Otti Defends ₦14.43bn Spending on 61 Public Schools in Abia
Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has clarified that his administration has so far spent ₦14.43 billion on the retrofitting of 61 public schools across the state, not ₦54 billion as alleged by critics.
The governor made the disclosure during his monthly media parley, “Governor Alex Otti Speaks to Abians,” where he addressed concerns raised over the huge figures quoted for school rehabilitation projects.
Otti explained that the ₦54 billion being circulated in public discourse was a budget estimate and not the actual sum disbursed.
He said the official expenditure is clearly stated in the state’s audited financial statements, which are publicly accessible on the Abia government’s website.
“When someone says ₦54 billion is missing, unfortunately, he is talking to the wrong people,” Otti stated, stressing that his administration operates with strict financial safeguards.
He pointed to the use of advance payment guarantees as a mechanism to protect state funds, ensuring that any contractor who defaults can be held accountable without financial loss to the government.
The governor also highlighted the presence of several chartered accountants in his Executive Council, which he said was a deliberate step to entrench transparency and accountability in public finance management.
The expenditure falls under the AbiaFIRST initiative (Abia Fostering Innovation Reform School Transformation), a flagship education reform programme launched earlier this year.
The initiative is designed to overhaul infrastructure, strengthen teaching quality, modernise curriculum delivery, and address systemic problems such as examination malpractice.
Abia’s 2025 budget earmarked about ₦120 billion for education, including the building of 20 Smart Schools across all 17 local government areas, with additional projects planned in each senatorial district.
Despite Otti’s defence, criticism has continued to trail the project. Opposition figures, including APC chieftain Prince Paul Ikonne, described the figures as “deeply suspicious and insulting to the intelligence of Abians,” arguing that many schools still appear dilapidated.
He challenged the government to publish details of contractors, timelines, and photographs of completed projects.
Similarly, former Finance Commissioner Obinna Oriaku called on anti-graft agencies such as the EFCC and ICPC to investigate the spending, insisting that the actual impact on the ground does not match the sums declared.
For now, Governor Otti maintains that the spending is both audited and transparent, assuring Abians that his administration’s focus remains on delivering a modernised education system capable of equipping young people for the future.
