16/06/2026
N4 BILLION SPENT ON RAIL PROJECTS IN BORNO, BUT WHERE ARE THE RAILS?
Borno State's 2025 Budget Implementation Report claims that N2 billion was fully spent on the Construction of Rail Projects in MMC LGA and another N2 billion on the construction of Rail Projects in Jere LGA, bringing the total reported expenditure to N4 billion, with both projects recorded as 100% implemented.
However, in May 2026, our tracking activities at both locations, based on the findings, told a different story.
At the Maiduguri Railway Terminus and across the rail corridors visited in MMC and Jere LGAs, we found old, rusted, abandoned, and deteriorating rail infrastructure. There was no visible evidence of recently completed rail construction or rehabilitation works, no active construction sites, no contractor presence, and no project signage indicating that N4 billion worth of projects had been executed.
Community members also reported that they could not recall any recent major rail construction activities within the affected areas.
Professor Babagana Umara Zulum mni, the Ministry of Transport and Energy, and relevant authorities owe the people of Borno State answers.
* What exactly was the N4 billion spent on?
* Who were the contractors?
* Where are the completed rail projects reflected in the 2025 Budget Implementation Report?
* Why does the physical reality not appear to align with the reported 100% implementation status?
We call on the State House of Assembly, , and to investigate these projects and provide clarity on the utilization of public funds.
Again, this is another reminder that it is a must for citizens to pay closer attention to state budgets.
Accountability should not end with budget releases; it must extend to verifying what is actually delivered on the ground.