Bende N1bn musical instruments: 130 churches to receive N6m each – Kalu breaks silence

Office of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has dismissed reports claiming that N1 cardinal was inserted into the 2026 fund solely for the procurement of philharmonic instruments for churches successful Bende Federal Constituency of Abia State.

In a connection issued on Wednesday by his Chief Press Secretary, Levinus Nwabughiogu, the bureau described the reports arsenic a misrepresentation of the intent of the budgetary provision.

According to the statement, the existent allocation is N780 cardinal aft VAT and different taxation deductions and is meant for a younker re-orientation and societal enactment programme to beryllium implemented done faith-based organisations successful Bende Federal Constituency.

The Deputy Speaker’s bureau explained that Bende has 13 electoral wards and much than 200 churches, adding that the archetypal signifier of the programme volition people 130 churches, averaging astir 10 churches per ward.

It said each of the selected churches is expected to person betwixt N5 cardinal and N6 cardinal to fortify younker engagement initiatives and assemblage outreach programmes.

The connection noted that the funds would beryllium utilized to procure evangelical instruments and nationalist code systems to enactment campaigns against cause abus...