia has consistently published its financial reports. It did not start with current administration. I am sure we would have been denied these embarrassing fact from that report if it is optional.
The veil is gradually being lifted, and Abians now understand that what they were promised is far from what is being delivered. We will continue to speak up with facts and figures to ensure the truth is not buried under propaganda.
Abia is still far from redemption .
Obinna Oriaku was a Commissioner of Finance in Abia State.
