Ex-NALDA boss, Ikonne laments state of public schools in Abia

From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja

Immediate past Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Lands Development Authority (NALDA), Prince Paul Ikonne, has lamented the deplorable state of public schools in Abia State.

He dropped the hint while raising serious concerns over the claims by the Governor Alex Otti-led administration that it has spent N54 billion on the retrofitting and construction of public schools across the State.

Prince Ikonne described the government’s claim as “deeply suspicious, laughable, and insulting to the collective intelligence of Abians.”

While decrying the current shameful condition of schools in the state, he questioned how any responsible government could boldly claim to have spent such an enormous resources on merely 53 schools, without corresponding evidence on the ground.

A state government report, signed by the Accountant General of Abia State, Njum Uma-Onyemenam, had revealed that the state generated N320 billion in 2024 from Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocations, internally generated revenue (IGR), and other capital receipts, excluding local government earnings and borrowings.

Among the key expenditures listed in the report—published on the state government’s official website on January 28, 2025, include rehabilitation of public schools with N54.07 billion

However, in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja, Ikonne said: “What we see in Ukwa and several other parts of Abia is an education sector that is visibly in ruins. Ceilings are caving in, blackboards are barely usable, roofs are missing, walls are covered in moss, and some students still sit on bare floors under leaking roofs.

“If N54 billion was truly spent, then show us where, which schools, and what exactly was done? Let the government name them and take us there.”

Ikonne further challenged the government to immediately publish a breakdown of how the N54 billion was disbursed—identifying the contractors, locations, timelines, and photographic or video evidence of completed work.

According to him, “anything short of this transparency amounts to a blatant disrespect for accountability and governance.”