Indigenes of the five Southeast states of Ebonyi, Imo, Abia, Anambra, and Enugu are livid. The embarrassing litany of abandoned and uncompleted projects in that geo-political zone, said to have been caused by lack of continuity in project execution by successive administrations, has become a pain in the neck, with many residents wondering where and when succor will come their way. NWANOSIKE ONU, SUNNY NWANKWO, OGOCHUKWU ANIOKE, CHRIS NJOKU and DAMIAN DURUIHEOMA report.
A feeling of despondency has descended on residents of the five Southeast states of Ebonyi, Imo, Abia, Anambra, and Enugu. The litany of abandoned projects in that geo-political zone of the country has become a burden too heavy to bear, considering its obvious implications for the socio-economic development of the region and, by extension, the country.
Checks by The Nation reveal a depressing pattern of abandoned projects across the entire Southeast states, said to have been caused by lack of continuity in project execution by successive administrations in these states. Sadly, these abandoned projects are mostly signature projects that hold prospect of significantly transforming the social and economic lives of residents of the affected state.
Take the Ebonyi World Trade Centre, for instance, the 11-storey World Trade Centre (WTC) in the state was, 21 years ago, envisioned by the first Civilian Governor of Ebonyi State, Sam Egwu, to be a one-stop-centre where various economic activities would take place, offering diverse world class services and boosting commerce, trade, investment and also promote tours.
But, Egwu could not complete the project before he left office in 2007, leaving the project 70 per cent completed. Over 20 years after it was initiated, the project has remained uncompleted as successive governments have chosen to ignore it. Egwu’s successor, Martin Elechi, after uproar over the project’s abandonment announced in 2014 that it was set to complete the project with the approval of N100 million to the contractor to remobilize to site. Sadly, nothing came out of it as the contractor never returned to the project.
Even Elechi’s successor, David Umahi, on his part, has declared the project unfit for human dwelling. In his words, “The project did not meet integrity test carried out by his government “But his allegations were dismissed by experts and political analysts in the state who viewed it as an attempt to discredit the contractor, Edward Nkwegu, who had contested the governorship election with him.
The current Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru was the speaker of the State House of Assembly at that time. Speaker Nwifuru, as he then was, set up a nine-member ad hoc committee headed by Mr. Obasi Odefa Obasi to probe the WTC and other abandoned projects in the state. Curiously, however, the committee’s findings were never made public till date.
Oferekpe/Ukawu water projects
Not wanting to be outdone, the administration of Governor Elechi equally embarked on two large water projects located in Oferekpe in Ikwo Local Government Area and Ukawu in Onicha Local Government Area. While the Oferekpe project was completed and handed over to the State Government at the twilight of the Elechi administration, the Ukawu project remained uncompleted.
However, the Oferekpe water project was not put to use by the Umahi administration. Various reasons were adduced for the inability of the water scheme to be fully operational. They include water reticulation pipes, inadequate low lift facilities, and high cost of running the project. After several attempts, the Umahi administration abandoned the project.
Ebonyi Pipe Production Company
The Ebonyi Pipe Production Company was conceived and completed by the Martin Elechi administration. It was fully operational, producing pipes of various types and sizes for domestic and industrial uses.
However, when the administration of David Umahi came on board, the factory gradually declined and finally parked up. Due to the closure of the factory, criminals capitalized on the inactivity in the premises to vandalise and loot some equipment at the sight including transformers and generators.
Other abandoned projects that have left spour taste in the mouth of Ebonyi indigenes include the Ebonyi Pulverization/Waste Recycling Plant, located at Umuoghara, Ezza North local Government Area and the Ebonyi Five Star Hotel, started by the Elechi administration but was not completed.
The former was supposed to be a state-of-the-art waste recycling facility that will generate income for the state. But it was never completed by the Elechi administration. The David Umahi administration on its part also failed to complete the project and put it to use before exiting office.
The Ebonyi Five Star Hotel started by the Elechi administration was also not completed. The Umahi administration on assumption of office said it was going to convert it to Engineering Department of Ebonyi State University. That, however, did not materialise till the administration exited office.
‘Nwifuru will complete all inherited projects’
Meanwhile, the State Commissioner for Information, Jude Okpor, has assured that Governor Nwifuru administration will complete all inherited and abandoned projects. He noted that the governor is meticulously not reneging on his belief in continuity and consolidation of governance.
Okpor said: “So far, the Governor has continued to resurrect grounded infrastructure inherited from previous administrations, breathing life into them to the benefit of Ebonyi people.
“For instance, the Governor, on assumption of office, spent fortunes to revive the Pipe Production Factory in Ezzamgbo, the Building Materials industry also in Ezzamgbo and the Pulverization Plant in Umuoghara, both of which had been grounded with their accessories carted away by hoodlums nine years before his emergence.
