Governors rush to commission ‘uncompleted’ projects

 Ahead of the end of their tenures on Monday, some state governors embarked on last-minute commissioning of projects, some of them said to be uncompleted, Daily Trust on Sunday reports.

From Magaji Isa Hunkuyi (Jalingo), Hope Abah Emmanuel (Makurdi), Ibrahim Musa Giginyu (Kano), Abubakar Akote (Minna) & Eyo Charles (Calabar)

In Taraba State, the outgoing governor, Darius Ishaku, reportedly commissioned multi-billion naira projects few days before his handover to the incoming governor, Agbu Kefas.

One of the projects Ishaku commissioned is a bridge on the ongoing Pantisawa rural road although the road is not fully completed. Another project still ongoing but commissioned by the governor is the housing project located along Mutum Biyu road in Jalingo. The estate is named Darius Dickson Ishaku (DDI) Garden Estate.

The state government is said to have begun the construction of the estate, made up of 500 housing units, in 2017. It said the project was a public-private-partnership (PPP) with a developer, Wesany International Concept Limited.

Although the commissioning was done amid fanfare, it was observed that almost all the houses in the estate were in different stages of incompletion.

Almost all the apartments were uncompleted, including a school, market, shopping centre, clinic and recreation centre, which are some of the facilities purported to be included in the estate.

Other uncompleted projects that have been commissioned include the Jalingo dual carriageway and a flyover. Although the flyover and a bridge at Nukkai River, which were part of the dual carriageway were completed, the dual carriageway at the NYSC and Phanti Nahu end of the road is ongoing.

Similarly, the Pantisawa rural road project is not completed, but one out of the three bridges along the road, which has been completed, was commissioned by on Wednesday.

Ishaku also commissioned the 5.45litres Jalingo water project, which was started in 2017 but yet to be fully completed.

Speaking during the commissioning ceremony, he said the project was officially launched in 2017 in line with the promise he made on May 29, 2015. He explained that the project was part of his effort to address the problems of water supply and sanitation, and “strategic infrastructure, using leverage from development partners and engaging public-private-partnership (PPP) options, to enhance this pursuit.”

On the housing estate, Ishaku said the project was the first phase of 250 completed units of two bedrooms of semi-detached bungalows and three bedrooms of fully detached bungalows, made possible through the PPP.

“We are also using this occasion to flag off the second phase of the multi-million naira 5,000 housing project, which would use the same PPP model,” he said.

Findings also revealed that some road projects slated for commissioning have not been fully completed.

In Kano, the outgoing governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, had in recent times commissioned various projects executed by his administration.

However, while some of these projects were fully completed, others were commissioned despite the fact that they were not completed. For instance, the Ahmadu Bello Road that was initially contracted to an indigenous construction company but later revoked and re-awarded to a foreign company, was commissioned, among other roads in the state.

Motorists observed that the road was not 100 per cent completed as there was still some work to be done.

Similarly, on May 24, 2023, the state governor had commissioned the Tiga hydro power generation plant constructed under the state’s Independent Power Project (IPP). The project, which was started by the previous administration, was commissioned at the tail end of the Ganduje’s administration, although indicators have shown that it is yet to be completed.

Commissioning one of the projects, the governor said his administration would ensure that it delivered and consolidated the good work it did to the people of Kano State.

A member of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Ambassador Baba Bage, said commissioning uncompleted projects was a waste of government’s resources.

In Benue State, Governor Samuel Ortom, ahead of his exit tomorrow, commissioned several projects within the past two weeks.

The opposition and other critics have, however, raised eyebrows over the rush with which these projects were commissioned, especially as it took place on the eve of handover.

He has also laid the foundation for a new mall, as well as secured an expanse of land for a civil airport, which his successor would be expected to build.

Ortom commissioned a number of road projects in Makurdi, the state capital and few other local government areas.

He also had commissioned no fewer than 45 rural electrification projects executed by his administration in different communities to boost socio-economic activities.

The governor said he directed his commissioners from the respective communities to commission the projects before the exit of his administration, adding that he would continue to execute his mandate for the people of the state until the expiration of his tenure.

He also commissioned the Fountain Estate, Nyorgyungu in Makurdi, the state capital, built by the Benue Investment and Property Company Limited (BIPC), a limited liability company owned by the state government.

Earlier, the governor had intimated that some of his projects, which are yet to be completed, would be done by the incoming administration despite not naming them, as he stressed that the uncompleted projects would be listed in the handover notes to the new government.

Also, the governor performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the BIPC Makurdi Shopping Mall at the site beside Guaranty Trust Bank, along the Makurdi-Otukpo road.

The project, according to Ortom, would be carried on by the incoming administration of The Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia because government is continuity.

In Niger State, Daily Trust on Sunday gathered that contractors had been rushing to complete the ongoing projects across the state.

Among the roads being speedily completed are Imani Clinic-Building Materials Market in Minna, Unguwan-Daji access road and Piggery-Railway Road in Minna, among other projects in Kontagora, Suleja and other parts of the state.

Residents who spoke with Daily Trust on Sunday expressed concern that the speed at which such road projects were being completed may affect the quality of work.

In Cross River State, Governor Ben Ayade is said to have hurriedly commissioned a  ‘Superhighway,’ which was one of the two touted signature projects he showcased in 2015 when he was sworn in.

The governor has also commissioned the Calabar-Odukpani-Tinapa dual carriage. This may appear to be one of the very few projects his administration successfully completed.

The superhighway was projected to be 275.344 kilometers long.  It was to cut across 16 out of the 18 local government areas of the state, running from the Esighi community in Bakassi Local Government to the boundary of Katsina-Ala in Benue State.

Another project that has not been completed but commissioned is what he called the Spaghetti Bridge flyover at the infamous Odukpani junction in the outskirts of Calabar.

Others are the Teachers Continuous Training Institute (TCTI) in Biase Local Government Area, Calachika Poultry, Feedmill in Calabar, as well as the Obudu German Hospital in Obudu Local Government Area, and Rice Mill in Ogoja.

Ayade claimed that his administration succeeded in initiating over 40 projects, adding that many were completed and functional.

However, opposition stalwarts in the state, including a former deputy governor, Efiok Cobham and Ayade’s former information commissioner, Asu Okang, berated the governor for believing that he could ‘play on the intelligence of the people.’