Fresh Storm In Borno Politics As Opposition Questions ₦4bn Ghost” Rail Allocation

Opposition parties in Borno State have called for an independent investigation into the inclusion of a non-existent ₦4 billion railway project in the state government’s 2025 budget implementation report.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The state government had on Monday acknowledged that the listing of the project, which was indicated as 100 per cent completed, resulted from an administrative error.

The Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, explained that an internal review carried out by relevant ministries confirmed that no railway project was awarded, funded, or executed by the state government within the 2025 fiscal year in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council and Jere Local Government Area.

Reacting in an interview with Punch, the Publicity Secretary of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Borno State, Aliyu Balarabe, urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to carry out a thorough and impartial investigation into the matter.

He described the development as a serious breach of accountability and transparency in governance, questioning how such a significant error involving billions of naira could appear in an official budget document.

“We see this as a failure in accountability and transparency. It is difficult to understand how a state budget could contain such an error involving billions of naira. If it was truly a mistake, then where is the money?” he asked.

He further alleged that the incident could point to a pattern of financial misrepresentation, urging anti-graft agencies to conduct an unbiased investigation.

“This suggests that similar issues may have gone unnoticed in the past, but this one has now come to light. We call on the EFCC and ICPC to carry out their duties without bias,” he added.

Similarly, the Spokesperson of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the state, Baba Mustapha, described the situation as regrettable.

“It is unfortunate. We saw reports that ₦4 billion was allocated for a railway project in our state, yet no such project exists. There must be a proper investigation, and the matter should not be ignored,” he said.

He stressed that public funds must be fully accounted for, warning that any unresolved discrepancies would eventually be addressed under future administrations.