Tracka Calls For Probe As Borno Govt Spent N4 Billion On ‘Invisible Rail Projects’
A civic accountability organisation, Tracka, has called for an investigation into the expenditure of N4 billion reportedly allocated to rail projects in Borno State after its field verification exercise found no evidence of completed works despite official records indicating full implementation.
The group raised the alarm following a review of the Borno State 2025 Budget Implementation Report, which showed that N2 billion was expended on the construction of rail projects in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC) Local Government Area and another N2 billion on similar projects in Jere Local Government Area.
According to the report, both projects were fully funded and recorded as 100 per cent implemented.
However, Tracka said its monitoring exercise conducted in May 2026 presented a different picture on the ground.
In a statement issued on Monda, June 15, the organisation said its team visited the Maiduguri Railway Terminus and rail corridors across MMC and Jere LGAs but found no visible signs of recently completed rail construction or rehabilitation works corresponding to the N4 billion expenditure.
“At the Maiduguri Railway Terminus and across the rail corridors visited in MMC and Jere LGAs, we found old, rusted, abandoned, and deteriorating rail infrastructure,” the group stated.
“There was no visible evidence of recently completed rail construction or rehabilitation works, no active construction sites, no contractor presence, and no project signage indicating that N4 billion worth of projects had been executed.”
Tracka further claimed that residents interviewed during the exercise could not recall any major rail construction activities in the affected areas.
“Community members also reported that they could not recall any recent major rail construction activities within the affected areas,” the statement added.
The organisation questioned the apparent discrepancy between the implementation status contained in the state's budget report and what it described as the physical reality on the ground.
It called on Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, the Borno State Ministry of Transport and Energy, and other relevant authorities to provide details of the projects and account for the expenditure.
“Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, the Ministry of Transport and Energy, and relevant authorities owe the people of Borno State answers,” Tracka said.
The group specifically demanded clarification on the nature of the projects executed, the contractors involved, and the location of the completed works referenced in the budget implementation report.
“What exactly was the N4 billion spent on?” it asked.
“Who were the contractors?”
“Where are the completed rail projects reflected in the 2025 Budget Implementation Report?”
“Why does the physical reality not appear to align with the reported 100 per cent implementation status?”
Tracka also called on oversight and anti-corruption agencies to investigate the projects and establish whether public funds were properly utilised.
“We call on the Borno State House of Assembly, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate these projects and provide clarity on the utilisation of public funds,” the organisation stated.
The civic group stressed the need for greater citizen participation in monitoring government spending, noting that transparency and accountability should not end with the publication of budgets.
“Again, this is another reminder that it is a must for citizens to pay closer attention to state budgets,” Tracka said.
“Accountability should not end with budget releases; it must extend to verifying what is actually delivered on the ground.”
As of the time of filing this report, the Borno state government had not publicly responded to the allegations raised by the organisation.