Umuhu Ezechi Demands Answers: Where is Our ₦348 Million Garri Processing Plant?

By Emenike Okorie

In every democracy, accountability is not an act of hostility; it is the minimum obligation owed by public office holders to the people whose resources they manage. When public funds are appropriated for a project, citizens are not begging for favors by asking questions—they are exercising a constitutional right.

That is why the question coming from the people of Umuhu Ezechi is both legitimate and unavoidable:

Where is the ₦348,129,596.34 Garri Processing Plant reportedly executed in our community?

Available public records indicate that this enormous sum was released by the Federal Government for the construction of a garri processing plant in Umuhu Ezechi. More astonishingly, supporters of Rep. Ben Kalu have reportedly claimed that the project has been completed, delivered to the community, and is merely awaiting commissioning.

If that is indeed the case, then this should be the easiest question to answer.

Where is the facility located?

As an indigene of Umuhu Ezechi, I have made deliberate efforts to locate this project. Many members of the community have done the same. Yet, no one has been able to point to the existence of a garri processing plant worth over ₦348 million.

This raises troubling questions.

Was the project actually executed? If yes, why is its location unknown to the very people it was meant to serve? If it has been completed, why has there been no public unveiling, community handover, or evidence of operation? If the claim is true, there should be no difficulty in providing the exact site and allowing the public to verify it.

Public office is built on trust, and trust survives only where there is transparency. The burden of proof does not lie with citizens asking questions; it lies with those claiming that a publicly funded project has been completed.

This is not about politics. It is about accountability.

It is not about personalities. It is about stewardship.

It is not about propaganda. It is about protecting public resources.

The people of Umuhu Ezechi are not asking for miracles. They are simply asking to see a project allegedly built with ₦348 million of taxpayers’ money.

If the project exists, let its promoters proudly take the public there.

If it does not, then the relevant authorities owe the people an explanation.

Democracy cannot thrive where questions are treated as offences and accountability is replaced with political propaganda. Every naira appropriated in the name of the people must be traceable to a visible and verifiable project.

The demand from Umuhu Ezechi is therefore clear and reasonable:

Show us our ₦348 million garri processing plant.

Until that simple question is answered with verifiable evidence, the cloud of doubt will remain.

Ndi Umuhu Ezechi deserve answers.

Bende Federal Constituency deserves transparency.

The era of blind political loyalty must give way to the era of public accountability.