“Today, the Pipe Production Factory is a one stop shop for quality and durable pipes of all sizes and uses in Southeast and other parts of Nigeria. With the revival of the Umuoghara Pulverization Plant, Ebonyi will soon begin to import refuse to feed the machines for recycling of waste to wealth at its optimum productivity.”
Okpor, while saying that work has also commenced on Oferekpe water scheme and it will soon be reactivated, also revealed that the governor recently gave approval for remodeling and completion of the 11-storey World Trade Centre.
Abia also weighed down by abandoned projects
The inability of successive administrations in Abia State to attend to inherited projects from their predecessors or complete the projects that they started has negatively affected the state’s economy, education, health, agriculture, infrastructural development among other enablers that would have helped drive progress in the state.
The Nation investigation revealed that the decline in public school students’ enrollment, deplorable nature of roads, inadequate healthcare providers in public institutions, hunger and infrastructural decay in the state was as a result of the inability of successive military and democratically elected leaders in the state to show leadership.
Two of such abandoned projects that have left the people of Abia weeping are the public water scheme (which has created room for indiscriminate sinking of boreholes) across the state, and the gigantic Enyimba Hotels in Aba. The eight-storey five star hotel, located at Ogborhill Aba, was initiated by the first civilian Governor of the state, late Chief Samuel Mbakwe. It was disrupted by the Military coup of 1983.
Speaking with The Nation, the Senior Assistant to Governor Alex Otti on Media, Mr. Ferdinand Ekeoma, said the incumbent administration in the state is doing everything possible to address the issue of abandoned or uncompleted projects inherited by the present government. “The abandoned projects that we have been able to identify in the state, we have moved in to recover them,” he said.
Ekeoma said, for instance, that “For the Enyimba Hotel, discussion is going on. It is going to be a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement. It is going to be a five-star hotel. The GM GADA, who is handling it, has held series of meetings with potential investors even outside the country. We have very notable names involved in the discussion for Enyimba Hotel, which has gone far.”
He also said the State Government has gone far on the water scheme, which, according to him, is very capital intensive. His words: “We started by identifying abandoned water reservoirs in different parts of the state and we are going to partner with some investors that have the financial capacity to assist the government to execute the project.
“The issue of borehole has become a menace, heavy one for that matter. But you can’t stop people from sinking boreholes when you have not provided any alternative. We have been able to carry out serious enumeration and have been able to lay hands on the challenges and what is needed to be done including the cost effect and among others. They are tidying up everything in that area before work will commence.”
Anambra also reeling
Although, the number of abandoned projects in Anambra State is not much, based on findings, the one that stands out, The Government House is already being tackled by Governor Chukwuma Soludo.
However, some road projects were abandoned since the democratic dispensation. They are: Achalla-Amanuke-Urum-Mgbakwu-Ebenebe road and Okpuno-Isuanaocha–Urum-Amanke road.
Apart from the listed state roads and few other federal roads like Oba-Nnewi- Arondiuzogu -Okigwe road, Amansea-Enugu Expressway road, the only major abandoned project in Anambra is the Shop-rite Complex initiated by former Governor Peter Obi.
Obi ventured into the project after the burial of late Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, in 2012, by acquiring the Nnewi triangle that was used for park for the burial. When Obi left office, he assured that he would continue with the project. He said about N1.5 billion had been sunk in the place.
The Nnewi triangle was a beehive of activities with parks, shops, stores, banks among others before the demolition by Obi. The residents are accusing the government of deceiving the community, adding that the expansive arena had been lying fallow and has become a waste.
Speaking with The Nation, the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Dr. Law Me for, said the issue of any abandoned project will be a thing of the past because, according to him, “Solution is here.”
Abandoned projects litter Enugu
Enugu State is not left out of the abandoned projects saga as scores of projects abandoned by both the federal, state and local governments litter the state. One of them is the multimillion naira Federal Government’s Digital Bridge Institute along Ugwuogo -Nike Road in Enugu. The Digital Bridge Institute, a communications technology hub, was completed over 10 years ago, but has never been put to use.
Worried by the rot at the facility, the Enugu State chapter of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), at its recent Annual General Meeting (AGM), sought collaboration with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to manage and put the facility to use.
The chairman of the branch, Engr. Chigbo Obealor, stated that collaborating with the NCC on the facility would help realise the project’s vision. He said: “The multi-million naira facility is rotting away since its completion along Enugu-Nike-Ugwogo Road. We, hereby, convey our interest in ensuring that the facility is put to use for ICT- youth training and manpower development of the state.”
There are other abandoned Federal Government projects such as the construction of Obollo-afor-Ikem-Eha-Amufu-Nkalagu Road, power transmission projects and many others.
At the state level, there is the sprawling State Secretariat Complex, which was initiated by the administration of former Governor Sullivan Chime, in 2012, to the tune of N13.6 billion. This project, according to Chime, was meant to improve efficiency and provide a conducive work environment for workers.
