Idara Jerome, Uyo
A civil society organisation, Open Forum, has challenged the Akwa Ibom State Government to publicly disclose the exact nature and financial obligations attached to the $6.2 million received under the World Bank-assisted State Action on Business Enabling Reforms (SABER) Programme.
The group, in a letter to Governor Umo Eno dated July 7, 2026, said the demand became necessary following the governor’s description of the funds as a “reward for accountability, transparency and good governance,” insisting that available public documents suggested the programme could involve a concessional loan rather than an outright grant.
Open Forum, led by its Founder and President, Citizen Matthew Koffi Okono, urged the governor to direct the Commissioners for Finance and Economic Development to provide a detailed memorandum explaining the exact nature of the funds, repayment terms, charges and their implications for the state’s debt profile.
“Your Excellency, the impression conveyed that the $6.2 billion facility is a grant to the State appears at variance with available facts in the public domain,” the organisation said, stressing the need for an official clarification to prevent public misunderstanding.
According to the group, SABER is a $750 million World Bank-assisted programme designed to improve the business environment, economic governance and land administration across Nigeria, with funds disbursed to states based on the achievement of agreed performance indicators.
It alleged that the programme was structured as a highly concessional financing arrangement, with states potentially required to repay funds accessed through subsidiary loan agreements, adding that the public should therefore be told whether Akwa Ibom’s $6.2 million was a grant, loan or part of a hybrid arrangement.
Open Forum also urged the state government to disclose the specific performance indicators that qualified Akwa Ibom for the funds, while calling for a comprehensive review of other World Bank-supported programmes, including HOPE-Gov and SFTAS, which it said contain opportunities for states to access funding based on governance and accountability reforms.
The organisation further revisited the controversy over a reported N1.204 billion domestic loan drawdown contained in the state’s 2023 third-quarter budget performance report, recalling that Governor Eno had previously denied taking any loan since assuming office.
Quoting the governor, the group said: “They talked about borrowing, I challenged them to show me one piece of document that I have signed to borrow one Naira since I became governor. I have not borrowed money and I don’t intend to borrow money until I present the budget.”
It said the unresolved dispute over whether the reported N1.204 billion facility was a new borrowing by the Eno administration or an inherited financial obligation processed during the period covered by the report made accurate public communication on the SABER funds even more important.
Open Forum, while commending the governor’s reported efforts to settle inherited debts and pension liabilities, said transparency over the World Bank funds would further strengthen public confidence in his administration and prevent future disputes over the state’s actual financial obligations.
“Accurate communication about public finance is itself an act of good governance,” the organisation said, urging the governor to make the requested clarification public through a press release or briefing and to provide citizens, the House of Assembly and development partners with a clear account of the funds.