Ebonyi Dismisses Claims of Losing World Bank Grant, Defends Governance Record

The Ebonyi State Government has dismissed allegations that it failed to access a World Bank performance-based grant due to poor governance, describing the claims as misleading, politically motivated and a deliberate attempt to discredit the administration of Governor Francis Nwifuru.

The government was reacting to a statement by a coalition of civil society organisations, which alleged that Ebonyi missed out on a $27 million share of the World Bank-supported HOPE Governance Programme because it failed to meet key governance and public financial management benchmarks.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Documentation, Dr. Boniface Nwankwo, said the allegations were intended to misinform the public and undermine the achievements recorded under Governor Nwifuru’s People’s Charter of Needs agenda.

According to him, although the government would ordinarily not respond to what it described as politically motivated claims, it considered it necessary to set the record straight.

Nwankwo maintained that the Nwifuru administration has remained committed to inclusive development, transparency and improved welfare for the people of Ebonyi State.

He argued that rather than focusing on what he described as an unverified narrative, critics had ignored the numerous federal and international interventions attracted to the state within the last three years.

Among the projects listed were the establishment of the Nigerian Army Training Depot for the South-East at Amasiri in Edda Local Government Area, the Nigerian Navy Secondary School at Amechara in Izzi Local Government Area and the proposed University of Aeronautics, expected to be the first of its kind in the South-East.

The governor’s aide also disclosed that the state secured a Productive Use of Energy Grant worth about ₦12 billion for the installation of solar-powered agro-processing facilities for rice, cassava, millet, palm oil and other agricultural products across the state.

He said 12 processing centres had already been completed and were awaiting commissioning, while construction was ongoing at 24 additional locations.

According to him, Ebonyi has also qualified for another ₦10 billion Productive Use of Energy Grant and is currently at the final stage of accessing the facility.

Nwankwo further revealed that the state secured a $25 million intervention under the Sustainable Power and Irrigation for Nigeria (SPIN) Programme, noting that Ebonyi is among only 16 states selected nationwide and is also nearing completion of the process required to access the fund.

He added that the state also attracted an ₦8.1 billion African Development Bank Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Intervention Grant, making Ebonyi the only South-East state among the eight beneficiaries.

According to the government, the volume of grants and strategic investments attracted since Governor Nwifuru assumed office demonstrates the administration’s commitment to development and contradicts allegations of poor governance.

The statement urged residents to disregard what it described as misinformation, insisting that the government remains focused on attracting investments, expanding economic opportunities and delivering the dividends of democracy.

“The administration will continue to pursue policies and strategic partnerships that accelerate sustainable development and improve the quality of life of Ebonyi people,” Nwankwo said.

Earlier, a coalition of civil society organisations had alleged that Ebonyi failed to qualify for the World Bank’s HOPE Governance Programme incentive grant due to weaknesses in fiscal transparency, procurement processes, budget execution and public financial management. The group called on the state government to strengthen accountability mechanisms, improve internally generated revenue and enhance public access to fiscal information. However, the government maintained that its development record and the interventions it has attracted speak for themselves.