- An American missionary has accused the Benue State government of blocking his attempt to build a market in Yelwata village, saying officials inflated the cost of the project to £300 million instead of the £60 million he had proposed.
An American missionary has accused the Benue State government of blocking his attempt to build a market in Yelwata village, saying officials inflated the cost of the project to £300 million instead of the £60 million he had proposed.
An American missionary has accused the Benue State government of deliberately obstructing his efforts to rebuild Yelwata village following recent bandit attacks.
In a video circulating online, the missionary said he proposed to the state government plans to build a market for residents of Yelwata as part of recovery efforts after the attack. However, he claimed that the proposal was rejected by the government and instead he was presented with a market design allegedly worth ₦300 million.
According to the missionaries, the costs have been grossly exaggerated and insist it would cost no more than £60 million to complete the same project. He further noted that there is no rural market anywhere in Nigeria that would cost £300 million to build.
He also alleged that some people were taking advantage of the difficulties faced by Benue communities affected by banditry attacks and using the reconstruction exercise as an opportunity for personal enrichment rather than genuine relief.
The accusations sparked reactions online, with many Nigerians calling for transparency and accountability in post-crisis reconstruction projects.
