How Senator Oshiomhole Commissioned ₦222 Million Classrooms With No Desks or Chairs in Edo

A civic accountability organisation, the Monitoring Initiative for Transparency in Governance (MonITNG), has raised serious concerns over the commissioning of a ₦222 million constituency project by Senator Adams Oshiomhole in Edo State, alleging that the classrooms were delivered without desks or chairs for students.

In a report titled “Misplaced Priorities in Edo State” and released on Monday, October 20, 2025, MonITNG described the project at Ojah Comprehensive High School, located in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area, as deceptive and poorly executed. The group questioned how a project valued at such an amount could be completed and inaugurated without basic furniture or fittings required for effective learning.

The project, which bears the code ZIP20240448, was reportedly awarded under the Federal Polytechnic Auchi, operating through the Federal Ministry of Education, to a contractor identified as Sam Sedi Nig. Ltd. According to MonITNG, an inspection of the site revealed that while the classroom blocks had been constructed, the quality of work was substandard, with no landscaping, drainage, or furniture.

The organisation said its findings confirmed that pupils of Ojah Comprehensive High School were still learning on bare floors despite the completion and formal commissioning of the buildings. It described the situation as a clear example of misplaced priorities and poor project supervision, noting that such an outcome undermines the purpose of constituency projects meant to improve educational infrastructure in rural areas.

MonITNG further alleged that the contractor, Sam Sedi Nig. Ltd, has a history of questionable project performance. The group cited previous contracts linked to the company, including the abandoned Warake–Ivbiaro Road project in Owan East Local Government Area, valued at ₦200 million, and a controversial agricultural empowerment programme executed in Etsako communities, also reportedly connected to Oshiomhole’s constituency initiatives. The group suggested a recurring pattern of inflated contracts, poor delivery, and limited oversight in projects associated with the senator’s office.

In its report, MonITNG called on Nigeria’s anti-graft agencies, including the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to launch a full-scale investigation into the project and its procurement process. The organisation urged the agencies to verify how the ₦222 million allocation was utilised and to hold all parties accountable if irregularities are confirmed.

According to MonITNG, public funds are intended to enhance the quality of life for citizens and should not be expended on projects that fail to deliver tangible benefits. It warned that the trend of inaugurating incomplete or poorly executed projects erodes public trust in governance and undermines the goals of constituency development funding.

The civic group also renewed its earlier criticism of what it described as the politicisation of constituency projects in Edo North Senatorial District. In a previous statement released on Saturday, October 18, it accused Senator Oshiomhole and the Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh, of turning public projects into instruments of political patronage rather than development. MonITNG alleged that a recently launched Grassroots Empowerment Programme, coordinated by the two politicians, distributed ₦100,000 cash gifts and empowerment items to party loyalists across the six local government areas of Edo North while excluding ordinary citizens.

The organisation argued that such programmes fail to address the developmental challenges facing rural communities and instead reinforce a system where access to public benefits is determined by political affiliation. It urged the federal government and relevant oversight bodies to reform the implementation of constituency projects to ensure transparency, accountability, and equitable distribution of resources.

MonITNG maintained that every public project, especially those funded through federal allocations, must be subjected to independent verification to confirm value for money. It insisted that pupils of Ojah Comprehensive High School deserve to learn in a dignified environment equipped with the necessary facilities, not empty classrooms lacking the most basic furniture.

The group concluded that the commissioning of poorly executed or incomplete projects represents a betrayal of public trust and a distortion of the principles of democracy. It emphasised that accountability, transparency, and credible monitoring mechanisms are essential to ensuring that taxpayer funds genuinely improve lives rather than serve as tools for political showmanship.