Enugu: Group raises alarm over alleged opacity, mismanagement of Mba’s administration

Ayo Olukoun/Abuja

A civil society group, the Concerned Citizens of Enugu State has raised alarm about what it described as systemic assault of opaque governance, reckless contract awards, abandoned promises, and the growing weight of unaccountable debts under the Governor Peter Mba administration.

The group raised the alarm while demanding greater transparency in the management of resources of Enugu State by the Mba’s administration at a press conference addressed by its convener, Chukwunonye Okereke, its convener in Abuja on Tuesday.

The group listed instances of alleged mismanagement, questionable contracts, and broken promises by the Mba’s administration to back up its claims and demands for accountability from the Mba’s administration.

Specifically, the group cited controversies that have trailed contracts awarded by the Mba’s administration for the smart schools with specific reference to the recent scandal involving Lagos real estate businessman. According to the group, while billions of naira have been spent to award contracts for 260 schools that were promised, less that 10 per cent of such schools have been delivered to date.

“The much-publicised “Smart Green Schools” — initially celebrated as the future of our children’s education — has now collapsed into scandal. Reports show billions of naira released to Sujimoto Construction, and other contractors yet classrooms remain unfinished, children stranded, and the EFCC sniffing around frozen accounts of Sujimoto luxury construction company who confessed publicly that he is not versed in public education school construction, yet the government of Enugu state went ahead to give him a contract of #11 b with a mobilization of #5.7b that is did not follow due process and was not properly documented,” the group said.

The group therefore queried the recent announcement that the smart schools will resume operation wondering how many of the 260 of the smart schools are ready. “If 40% of the schools are not ready and fully equipped it therefore means that the project has collapsed as it is behind the timeline after 28 months of award of the jobs,” the group said.

“Our questions are simple: Where are the 260 schools that were promised? Where are the payment records and project certificates? Why should our children’s education be mortgaged to opaque deals that only enrich a few? Why would the government pay in money into Zenith bank account different from the jaiz bank were the bank guarantee was procured Ndi Enugu demand a forensic audit into the smart school projects- today, not tomorrow,” the group said.

Also, the Concerned Enugu State Citizens raised questions about recently announced 100 billion joint venture with Songhai Initiative and Tribu Ltd for the Heneke Integrated Farm by the Mba’s administration.

The group demanded answers from the Enugu government on why the land quietly for the project was handed over as “equity contribution” without the consent of the owner, as well as the benefits of the project to the community. It also queried the ownership of Tribu Ltd and Enugu State government refused to use competitive tender to select a partner for the project.

“This must not be another disguised land grab dressed as agriculture. We demand the publication of the full joint-venture agreement, the ownership structure of the SPV, and proof that host communities were properly consulted and compensated,” the group said.

Furthermore, the Concerned Enugu State Citizens said Governor Mba has failed to live up to expectations of ensuring adequate water supply for Ndi Enugu within 180 days of his inauguration as he promised during his campaign.

The group noted that taps across the state have remained dry in spite of the fact that hundreds of millions have been poured into treatment plants and boreholes by the Mba administration.

Specifically, the group noted that while the Mba’s administration signed a $100 million foreign direct investment agreement with an Austrian company to modernize Enugu’s water infrastructure with promise of new pipelines, household connections, meters, and “last-mile connectivity in 2024, the plan has not materialized.

“But nearly a year later, the city is still thirsting. No visible large-scale reticulation has taken place, and no neighborhoods have reported significant improvement. While the deal itself may not be dead, the delays have fueled public skepticism. For residents, the distinction between “slow implementation” and “failure” makes little difference — water still doesn’t flow.

“Where exactly have the billions budgeted gone? Why are galleries still dry after multiple inauguration? Why has the Austrian investment not translated into water in homes?
And most importantly: why does Enugu, despite its resources, still depend on tankers in 2025?” the group said.

“Where did the money go? Who signed the completion certificates? Who is being paid for water that never flows? Ndi Enugu deserve an independent audit of all water contracts, actual litres delivered per day, and the names of contractors paid,” the group queried.

