The Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy & Development (FENRAD Nigeria) has filed a Freedom of Information (FOI) request with the Abia State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, demanding details on the management of the ₦54 billion education fund allocated for the retrofitting of 61 public schools across the state.
The move follows public statements by Governor Alex Otti that ₦14.43 billion had already been spent from the fund without a detailed breakdown being made available.
FENRAD’s Executive Director, Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor, said the request was aimed at promoting transparency and accountability in the use of public resources for education.
The group is demanding a breakdown of the ₦14.43 billion already spent, including project details, contractors, and school locations, as well as the full list of the 61 schools, procurement documents, and the project timeline.
Nwafor noted that the FOI request, first submitted in February 2025 but left unanswered, was not an indictment of the government but a civic effort to ensure participatory governance.
He urged the state government to respond within the seven-day window provided by the FOI Act and embrace accountability as a pillar of democratic governance.
