Otti Rebuts Benjamin Kalu: Abia Gets ₦15.6bn Monthly, Not ₦38bn — Government Responds
• By Editorial Desk
Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has formally rejected a public claim by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, that the state receives between ₦38 billion and ₦40 billion monthly from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC). The governor’s media office said the accurate figure — inclusive of allocations to local governments — is approximately ₦15.625 billion per month.
What Benjamin Kalu said
The controversy began after Mr. Kalu, speaking at a public event in Umuahia, suggested that Abia’s monthly federal allocations were far higher than figures released by the state government. His remarks compared the current administration’s receipts with those of past governments and were posted widely on social media and covered by national outlets.
Otti’s correction and the data he cited
In a statement issued through his Special Adviser on Media & Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, Governor Otti described Kalu’s figures as “inaccurate and misleading,” and provided alternative numbers to correct the public record. The statement put Abia’s monthly FAAC allocation at about ₦15.625 billion (including local government shares).
The government additionally said that the state’s cumulative FAAC receipts for the first eight months of 2025 stood at roughly ₦125 billion — far short of the ₦304 billion total that would follow from Kalu’s claimed monthly figure. The Otti administration used these year-to-date totals to illustrate the arithmetic inconsistency in the Deputy Speaker’s claim.
Strong language and political overtones
The governor’s office did not only correct the numbers; it also criticised Mr. Kalu’s public conduct. In a headline-grabbing line from the statement, the administration said the deputy speaker “needs tutorial more than he needs a microphone,” suggesting that Kalu’s remarks reflected poor grasp of fiscal data and possibly political motivations. The rebuttal framed Kalu’s comments as irresponsible and politically timed.
Context: politics and the 2027 outlook
Observers note the exchange occurs against a backdrop of simmering political rivalry within Abia State. The government suggested that Kalu’s criticism was tied to his own governorship ambitions and advised him to “wait for an appropriate time” to pursue political attacks. Analysts say public disputes over allocation figures are common in election-cycle politics where fiscal transparency and narrative control become strategic tools.
Why the numbers matter
Federal allocations from FAAC are a central revenue source for many states and influence budgets for wages, infrastructure and social services. Discrepancies or inflated public claims can mislead citizens about service delivery, generate false expectations and skew public debate about an administration’s performance. For Abia, the difference between ₦15.6bn and ₦38bn monthly would drastically change perceived fiscal capacity, hence the urgency of setting the record straight.
Next steps and public verification
The Otti administration said it will continue to publish verifiable data on allocations and urged politicians to verify figures before making public statements. Media and civil-society watchers called for independent publication of FAAC disbursement records to reduce dispute and promote accountability. Meanwhile, both camps will likely use the episode to sway public opinion ahead of upcoming political contests.