Ondo Government Claims N621million Disbursed For School Projects While Classrooms Remain Dilapidated, Lack Furniture

The organisation disclosed that the only classroom block currently in use at the school had visible cracks and detached roofing sheets, raising concerns about the safety and learning conditions of pupils. A civic accountability organisation, Tracka, has raised concerns over the reported disbursement of N621million for six school project interventions in Ondo State, alleging that the projects had not been delivered despite the state government's claim of 96.3 per cent cumulative budget performance. The organisation said its monitoring visit to C&S Zion Primary School, Ilutitun, in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State, in November 2026, revealed a disturbing situation in which the school had not received any of the facilities, materials and interventions captured in the state's budget implementation records. According to Tracka, the Ondo State Government's 2025 Fourth Quarter Budget Implementation Report (Q4 BIR) indicated that N621 million had been disbursed for six different interventions intended to improve infrastructure and learning conditions at the school. The projects reportedly covered classroom renovation and construction, provision of teachers' and Early Childhood Care, Development and Education (ECCDE) furniture, water supply and sanitation, agricultural education, and sports equipment. However, Tracka said its findings during the November 2026 monitoring exercise contradicted the reported expenditure and budget performance figures. The organisation disclosed that the only classroom block currently in use at the school had visible cracks and detached roofing sheets, raising concerns about the safety and learning conditions of pupils. It added that a second classroom block had been completely abandoned and was overgrown with weeds, further highlighting the poor state of infrastructure at the institution. According to the organisation, school authorities also confirmed that none of the items and facilities captured in the budget implementation report had been delivered to the school. Tracka questioned how the state government could report 96.3 per cent cumulative budget performance for the six interventions when the school allegedly had not benefited from any of them. Breaking down the reported expenditure, the organisation said N157.52 million was allocated for the renovation of two-, three- and six-classroom buildings. Another N223.4 million was reportedly earmarked for the construction of two- and three-classroom buildings, an ECCDE building and two-bay toilets. The report also captured N123.5 million for the supply of 100 teachers' and ECCDE furniture. For water supply and sanitation, including the provision of a borehole, N46.4 million was reportedly disbursed. Tracka further identified N32.7 million for the provision of agricultural education, while N37.3 million was reportedly earmarked for sports equipment, including two goalposts, 10 Scrabble sets and 20 badminton items. The organisation expressed particular concern over the difference between the proposed and approved budgets for the interventions. According to Tracka, the initial proposed budget of N445.1 million was increased to N642.1 million in the approved budget, representing a 44.3 per cent increase. Despite the substantial increase in the approved allocation and the reported disbursement of N621 million, the organisation said the physical condition of the school did not reflect the level of expenditure recorded in the government's report. "How can N621m be reported as disbursed when none of the budgeted interventions have been delivered? Who received the money? Where is the evidence of implementation?" Tracka queried. The organisation also disclosed that it had submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the Ondo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), seeking clarification on the matter and other related issues. However, it said the agency had yet to respond to the request as of the time of its statement. Tracka subsequently called on the Ondo State Government and SUBEB to explain the reported disbursements and provide documentary and physical evidence showing how the funds were utilised. It also urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the reported expenditure and establish how the public funds were spent. The organisation specifically called on Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa's administration to address the concerns surrounding the projects and ensure accountability for funds budgeted for public education. Tracka stressed that the controversy was not merely about abandoned classroom blocks, missing furniture or the absence of a borehole, but about the future of children whose education and learning conditions could be compromised despite substantial public funds reportedly being spent on their behalf. It maintained that public funds must translate into tangible benefits for citizens, insisting that pupils at C&S Zion Primary School deserved functional classrooms, adequate learning facilities and answers over the reported expenditure.