The Coalition of Civil Society Groups in Ebonyi State has rejected the state government’s defence over its failure to qualify for a $27 million World Bank performance-based grant, insisting that the issue is one of governance standards rather than the number of development projects attracted to the state.

The rebuttal followed a statement by the Special Assistant to Governor Francis Nwifuru on Documentation, Dr. Boniface Nwankwo, who described the coalition’s allegation that Ebonyi lost the grant due to poor governance as “misleading and politically motivated.”

Nwankwo maintained that the administration’s record under its People’s Charter of Needs agenda demonstrated a commitment to inclusive development, arguing that critics had ignored major interventions secured by the state, including a ₦12 billion Productive Use of Energy grant, a $25 million Sustainable Power and Irrigation for Nigeria (SPIN) Programme intervention, an ₦8.1 billion African Development Bank Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) grant, and other federal projects.

According to him, “the volume of grants and strategic investments secured under Governor Nwifuru’s administration demonstrates its commitment to development and contradicts claims of poor governance.”

But in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Charles Otu, the coalition insisted that the government’s response failed to address the core issue raised by the World Bank’s HOPE Governance Programme.

“The central issue remains whether governance performance in Ebonyi State met the World Bank’s independently verified benchmarks. The answer is NO! And it remains NO!” the coalition said.

It argued that the HOPE Governance Programme measures institutional reforms in public financial management, transparency, accountability, basic education and primary healthcare through an independent verification process, stressing that eligibility is determined by governance performance rather than the number of projects executed or attracted.

The coalition maintained that references to the Nigerian Army Training Depot, the Nigerian Navy Secondary School, the proposed University of Aeronautics, the SPIN Programme and other interventions were unrelated to the governance indicators used in assessing states under the World Bank initiative.

It challenged the state government to publish its participation records in the HOPE Governance Programme, including the Independent Verification Assessment, indicators achieved and missed, and reforms being implemented ahead of the next assessment cycle.

“The most constructive response at this stage is not to dismiss legitimate public concerns as politically motivated. Rather, it is to publish the evidence,” the coalition said.

It also challenged the Nwifuru administration to a public debate on the issue, maintaining that the conversation should focus on improving governance and strengthening Ebonyi’s prospects of qualifying for future performance-based development financing.