The Abia State Government has explained that the N210 million figure linked to the purchase of a photocopier in its 2026 budget was the result of a technical mistake made during the final preparation of the document.
The clarification followed public outrage and widespread criticism over the controversial allocation.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the state Ministry of Budget and Planning said the amount was never meant for the procurement of a photocopier, stressing that the entry was wrongly presented due to a formatting error.
According to the ministry, “the figure that appeared beside the photocopier item on page 289 is not the provision for a photocopier”.
“It is, in fact, the value for a different, larger capital project elsewhere in the budget, which was displaced by the formatting error,” the statement said.
The ministry explained that the actual budget for the photocopier and related office equipment is N12 million, as correctly captured in another section of the budget document.
“The budget for the photocopier and sundry office equipment remains N12,000,000.00 as correctly stated on page 60,” it added.
Providing further clarification, the ministry noted that page 60 of the budget clearly outlines the intended allocations, including N210,831,142.00 for the “rehabilitation/repair of residential building/staff quarters for Lagos liaison office,” and N12,000,000.00 for the purchase of one Sharp photocopier and other office equipment for the same office.
The statement attributed the mix-up to a clerical issue during the final compilation of the bulky budget document.
“A technical error occurred during the final compilation of the voluminous document. On page 289, a misalignment of text and values took place, which inadvertently flipped the descriptions against the figures,” the ministry explained.
It added that the error led to a misunderstanding of the budget line and that the relevant agency has since been notified of the correction.
The government insisted that there was no inflation of the photocopier’s cost, describing the issue as “purely clerical and presentational”.
The ministry also emphasised that all procurements are subject to established approval processes, including scrutiny by the appropriate tenders boards and final clearance by the finance and general purpose committee as well as the state executive council.
Apologising for the confusion caused, the ministry reaffirmed its “commitment to transparency, fiscal discipline and accountability in the management of public funds”.
