A civic watchdog, the Monitoring Initiative for Transparency in Governance (MonITNG), has raised concerns over a multi-million naira constituency project commissioned by Senator Adams Oshiomhole in Edo State, alleging that completed classroom blocks were delivered without basic furniture for students.
The report, released on Monday, October 20, 2025, and titled “Misplaced Priorities in Edo State,” criticised what it described as “deceptive project execution” at Ojah Comprehensive High School in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area.
According to MonITNG,
“How does a project worth ₦222 million end with pupils sitting on bare floors? Senator Adams Oshiomhole commissioned blocks of classrooms at Ojah Comprehensive High School, yet no single desk or chair was provided.”
The organisation revealed that the project, coded ZIP20240448, was awarded under the Federal Polytechnic Auchi, Federal Ministry of Education, to a contractor identified as Sam Sedi Nig. LTD.
“On visiting the site, our team confirmed the buildings exist, but the work is of poor quality — no landscaping, no drainage, and very poor finishing,” the report stated.
“Most shocking is the lack of basic furniture, which means students will still learn in the same conditions the project was meant to solve.”
MonITNG questioned the rationale behind commissioning what it called “empty shells of classrooms,” asking,
“Why should ₦222 million be spent only to deliver empty buildings? What is the essence of commissioning a project that leaves children on bare floors? This is not development; it is deception.”
The watchdog further alleged that Sam Sedi Nig. LTD has a history of questionable project delivery. It cited the abandoned Warake–Ivbiaro Road project in Owan East Local Government Area, valued at ₦200 million, and a controversial agricultural empowerment programme in Etsako communities — both reportedly linked to Senator Oshiomhole.
“A pattern is clear: inflated contracts, poor execution, and little accountability,” MonITNG asserted.
“We cannot normalise this. Public funds are meant to transform lives, not deliver empty buildings for photo opportunities.”
The organisation called for an immediate probe into the project and its procurement process, urging Nigeria’s anti-graft agencies to act.
“We call on the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate this project, the procurement process, and the contractor’s track record,” MonITNG said.
“If ₦222 million was truly released, then pupils of Ojah Comprehensive High School deserve to learn in dignity — with proper classrooms, desks, and chairs.”
MonITNG emphasised that Nigerians deserve transparency and accountability, describing empty classrooms without furniture as “a symbol of misplaced priority.”
Earlier, on Saturday, October 18, 2025, SaharaReporters reported that the organisation criticised what it termed the politicisation of constituency projects in Edo North Senatorial District.
In that statement, MonITNG accused Senator Oshiomhole and the Minister for Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh, of turning public resources into tools of political patronage.
According to the group, Oshiomhole, with Momoh’s support, recently launched a “Grassroots Empowerment Programme” where ₦100,000 cash gifts and empowerment items were distributed to party loyalists across the six local government areas of Edo North.
“What happens to the thousands of ordinary citizens who are not party members but desperately need public infrastructure and social services?” the organisation queried.
MonITNG stressed that constituency funds should not be treated as personal or partisan assets, urging lawmakers to prioritise projects that genuinely improve citizens’ welfare.
