Civil society organizations have raised an alarm over the alleged diversion and abandonment of a ₦265.3 million federal constituency project nominated by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, in Abia State.
The project, which was captured in the 2024 Federal Government budget, was originally designated for the construction of a conference and e-learning facility at Bende Secondary Grammar School. However, budget tracking experts reveal that the project has been illegally relocated and left to rot, despite full financial mobilization.
The Paper Trail and Location Shift
According to official records published on the federal government expenditure portal, GovSpend, the sum of ₦265.3 million was disbursed in December 2025 to a private contractor, Muslac Techno Company Limited, for the execution of the project.
A recent physical verification exercise conducted by Tracka, a public accountability organization, exposed severe discrepancies between official government records and the reality on the ground. Most notably, the project was secretly moved entirely away from the beneficiary school to Ọnụ Inyang along the Bende–Ohafia Expressway.
Overgrown Vegetation and Zero Activity
MonITNG, a public oversight initiative that co-reported the findings, described a scene of total abandonment at the new site. Investigators found no visible construction activity, no workers on-site, and only minimal, substandard structural work that has already been overtaken by overgrown weeds and vegetation.
“Six months after the reported disbursement of ₦265.3 million, the level of work on the ground appears grossly inadequate,” MonITNG stated in a public petition. “Even more concerning are indications that this same project may be proposed again in the next budget cycle despite its current state.”
Demands for Immediate Anti-Graft Probe
The civil society network has officially called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology to launch an immediate, sweeping investigation into the contract.
The anti-graft agencies are being urged to probe the unauthorized relocation of the project, audit the ₦265.3 million released to Muslac Techno Company Limited, and hold all complicit actors accountable, stressing that public funds must serve the people, not disappear into abandoned projects and repeated budget allocations.
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