The Coalition of Civil Society Groups in Ebonyi State has tackled the Ebonyi State Government over alleged failure to qualify for the $500m World Bank’s Hope Governance Programme Performance-based Incentive Grant.
In a statement on Saturday, the group called for accountability and openness in governance by the Ebonyi State Government.
The statement was signed by
Evangelist Professor Joseph Agbo; Chairman, Human Rights Volunteer Corps, Ebonyi State, Comrade Charles Otu; Human Rights Action Group, Ebonyi State Chapter and Comrade Lawrence; Good Living Initiative.
The coalition called for strengthening of fiscal governance, improving procurement integrity, enhancing budget execution, increasing internally generated revenue, and expanding public access to fiscal information would significantly improve accountability, institutional credibility, and public confidence in the management of Ebonyi State’s finances.
The group urged the Nwifuru-led administration to “reduce the numbers of its 4+4= 8 Billboards scattered across every length and breadth of the State and focus more on governance.
“We equally call on him to investigate the activities of touts in the revenue collection in the State by his brothers and kinsmen, which has scared away many investors from the State,” the group said.
The statement read: “It is no longer news that Ebonyi State missed out on the $27 million World Bank-supported HOPE Governance Programme. Investigations have shown that the State failed to meet the required performance targets and reform deadlines for education, primary healthcare, and public financial management.
“Ebonyi is one of the states in Nigeria and the only State in the South East region (except Anambra) that could not access these incentive funds.
“Whereas, the $500 million World Bank initiative is a reward programme that basically requires States to prove they are transparent and hit specific reform targets before receiving funds meant to improve basic education and primary healthcare.
“It is a painful irony that Ebonyi, which remains the poverty capital of the entire Southern Nigeria and also the third poorest State in Nigeria, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, failed the leadership tests and criteria that could have enhanced growth in its struggling education, health and other sectors.
“We are aware that nineteen Nigerian states, which met the set targets of the apex financial institution took part in sharing the whooping $27 million payout.
“Taken together, these independently verified findings suggest that Ebonyi State’s principal fiscal challenge since 2023 is institutional weakness in public financial management rather than a conclusion of theft alone.
“The lesson we uncovered here is very simple: International development partners increasingly reward measurable governance performance, institutional credibility, transparency accountability, and demonstrated reform – not rhetoric.
“These findings have shown a gross failure of the so-christened “People’s Charter of Needs” in the most critical sectors of primary health and education for a State that is grappling with the most essentialities for its growth and survival.
“The evidence consistently points to weak fiscal transparency, incomplete public financial disclosure, weak citizen accountability mechanisms, rising debt and debt-service pressures, poor capital budget execution, heavy dependence on FAAC transfers, procurement governance risks and the need for stronger legislative oversight, transparency in borrowing, and improved public financial management.
“Consequently, we beckon on the Nwifuru-led administration to reduce the numbers of its 4+4= 8 Billboards scattered across every length and breadth of the State and focus more on governance. We equally call on him to investigate the activities of touts in the revenue collection in the State by his brothers and kinsmen which has scared away many investors from the state.
“This coalition, therefore, calls for strengthening of fiscal governance, improving procurement integrity, enhancing budget execution, increasing internally generated revenue, and expanding public access to fiscal information would significantly improve accountability, institutional credibility, and public confidence in the management of Ebonyi State’s finances,” the group said.
Ebonyi state government’s reaction
However, in its reaction on Saturday, the Ebonyi State Government dismissed the allegations by the coalition that the state lost a $27 million World Bank grant due to poor governance, describing the claims as misleading and politically motivated.
In a statement made available to our reporter on Saturday, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Documentation, Dr. Boniface Nwankwo, said the allegations were a deliberate attempt by political opponents to misinform the public and undermine the achievements of Governor Francis Nwifuru’s administration.
According to him, while the government would ordinarily have ignored the claims, it considered it necessary to set the record straight and provide residents with accurate information.
Nwankwo maintained that Governor Nwifuru’s administration, guided by its People’s Charter of Needs agenda, has remained committed to delivering inclusive development, responsive governance, and improved welfare for the people of Ebonyi State.
He noted that rather than focusing on what he described as an unverified narrative, critics had ignored the numerous federal and international grants and strategic interventions attracted to the state within the last three years.
Among the projects listed were the Nigerian Army Training Depot for the South-East located at Amasiri in Edda Local Government Area, the Nigerian Navy Secondary School at Amechara in Izzi Local Government Area, and the proposed University of Aeronautics, which is expected to become the first of its kind in the South-East.
The governor’s aide also disclosed that the administration secured a Productive Use of Energy (Agro-Processing Equipment) Grant valued at about ₦12 billion for the installation of solar-powered agro-processing facilities for rice, cassava, millet, palm oil, and other agricultural products across the state.
He said 12 processing stations have already been completed and are awaiting commissioning, while work is ongoing at 24 additional locations.
According to the statement, Ebonyi has also qualified for another ₦10 billion Productive Use of Energy Grant and is currently at the final stage of accessing the facility.
Nwankwo further revealed that the state secured a 25 million U.S. dollar intervention under the Sustainable Power and Irrigation for Nigeria (SPIN) Programme, adding that Ebonyi is among only 16 states selected nationwide and is also at the final stage of accessing the fund.
He added that the state also attracted an ₦8.1 billion African Development Bank Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Intervention Grant, noting that Ebonyi is the only South-East state among the eight beneficiaries.
The government argued that the volume of grants and strategic investments secured under Governor Nwifuru’s administration demonstrates its commitment to development and contradicts claims of poor governance.
Nwankwo urged residents and the general public to disregard what he described as misinformation, insisting that the administration remains focused on attracting more investments, expanding economic opportunities, and delivering the dividends of democracy across the state.
He reaffirmed that the Nwifuru administration would continue to pursue policies and partnerships aimed at accelerating sustainable development and improving the lives of Ebonyi people.