The project is being executed through the Federal Cooperative College, Ibadan, under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
A civic technology platform, MonITNG, has raised the alarm over what it described as an “overpriced” constituency project in Etim Ekpo, Akwa-Ibom North West Senatorial District, warning anti-corruption agencies about potential misuse of public funds.
In a post shared on X, MonITNG revealed that Project Code ERGP20247175, listed in the 2024 federal budget for the construction of an ICT centre, received a total allocation of ₦355 million.
The project is being executed through the Federal Cooperative College, Ibadan, under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
“Records show that over ₦220 million was released in September and November 2024 alone,” the platform noted. “₦102 million was paid to Alpuba Services Limited, Abuja, for construction, while ₦118.3 million went to D’Frontiers Multiproject Nig. Ltd for equipment and furnishing under Lot G29.”
While the project was facilitated by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, MonITNG questioned the appropriateness of the project’s placement, noting that
“An ICT centre has been pushed through an agency whose mandate is cooperative education and rural agricultural development, not digital infrastructure.”
The platform added that the Ministry of Agriculture’s mandate is to address farming, food security, and agro-related development, “not ICT construction and furnishing.”
The statement warned that this case reflects a broader problem in constituency projects: “Unrelated agencies are routinely used as channels for political allocations. The result is weak oversight, poor delivery, inflated costs, and projects that fail to meet community needs.”
According to Tracka team tracking, the ICT centre is located at Ikono Annang Comprehensive Secondary School in Nkwot Ikono, Etim Ekpo LGA.
Although the building exists and has been partially furnished, only 25 desktop computers, basic tables, and stools were supplied.
Essential facilities, including UPS systems, printers, backup power, ceiling fans, whiteboards, and a perimeter fence, are missing.
The centre remains largely unusable and locked, denying students and teachers any real benefit.
MonITNG also highlighted concerns about political branding, noting that “Constituency project signposts increasingly carry the images of political office holders, including the Senate President, turning public infrastructure funded by taxpayers into personal political billboards.”
The platform described the project as part of a “broader pattern of questionable allocations linked to the same Ministry of Agriculture, where funds meant for agricultural development are diverted to unrelated projects such as police facilities, transformers, solar streetlights, and ICT centres, often presented as rural interventions.”
MonITNG called on the Federal Cooperative College, Ibadan, and anti-corruption agencies to “ensure contractors return to site, complete the project to standard, and account for every naira spent. Public funds must translate into real value for communities, not poorly executed projects wrapped in political promotion.”