The secretariat complex, which covers 6.7 hectares of land, also became necessary since structures at the old site were dilapidated with old and leaky roofs, poor conveniences, and accommodation spaces. To date, that project is still lying waste and uncompleted.
Residents, who are lamenting the state of the complex, wondered why the old one was demolished when the government was not sure of completing the new one. According to them, the whole thing was a total waste of scarce resource as the amount spent in demolishing the old secretariat could have been channeled into more positive ventures.
“The old one would have been left as a monument. The amount of money used in destroying the old structures would have been utilised for better things. The subsequent government did not attempt to make it better”, said a resident, Thankgod Madu.
Governor Mbah to the rescue
Irked by the litany of abandoned projects in Enugu, Governor Peter Mbah decided to take over the projects abandoned by his predecessors or the Federal Government. For instance, he recently offered to collaborate with the NCC to see to the completion of the Digital Bridge Institute which was abandoned for over a decade.
Also, work has already recommenced on some abandoned critical projects, along with ongoing resuscitation of moribund state-owned enterprises. For instance, the hitherto abandoned International Conference Centre (ICC) in Enugu is now taking shape. The gigantic project was started by the administration of Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, but it could not be completed before Nnamani left office in 2007.
The conference centre, which is the biggest in the Southeast, has a 3000 capacity auditorium, 1,500 secondary event venue and a dome with a 500-seat capacity. The centre also has a shopping facility, a food court, and a recreational centre with an amusement park.
Besides ICC, serious efforts are equally being made by the government in Enugu State to revamp the moribund Hotel Presidential Enugu. The hotel was once the pride of the entire Southeastern Nigeria. The gigantic 100-room facility was built after Nigeria’s Independence as part of the defunct Eastern Nigeria Government’s industrialisation plan under the administration of Dr. M. I. Okpara as the Premier of the Region.
It operated successfully and yielded enormous revenue for the Eastern Region (now defunct), and later, East Central States and old Anambra State. Enugu State inherited the hotel when the State was created in 1991 from old Anambra State. There are efforts also at revitalising other moribund enterprises across the state.
Weeds, snakes take over abandoned projects in Imo
A multi-billion-naira Government House project initiated by the administration of former Governor Ikedi Ohakim has been abandoned to decay, investigation by The Nation has revealed. The project site at New Owerri, which was intended to serve as a modern administrative complex, has been overrun by weeds, snakes, and rodents.
The buildings, once majestic now stand as a testament to neglect and decay, with their walls cracked and crumbling. Ohakim launched the project in 2007, to provide a modern administrative complex for Imo State, with an initial budget of 10 billion naira. However, after his tenure ended, the project was abandoned, leaving behind a sprawling site of unfinished buildings and rusting construction equipment.
A visit to the site revealed a desolate landscape littered with faeces; the only sounds were the rustling of leaves and the distant hum of crickets. The eerie silence was a stark reminder of the project’s abandonment and the waste of resources that has plagued Imo State.
According to a former government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the project was initiated to decongest the current Government House at Okigwe Roundabout. However, the project was abandoned. “The abandonment of the project is a tragedy,” the source said, adding, “It’s a sad reminder of the inefficiencies and mismanagement that have plagued our state.”
Contacted, the Commissioner for Information, Strategy and Public Orientation, Chief Declan Emelumba, said the site where the Government House was proposed was part of the lands Former Governor Rochas Okorocha appropriated and gave to his friends and cronies.
“If you recall, it is part of the properties in the White Paper. The proposed site was the lands Rochas Okorocha’s administration bastardised and give to his friends and cronies,” he said.
Reminded that there are structures on the site which have been abandoned, Chief Emelumba maintained that “There is no structure on the land. The project was abandoned at foundation level and the land given by Rochas Okorochas to his family members and friends.”
A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), the Citizen Centre for Integrated Developments and Social Rights, (CCIDESOR), expressed worries over the huge abandoned projects that are lying waste across the Southeast geo-political zone.
The group lamented that Southeast had now ranked highest among the regions with abandoned projects by the federal, state and local governments. To this end, the group launched a technological application, Abandoned Projects App, to track and recover most of the projects for the benefits of the citizenry for who they were initiated.
The Executive Director of CCIDESOR, Nnenna Onyenoha, said the organisation commenced the move after discovering that Southeast ranked highest among the regions with abandoned projects by the federal, state and local governments.
She lamented that this had been the real reason no major public infrastructure is functioning effectively in the Southeast, saying that the new app would help government to track past and current projects that were not completed but may have been wrongly reported as having been completed.
“It is estimated that abandoned projects by federal, states and LGAs already in the Southeast are estimated to be over N150 billion. Imagine the recovery of the projects, what it can do to the economy of Southeast and the country at large,” Onyenoha said.
