A civic group has demanded accountability over an empowerment project in Aguata Federal Constituency, Anambra State, that cost ₦36 million but ended with the distribution of wheelbarrows, hoes, and cutlasses.
The Civic Accountability Platform MonITNG raised the alarm on Wednesday, describing the initiative as a mockery of empowerment and a waste of taxpayers’ funds.
The project, titled Vocational Training and Empowerment of Selected Youths and Women of Aguata Federal Constituency (Project Code ZIP20250444), was facilitated by Hon. Dominic Ifeanyichukwu Okafor and executed through the Federal Co-operative College Oji River under the Ministry of Agriculture.
MonITNG said the unveiling at Igboukwu Central School on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, showed how constituency projects have been reduced to political handouts.
Instead of training programs or modern equipment, residents received crude implements that belong to a “bygone era.”
“How does a cutlass or wheelbarrow empower a young graduate to compete in today’s economy?” the group asked in its statement.
“Empowerment should mean tailoring, ICT, agro-processing, welding, renewable energy, and real tools that create jobs. ₦36 million was sunk into items that only entrench poverty.”
The watchdog stressed that while other nations invest in technology-driven agriculture and digital skills, Nigerian leaders continue to prioritize outdated empowerment models.
It argued that such wasteful spending leaves communities underdeveloped and citizens frustrated.
The group also called on federal agencies to explain their role in the failed initiative.
“We must demand answers from the Federal Co-operative College Oji River and the Ministry of Agriculture on why such a backward project was approved.
Constituency projects are supposed to transform lives, not insult the intelligence of citizens,” the statement added.
MonITNG insisted that public funds must be directed towards programs that reduce poverty and create sustainable opportunities.
It urged a shift toward transparent, skill-based initiatives that give youths and women access to modern tools and markets.
“It is time for transparency and genuine investment in people.
Until then, millions will keep going to waste while communities like Aguata remain trapped in poverty and underdevelopment,” the group concluded.
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