Bende School Project: Deputy Speaker Kalu Reacts to TrackaNG's Report
- The office of the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives has dismissed claims by TrackaNG over a school project in Abia state, calling the report misleading
- The office said lawmakers only facilitate projects through the budget process, while implementation is handled by executive agencies
- It also clarified that the project location was later corrected from Bende Secondary Grammar School to Onuinyang through a budget corrigendum
Abuja, FCT - The deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has dismissed allegations surrounding the construction and furnishing of a conference and e-learning facility at Bende Secondary Grammar School in Abia state, describing claims by civic organisation TrackaNG as misleading and politically motivated.
In a statement signed by Udora Orizu, special adviser on press affairs to the deputy speaker, the office said lawmakers are only responsible for facilitating development projects for their constituencies through the budget process and do not supervise or execute contracts.
Source: Twitter
“The legislature neither serves as the procuring agency nor supervises the execution of such projects,” the statement said, adding that implementation rests with ministries, departments and agencies under the executive arm of government.
Alleged abandonment of N265.3m Bende school project
The statement followed a report by TrackaNG concerning the project, which was captured in the 2024 federal budget.
The civic group in a post on X said the federally funded ultra-modern conference and e-learning facility at Bende Secondary Grammar School in Abia State, for which N265.3m has reportedly been paid, is not known to the school and appears to have been relocated to another community.
The group also said the site is abandoned with no visible work ongoing, and is calling for an investigation into possible mismanagement and accountability concerns.
Office questions use of deputy speaker’s image
The deputy speaker’s office said it was “curious and mischievous” that the lawmaker’s image was linked to a project over which he had no implementation responsibility.
While noting that it would ordinarily not respond to the publication, the office said it decided to address the matter to prevent the public from being misled.
It also called on the relevant government agency responsible for the project to investigate the matter and ensure accountability if any wrongdoing is established.
“We call on the appropriate procuring agency to take immediate steps to investigate the matter thoroughly and ensure that whoever was awarded the contract is held accountable in line with the law,” the statement added.
Clarification over project location
The office also clarified issues surrounding the project location, saying the initial reference to Bende Secondary Grammar School was an error because the school already has an ICT centre.
According to the statement, the project was originally intended for Onuinyang, and a corrigendum was later issued to correct the location in the budget documentation.
The office maintained that its priority was to ensure the project was completed and delivered for the benefit of residents in the constituency.
Source: Twitter
FG disburses N2.45trn to states for infrastructure
In another report, state governments and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) received a total of N2.45 trillion from the federal government between March 2024 and August 2025 to support infrastructure development and security interventions.
According to internal documents from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), the funds were disbursed over 17 months under a special intervention programme financed through non-oil revenue savings.
However, despite the scale of the intervention, concerns have continued to grow over how the funds are being used by state governments.
Source: Legit.ng
