The Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy & Development (FENRAD Nigeria) has criticized the Abia State House of Assembly over what it described as a failure to exercise its oversight role in the alleged mismanagement of ₦54 billion allocated to the education sector.
The group said it was disturbed that despite the huge allocation, the state’s 2024 Budget Performance Report showed no tangible improvement in infrastructure, teaching capacity, or student outcomes.
FENRAD accused the Assembly’s Committees on Public Accounts, Appropriation, and Education of neglecting their duty by failing to investigate the alleged poor use of funds.
“A budget is not a mere ritual; it is a contract between government and the people. The legislature’s silence on this alleged misuse is not only disappointing but dangerous for democracy,” said Nelson Nnanna Nwafor, Executive Director of FENRAD.
The group demanded that the Assembly summon the Commissioner for Education, the Commissioner for Finance, and the Director-General of the Abia State Budget Office to explain how the ₦54 billion was disbursed and utilized.
It also called for:
- An independent audit of all education spending from 2023 to 2025.
- Public release of the 2024 Education Budget Performance Report.
- Full activation of the state’s Freedom of Information (FOI) mechanism to give citizens access to data.
FENRAD urged Governor Alex Otti to order an internal review of the Ministry of Education’s financial records, stressing that “the education of Abia’s children should never be a casualty of mismanagement, poor oversight, or political collusion.”
