The immediate past Mayor of Aba South Local Government Area, Chief Uche Wogu, has dismissed as false a viral claim that the rehabilitation of Aba Town Hall following damage sustained during the #EndSARS protests cost ₦6.2 billion.
Wogu, in a statement reacting to a viral video featuring an individual identified as Chief Charles Ogbonna, described the alleged figure as inaccurate and said the claim appeared to be based on misinformation.
The former mayor explained that he was in office when the rehabilitation project was executed and personally initiated the idea for the reconstruction of the facility.
According to him, he worked out the construction details and cost estimates in collaboration with the Head of the Department of Works, Engineer ID Ngwakwe, and his team.
He said the project was executed through the direct labour method and that the total approved cost was ₦149,224,446.00.
Wogu stated that the expenditure was ratified by the Finance and General Purposes Committee of Aba South Local Government Council at its meeting on December 14, 2023.
He therefore rejected the ₦6.2 billion figure attributed to the rehabilitation, describing it as “entirely false.”
“The claim that N6.2 billion was spent on the rehabilitation is entirely false and appears to be a product of the speaker’s imagination,” Wogu stated.
The former mayor also disclosed that the project was closely supervised throughout its execution by the then Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Prince Uzo Nwachukwu.
Wogu said he had attached an extract from the minutes of the Finance and General Purposes Committee meeting as documentary evidence of the approval and ratification of the project expenditure.
He urged the public to rely on the official records of the local government council regarding the actual cost of the Aba Town Hall rehabilitation.
