Former Mayor of Aba South Local Government Area, Chief Uche Wogu, has rejected claims circulating online that the rehabilitation of Aba Town Hall, which was damaged during the EndSARS protests, cost the government ₦6.2 billion.
Wogu made the clarification following a viral video featuring an individual identified as Chief Charles Ogbonna, who allegedly claimed that the rehabilitation project gulped ₦6.2 billion.
In a statement, Wogu said he initially chose not to respond to the video because he considered its content and presentation misleading. However, he said he decided to provide clarification because of the need to put the record straight and provide the public with the information surrounding the project.
According to the former Aba South mayor, he was in office when the Town Hall rehabilitation was undertaken and was personally responsible for initiating the project.
He explained that he worked on the construction details and prepared the cost estimates in collaboration with the Head of the Department of Works, Engineer ID Ngwakwe, and other members of the technical team.
Wogu further stated that the rehabilitation was executed through the direct labour method, rather than being outsourced as a conventional contract.
He said the total cost approved for the construction was ₦149,224,446.00. According to him, the amount was ratified by the Finance and General Purposes Committee of the Aba South Local Government Council during its meeting of December 14, 2023.
Wogu therefore described the reported ₦6.2 billion figure as false, maintaining that the amount approved for the project was significantly lower than the figure being circulated.
“The claim that N6.2 billion was spent on the rehabilitation is entirely false,” Wogu stated, attributing the allegation to misinformation.
He also disclosed that the project was closely supervised during its execution by the then Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Prince Uzo Nwachukwu.
To support his account, Wogu said an extract from the minutes of the Finance and General Purposes Committee meeting was attached to his statement, showing the committee’s ratification and approval of the project expenditure.
The clarification comes amid renewed public discussion over the cost of rehabilitating public infrastructure damaged during the EndSARS protests.
Wogu urged members of the public to rely on official council records when assessing claims about the cost of the Aba Town Hall rehabilitation, rather than unverified figures circulating on social media.
The former mayor’s account places the approved rehabilitation cost at ₦149.224 million, while the viral claim attributed to Chief Charles Ogbonna puts the figure at ₦6.2 billion. The two figures therefore differ by more than ₦6 billion, underscoring the importance of documentary records in resolving the dispute.
