Outrage as N40m Classroom Project in Bauchi Exists Only in Budget
A civic accountability organisation, Tracka, has raised concerns over an alleged unexecuted classroom construction project valued at N40 million in Rafin Zurfi community, located in Bogoro Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
In a statement shared on its Facebook page on Thursday, Tracka disclosed that the sum of N40 million was allocated in the 2025 Federal Government budget for the “construction and furnishing of a block of two classrooms at Rafin Zurfi Primary School, Daram, Lusa District, Bogoro LGA, Bauchi State.” However, the organisation said findings from its field visit revealed that the project has not been executed and that members of the host community were unaware of the budgetary provision prior to its visit.
According to Tracka, the existing school structure currently used by pupils in the community is a mud block classroom constructed by residents over two decades ago, “N40m was allocated to the construction and furnishing of a block of two classrooms at Rafin Zurfi Primary School, Daram, Lusa District, Bogoro LGA, Bauchi State in the 2025 FG Budget. We tracked and report that this project has not been done and the community was not aware of this provision until our visit,” the organisation stated.
The civic group further revealed that the condition of the current classroom facility poses challenges to learning in the area, “The existing classroom is a mud block constructed since the year 2000 and after parts of it collapsed, the community cemented the broken parts just so children can learn,” the group added.
Tracka therefore called on the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), which it identified as the implementing agency responsible for the project, to provide details regarding the allocation and ensure that the project is executed for the benefit of the community, “We call on NICO, the implementing agency, to provide the public with details of this project and ensure this project is done,” the statement said.
Tracka operates as a citizen-led monitoring platform under the BudgIT Foundation, designed to enable citizens track government-funded projects in their communities and demand accountability in public spending.
Recent reports by Tracka have highlighted a broader pattern of gaps between budget allocations and project implementation across Nigeria. In its 2024/2025 project tracking report, the organisation monitored 2,760 projects nationwide and found that hundreds were either abandoned, not executed, or fraudulently delivered despite receiving budgetary allocations.
The findings have continued to raise concerns among civil society organisations about transparency and accountability in the management of public funds, particularly in sectors such as education where infrastructure deficits remain widespread.
Tracka urged relevant authorities to act swiftly to ensure that the Rafin Zurfi classroom project is implemented, stressing that public funds must translate into tangible development for communities.
The organisation ended its statement with a call for citizen participation in monitoring government projects, using the hashtags #PublicFundsMustWorkForTheGoodOfThePeople, #AskQuestions, and #GetInvolved.
