• Go after them, EFCC, ICPC told • N3.9 billion projects abandoned nationwide
TRACKA, BudgIT’s service delivery promotion platform, which allows citizens to collaborate, track and give feedback on public projects in their communities, has uncovered payments worth N2.4 billion to 17 contractors for 15 projects across nine states, which the contractors had, allegedly, not commenced work on.
Some of the payments and projects include: Payment of N401 million to Mainstream Contractors in December 2023 under the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing for the Rehabilitation of Welcome-Nasarawa-Farewell from Nasarawa, linking the
Northern and Southern part of Nigeria in Nasarawa LGA, Nasarawa State.
Others are: N153 million to Icent Light Ltd between August and November 2023 under the National Institute for Construction Technology, Uromi, for the fencing, landscaping and completion of Onicha-Uku Town Hall and Event Centre at Aniocha/Oshimili in Delta; and N88 million to A3 Interbiz Link Service Limited in December 2023 under the Pharmacist Council of Nigeria for the Construction and Equipping of PHC Centre in Adedeji community in Ikirun, Osun State.
These and other payments, worth N3.9 billion for abandoned projects nationwide were highlighted in Tracka’s 2023/2024 Report, titled “Achieving National Development through Efficient Service Delivery,” launched yesterday in Abuja.
According to the report, Tracka monitored 1,404 projects worth N282.5 billion across 25 states. The findings revealed that 720 projects, representing 51 per cent were completed; 332 projects, representing 24 per cent were ongoing; 129 projects, representing nine per cent were either abandoned or fraudulently executed; and 223 projects, representing 16 per cent were not executed.
The report also ranked ten Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) based on project implementation rates. The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) emerged as the top performer with a 78 per cent project completion rate, followed by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, 68 per cent and the Nigerian Rural Electrification Agency, 65 per cent.
However, the Lower Benue River Basin Development Authority got 20 per cent and the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs got 16 per cent to rank low, reflecting inefficiencies in project execution.
Expressing concern over the non-execution of critical public projects despite the disbursement of funds, BudgIT’s Country Director, Gabriel Okeowo, lamented that despite the clamour for increased allocations to capital expenditure by the Federal Government and sub-nationals, BudgIT’s tracking exercise revealed that capital projects were the largest conduits of embezzlement and misappropriation.
He urged the current administration and anti-corruption agencies to close the loopholes, hold defaulters accountable and prevent further financial leakages, warning that: “If left unchecked, Nigeria’s scarce resources will continue to be siphoned off by unscrupulous actors at the expense of national development.