A forensic audit conducted by an audit firm has uncovered some alarming details about the past government of Abia State.
The audit report revealed that funds were approved by the previous administration for the construction of a state-owned airport and other infrastructure that do not exist.
Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, recently made this known while delivering a presentation on ‘Dynamics of State Governance, Economic Transition and the Challenges of Seeking to Establish a New Order Amidst Multiple Constraints and Pushbacks’ at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington DC, United States.
He expressed his concern about how some Nigerian leaders contest elections, with reasons that are shrouded in corruption. Governor Otti, who took over from Okezie Ikpeazu in 2023, explained that some politicians have abused the privilege of governance, thereby impoverishing their states.
He also disclosed how he engaged one of the top audit firms to examine the state accounts, and the auditor uncovered several deals that are shrouded in corruption.
He said, “Talking about corruption, I set up a forensic audit as soon as I took over last year in Abia so that there won’t be any argument, I called in one of the top three audit firms in the world and not too long ago, they sent in their report and some of the things in the report are frightening.
“So, N79.3bn was paid to seven contractors for contracts that were not executed at all up till today. Another N15.9bn- almost N16bn was paid to 63 contractors with no supporting documents anywhere in the State.
