Opposition groups and local citizens in Borno State are pushing for an outside audit after a 4 billion naira railway project was mistakenly featured in the state’s 2025 budget implementation records. The state administration admitted on Monday that the project, which was incorrectly marked as fully finished, was a clerical mistake.
Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, stated that a follow-up assessment proved the railway initiative was never awarded, financed, or built within the Maiduguri Metropolitan Council or Jere Local Government Area throughout the 2025 fiscal period. He clarified that the entry was an administrative lapse and did not represent actual project status or spending.
By Tuesday, Aliyu Balarabe of the Nigeria Democratic Congress requested that the EFCC and ICPC look into the incident. He questioned how such a massive sum could be listed as an error, calling the situation a failure of transparency. Baba Mustapha of the Africa Democratic Congress agreed, stating that public funds must be protected and that this incident requires a formal inquiry.
Local residents have also voiced skepticism, with many asking how a project worth billions could simply appear in official documentation by mistake. Critics are now demanding a complete review of the state’s recent financial reports to ensure other potential errors do not exist.
