ABIA FINANCES: RECORDS, NOT RANTS — A FACT-CHECK RESPONSE TO THE “OLD VS NEW ABIA” CLAIM
Let us step away from emotion and return to documents. I believe that the recent Facebook Livestream has suddenly rejuvenated you to spill as usual. We will also fact check you, albeit, as usual 😆
A write-up from our long silenced friend claims that nothing has changed in Abia, that finances are being concealed, that huge sums are wasted on private jets, and that rising revenues have produced no measurable governance difference. Strong claims — but strong claims must survive documentary testing.
Start with revenue. Abia State’s official Q4 2025 Budget Implementation Report, published by the state itself, shows that total inflows in that quarter were about ₦149.2 billion, with ₦139.96 billion specifically from FAAC plus State IGR. That translates to roughly ₦46–₦50 billion per month in Q4, not a flat “₦60 billion every month” slogan.
Official Q4 2025 Budget Performance Report (primary document):
https://abiastate.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Abia-State-BIR4-C-BPR-Publication-TemplateTeamIb-4th-Quarter-CR.pdf
So the first correction is simple: use the audited quarterly report — not rounded viral figures.
Next, the explosive claim that the present government has spent ₦18 billion on private jets and travels. When checked against the same official Q4 report, the entire Travel & Transport — General expenditure line for 2025 shows about ₦2.075 billion spent year-to-date, with a total budget of about ₦5.647 billion — covering all government travel and transport categories, not “private jets alone.”
Same official report (see Travel & Transport line items):
https://abiastate.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Abia-State-BIR4-C-BPR-Publication-TemplateTeamIb-4th-Quarter-CR.pdf
That does not support an ₦18bn jet narrative. If anyone insists on that figure, the burden is simple: publish the ledger extract, contract schedule, or audited breakdown. Until then, it remains allegation — not proof.
On workers’ welfare and minimum wage, it is inaccurate to say nothing has been done. Credible national reporting confirms that Abia Government and organised labour reached agreement on the ₦70,000 minimum wage framework.
Premium Times report on Abia minimum wage agreement:
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/ssouth-east/750390-abia-govt-labour-sign-agreement-on-new-minimum-wage.html
That shifts the debate from “refusal” to the more precise questions of coverage, categories, and rollout pace — which is a policy discussion, not a denial story.
On arrears and backlog clearance, there are attributable public statements and media reports that the administration has cleared large volumes of salary and pension arrears — something reform economists classify as fiscal repair, not propaganda.
Example report:
https://thewhistler.ng/abia-govt-clears-n30bn-salary-pension-arrears-otti/
Then there are sector outcomes that are independently reported — not merely announced at press conferences. Power restoration to previously long-dark communities in Abia’s oil-producing belt has been covered by national newspapers:
Premium Times field report:
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/845034-abia-govt-restores-power-to-33-communities-after-nine-years-of-outage.html
Healthcare delivery direction has also drawn federal legislative commendation after oversight visits:
Punch Newspapers report:
https://punchng.com/reps-committee-lauds-abia-govs-strides-in-healthcare-delivery/
These are third-party validations, not government posters.
What about the broader accusation — that “nothing fundamental has changed”? Global governance literature says institutional reform rarely looks dramatic at first. Payroll stabilization, arrears cleanup, audit discipline, procurement reset, and systems digitization usually come before visible mega-projects. That is standard reform sequencing under IMF and World Bank public financial management doctrine.
IMF Fiscal Transparency Code:
https://www.imf.org/external/np/fad/trans/code.htm
World Bank Public Financial Management framework:
https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/governance/brief/public-financial-management
So if the question is transparency, the right test is not “who spoke longest online.” The right test is: are there published budget reports, FAAC datasets, sector reports, and traceable expenditure lines? In Abia’s case — yes, there are, and they are publicly accessible.
I must say this, with all sense of humility: Criticism is welcome. Accountability is healthy. But allegations must meet the standard of documents. Numbers must be read in their proper budget lines. And outrage must submit to audit.
Records speak louder than broadcasts.
Yes, it’s me!
Yours faithfully 😁🕺🏾