It also queried the failure of the administration to deliver on its promise to deliver a Type-2 primary health centre in each ward in the state. The group noted that many of the supposed hospitals are still skeleton structures while either staff or equipment are missing in those completed.

“This is not healthcare. It is deceit packaged as development. The government must publish a ward-by-ward record of completed and functional health centres — not PowerPoint slides, but evidence on the ground,” the group said.

The group also said the agreement of the Mba administration with so called investors on the recently unveiled rehabilitated Hotel Presidential and Enugu Air have been mired in opacity.

It noted that while grand reopening of Hotel Presidential was touted as a revival of our economy, the people of the state have not seen the concession agreement.

“Who owns the hotel now? What share of revenue comes to the state? Why the secrecy? Enugu Air too has taken flight on the wings of fanfare, but under what terms? Is it state-owned, privately owned, or a branding arrangement at public expense? Until the agreements are published, we consider these projects a black box of mismanagement,” the group said,

The Concerned Citizens of Enugu State also queried ongoing demolitions of shops and properties to make way for transport terminals and “beautification” by the Mba administration with payment of compensation or relocation of those affected.

While noting that courts have already found the state guilty of illegal demolitions, the group affirmed that no government has the right to destroy livelihoods without due process, compensation, and dignity.

“Development must never become an excuse for dispossession,” the group said.

It also alleged that the Mba administration has been involved in grabbing of ancestral lands in the state in the name of Smart Cities and “farm estates” with customary owners sidelined, Certificates of Occupancy manipulated, and ancestral ties ignored.

“Developers across Enugu have lost their properties that has been forcefully taken away for private purposes in the name of what we do not know. Land investors that bought lands some decades ago in different areas in Enugu suddenly woke up with news that the government has disposed them of their land. This is land grabbing and sheer daylight exercise of force on the citizens”

“We demand: no project should proceed without community consent, open valuation, and adequate compensations. Anything less is theft with official backing,” the group said.

The Concerned Citizens of Enugu State also raised alarm about the debt level of the state while traders, shopkeepers, and keke riders are squeezed with multiple taxes.

“Debt must be sustainable, not reckless. Taxation must be fair, not punitive. We demand that the state publishes its debt profile, loan agreements, and guarantees — and convenes a debt sustainability hearing open to the public. Enugu is heavily crumbling under tax burden .The living are taxed likewise the dead in Enugu. Housing and rental rate in Enugu is becoming astronomical because of policies of different taxes around housing and properties in Enugu. This is asphyxiating and should be revised before people will start dropping dead on the streets because of heavy bills on their shoulders Nothing is spared from taxation in Enugu,” said the group.

“Across all these issues — smart schools, Songhai farms, water projects, hospitals, hotel concessions, demolitions, land allocations — one thread runs through: secrecy. Governance has been converted into a private bazaar where contracts are concealed, debts are piled up, and citizens are left in the dark,” the group said while affirming that Enugu cannot prosper on secrecy.

“Sunshine is the best disinfectant. We demand the release of all contract documents, concession agreements, and payment records,” said the group.

The group therefore demanded immediate suspension of further payments to Smart school contractors pending the outcome of forensic audit, publication of Heneke Songhai / Tribu N100bn agreement, with SPV ownership details, independent verification of water projects against the 180-day pledge and what has been sunk in so far and full disclosure of Hotel Presidential concession terms and Enugu Air partnership agreements.

It also demanded restitution and compensation for victims of illegal demolitions and community consultation for all land allocations under smart city or farm estate projects.

On the issue of debts, the group demanded publication of loan agreements and guarantees while affirming that Enugu State House of Assembly must immediately open a special investigative hearing, with subpoena powers, open to the public on the debt issue.

“Fellow Ndi Enugu and Nigerians, this is not about politics. It is about the survival of our state, the dignity of our people, and the future of our children. We cannot remain silent as our commonwealth is mortgaged to secrecy and mismanagement.

“Enugu is not for sale. Our land, our taxes, our schools, our hospitals, our water, our heritage — these are not bargaining chips. They are our rights. And together, we shall defend them,” the Concerned Citizens Of Enugu State said.