Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has refused to disclose the contract sum for the 18-storey Ibom Tower under construction in Lagos State, even though budgetary provisions for the project have reached at least N41.05 billion since 2024.
Governor's Response to Cost Question
In a series of videos reviewed by PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Eno declined to give the figure when a journalist asked about the project's cost during an inspection visit at the weekend. He said the cost was still being worked out due to changes and additional input from the project consultant.
“A lot of things have happened here that we didn’t envisage. The consultant has made a lot of input. I think we are still working back end,” Mr Eno said.
He added, “If you say a figure today, people hold you to it. So, I rather get the work done rightly than to begin to look at the price. All these are to help us increase the State IGR.”
Budgetary Provisions and Transparency Concerns
A review of Akwa Ibom State’s budget documents by PREMIUM TIMES shows that N16 billion was provided for the Lagos building in the 2024 revised budget. The provision was reduced to N10 billion in the revised 2025 budget, while another N15.05 billion was budgeted for the 18-storey Ibom Tower in the 2026 approved budget. The cumulative budgetary provisions amount to N41.05 billion.
It remains unclear how much of the approved funds have been released and spent. The uncertainty is partly due to the state government's failure to publish detailed budget performance reports since the first quarter of 2025 and capital expenditure in its audited financial statements.
Procurement Law Violations
The absence of public information on the contract sum is notable because Akwa Ibom’s public procurement law requires the Bureau of Public Procurement and procuring entities to publish procurement information through the state’s electronic procurement portal. PREMIUM TIMES found no procurement records for the Ibom Tower when searching the portal on Tuesday, 11 August.
The Eno administration rarely publishes comprehensive details of major public contracts, including contract sums, implementation schedules, and procurement documents. This violates Section 21(15) of the state’s 2026 Public Procurement Law, which guarantees public access to procurement records.
Such information would enable residents to determine the actual financial commitment to the project and track its implementation. Without it, independently establishing the building's value, payments made to the contractor, and whether budget provisions represent additional commitments or variations is difficult.
Contractor Details and Revenue Context
PREMIUM TIMES found that Messrs WL Construction Limited is the main contractor. Other consultants include D.O Design Build (architect), Pois Consult Limited, and Alliance Engineering Consult (structural engineers). WL Construction was incorporated on 11 July 2023, about two months after Mr Eno's administration began, and 15 months before the project's November 2024 flag-off. The acronym “WL” stands for Western Legacy.
The selection process and bidding documents have not been publicly disclosed. PREMIUM TIMES previously reported how Mr Eno publicly disclosed that a contractor was awarded a job without bidding and sought powers to bypass bidding for multi-billion naira contracts.
Akwa Ibom received more than N2.934 trillion in revenue in the first 38 months of Mr Eno's administration. The state budgeted N26.91 billion for renovating a hotel in Uyo. The availability of funds has heightened calls for transparency.
Mr Eno said the Lagos tower investment is intended to boost the state's internally generated revenue. However, without disclosure of contract value, expenditure to date, funding structure, and projected returns, the public cannot independently assess the investment's financial implications or economic viability.
Public Scrutiny and Next Steps
The decision to commit billions to an 18-storey commercial development in Lagos has raised questions among Akwa Ibom residents, given the state's significant infrastructure needs and high multidimensional poverty levels. The government argues it is an income-generating investment, but the lack of procurement and expenditure information makes scrutiny difficult.
The exact contract value of the Ibom Tower remains undisclosed, even as budgetary provisions reach N41.05 billion. While the governor says he would rather “get the work done rightly” than disclose a figure that could change, the procurement law places the responsibility for documenting and making public the financial details of government contracts on the state, not on future estimates.
