Governor Francis Nwifuru has been in office for more than three years, and his administration has consistently presented its record as one of infrastructure, human capital development, healthcare, education and economic transformation.
The government says it has completed roads, improved healthcare facilities, invested in education, revived water infrastructure, supported scholarships and undertaken major infrastructure projects across Ebonyi State.
But increasingly, there is another question being asked by critics, opposition figures and some residents:
After more than three years in office, what major projects can the people of Ebonyi actually point to as completed and functioning and where has the state’s enormous public revenue gone?
This question deserves an answer based not on political speeches, social media arguments or government publicity, but on evidence.
THE GOVERNMENT’S CLAIMS
The Nwifuru administration has not claimed that nothing has been done.
In December 2024, the government said it had completed more than 47 road projects within its first 18 months in office. The projects listed included roads in Abakaliki, Ishielu, Ezillo, Ezzagu, Oferekpe, Obvudechi and Okposi-Ojigwe.
The government has also highlighted investments in education, healthcare, water, housing, scholarships, agriculture and other sectors.
The state’s official project portal currently lists several projects and identifies some as completed, including a new general hospital and water projects.
The government has also recently defended its record against growing criticism, pointing to road construction, healthcare, education, scholarships, digital infrastructure, housing and industrialisation.
So the question is not whether the government has announced projects.
The real question is:
HOW MANY OF THESE PROJECTS ARE ACTUALLY COMPLETED, FUNCTIONING AND DELIVERING THE PUBLIC VALUE PROMISED?
THE PROBLEM WITH COUNTING PROJECTS
A government can announce hundreds of projects.
But a project being announced is not the same thing as a project being completed.
A project being completed is not necessarily the same thing as a project being functional.
And a functional project is not necessarily proof that public money was spent efficiently.
For example, the government says it has completed roads across the state.
Residents should therefore be able to identify those roads, use them and describe the difference they have made.
The same standard should apply to hospitals, schools, water schemes, housing projects and other infrastructure.
The question should always be:
WHAT WAS PROMISED?
WHAT WAS BUDGETED?
HOW MUCH WAS RELEASED?
HOW MUCH WAS ACTUALLY SPENT?
WHEN WAS THE PROJECT SUPPOSED TO BE COMPLETED?
WAS IT COMPLETED?
IS IT FUNCTIONING?
AND WHAT DO THE PEOPLE USING IT SAY?
THE VANCO QUESTION:
Vanco Flyover and Tunnel provides one of the clearest examples of why these questions matter.
The project was originally expected to be completed within its contractual timeline, but that deadline passed.
Yet the project remains under construction, with government officials continuing to give updates and completion projections.
The government has defended the project and maintained that it is progressing.
At the same time, critics and residents have raised questions about the pace of construction, the disruption caused by the project and the treatment of people whose properties were affected.
The issue is therefore not simply whether Vanco is being constructed.
The issue is:
How much has been spent?
What was the original contract value?
Were there variations?
How much has actually been paid?
Why was the original completion date missed?
How much compensation was paid to affected property owners?
And what does the project look like on the ground today?
Those are questions that can be answered with documents and physical evidence.
THE ABANDONED PROJECT QUESTION:
There is also evidence that the concern about stalled projects is not simply coming from social media.
In December 2025, the Inter-Party Advisory Council in Ebonyi said it had monitored government projects and raised concerns about several projects it described as abandoned or stalled.
Among those mentioned were Vanco Tunnel and Flyover, the Information and Communication Technology University, the Aeronautical University, the industrial cluster and housing projects.
More recently, the Ebonyi State Government itself announced action against contractors over poorly executed or abandoned projects, including some road projects and the 22-model-secondary-school programme.
That creates an important accountability question.
If contractors received public funds but projects were delayed, abandoned or poorly executed, how much money has already been paid?
What contractual penalties have been imposed?
Has money been recovered?
Have contracts been terminated?
And who ultimately bears responsibility when public infrastructure remains incomplete?
WHERE HAS THE MONEY GONE?
This may be the biggest question of all.
Ebonyi has benefited from increased allocations and the broader increase in revenues available to state governments.
The state’s financial records are publicly available, including its audited financial statements and quarterly budget implementation reports.
That gives citizens and journalists an opportunity to move beyond political claims.
We can examine the money.
We can follow allocations.
We can examine internally generated revenue.
We can examine capital expenditure.
We can examine recurrent expenditure.
We can examine specific projects.
And we can compare what the government says it has delivered with what its financial records show was actually funded.
That is where accountability becomes meaningful.
THE BIGGER QUESTION ABOUT EBONYI
Critics of the Nwifuru administration have increasingly described the government as underperforming and have questioned the number of major projects completed during its tenure.
Some opposition voices have gone further, alleging that the administration has failed to deliver projects that can justify the enormous resources available to the state.
Those allegations should not simply be accepted as fact.
But neither should they simply be dismissed as political opposition.
They should be tested.
If the government has delivered hundreds of successful projects, those projects should be identifiable.
If billions have been spent on infrastructure, the physical results should be visible.
If projects are incomplete because contractors failed, the government should be able to show what action it took.
If residents received compensation, payment records should exist.
If hospitals have been upgraded, citizens should be able to see and use the facilities.
If water projects have been completed, communities should be able to confirm that water is actually flowing.
If schools have been constructed, students and teachers should be using them.
That is the difference between political claims and measurable development.
Three years into the Francis Nwifuru administration, the debate over development in Ebonyi State is becoming increasingly difficult to settle with speeches alone.
The government says it has delivered significant projects.
Critics say the achievements have been exaggerated and that too many projects remain incomplete.
Both claims deserve scrutiny.
The people of Ebonyi should not have to choose between government propaganda and opposition propaganda.
They deserve facts.
They deserve to know how much money came into the state.
They deserve to know how much was spent.
They deserve to know what was built.
They deserve to know what is functioning.
And where projects have failed, they deserve to know why.
We don’t just report the news. We analyse what it means.
By Viewers Corner News