12 www.businessday.ng www.facebook.com/businessdayng @businessDayNG @Businessdayng Sunday 23 September 2018 Investigation Ongoing projects in South East: Truth vs lies promises would often come So, it is correct that this not mobilised. The contractor ODINAKA ANUDU weeks before general elec- road was not completed and parked his vehicles at a private tions and evaporate weeks could have been poorly fund- residence in-between the here were scream- after. ed. United Evangelical Church and ing headlines on the The Investigation I moved down to ‘Ikemba Onyedika Industries Limited, front pages of na- My interest was, therefore, Drive Spur on Oba-Okigwe Alaoji Ntigha. tional newspapers aroused the moment I saw Road Through Permanent Site Light at the end of tunnel on August 28, 2018. the list of projects in the zone of Nnamdi Azikiwe University However, seven out of 20 TThe story was about the 69 released by Nigeria’s Informa- Teaching Hospital in Anambra roads are ongoing, from my ongoing projects funded by tion Minister. State’. This road has some sec- findings. the Federal Government in I decided to fact-check tions that need repair. I did not One is Nkporo-Abiriba- the South East part of Nigeria. these claims. I noticed that see any work going on when I Ohafia, which was awarded It made headlines because out of the 69 projects, 20 were used it. in May 2012 but was aban- the governors of the South classified as ‘construction’ Next is Umulungbe- doned by the immediate past East had met few days earlier while the rest were designated Umuoka-Amokwu Ikedimkpe administration of Goodluck to protest marginalisation of ‘rehabilitation’. Egede-Ojieyi Awhum Road. Jonathan. Though I classified their zone. The governors had I moved down to the South The Federal Government said this N2.739 billion project as alleged that most federally- East to investigate the ones it awarded a contract on this ‘ongoing’, work on this road is funded infrastructure projects categorised as ‘construction’. road to IDC Construction in in fits and starts now, forcing in their zone were stalled. A bridge or a ridge? June this year. villagers to ask if the govern- Consequent upon this, I left Lagos for Ihiala. My I went through this road ment has indeed mobilised Nigeria’s Information Minister first port of call was Oseakwa but no work was going on yet. Dutum Construction Nigeria Lai Mohammed refuted this Bridge. This project had been “We have not seen any con- Limited or if the contractor is claim, releasing a list of 69 listed as ‘construction of Os- Oseakwa Bridge tractor on this road. We only just slow. projects that were going on in eakwa Bridge in Anambra hear it on the radio,” a sceptical The second one is the Abri- various parts of the zone. State, C/No. 6043’ by the not poorly funded. However, completed in 2014 and is in Daniel Okoro, a commercial ba-Arochukwu-Ohafia Road “His Excellencies were ei- Minister. My findings showed some sections of this road— good shape. driver plying this road, said. in Abia State, awarded by the ther misquoted or they were that Oseakwa Bridge was around Isiala—are decaying, Eight out of 20 ‘not ongo- “Maybe they are waiting immediate past government quoted out of context. Either awarded on October 6, 2009, which speaks to the quality of ing’ for the rains to subside,” Uche on December 13, 2012, at way, this allegation flies in the to Horizon Construction Co. work done, an engineer, Duru I classified eight out of Ene, another commercial ve- N2.265 billion. Sections of face of available evidence,’’ Ltd at N896.863 million. Anayamere, told me. these 20 roads as ‘not on- hicle driver, interrupted. this road, handled by Beks Mohammed said in Ilorin, When I got to this location, Second is the Ahiakwu- going’ because they are un- My investigation took me Kimse Nigeria Limited, are Kwara State capital, at a lec- I observed that no work was Amangwo-Umuahia-Ngwa- completed and no work was to ‘Oji-Achi-Mmaku-Awgu still bad. I was told that the ture, in reference to the gov- going on. My findings showed Ngwa Road, awarded on De- going on around them as of Road With Spur To Obeagu- senator representing the zone, ernors’ claim. that the project was com- cember 23, 2010, and con- September 15. Ugbo in Enugu State’. This Mao Ohuabunwa, facilitated “Though the contracts for pleted two years after by the tracted to La Ann Engineering On travelling to Isseke road was not completed and some level of rehabilitation many of the roads were award- immediate past government Nig Ltd for N589.554 million. Town-Amafuo-Ulli with Spur no work was going on when I of this road in March this year, ed before the advent of this ad- of Goodluck Jonathan. I found that this road was (Ihiala-Orlu-Umuduru Sec- used it. The same fate applies making it a bit motorable. ministration, they were either But there is something to Ogrute-Umuida-Unadu-Ak- But as of the second week of poorly funded or not funded striking about this project. panya-Odoru Road in Enugu/ September when our corre- at all, hence work on the roads What the Federal Government Kogi. spondent visited this road, the has lingered,” he added. calls ‘Oseakwa Bridge’ is not I witnessed an anomaly road looked decrepit. Mohammed said the 69 technically a bridge. It is just on ‘Aguobu-Owa-Mgbagbu Roads in this area have roads and bridges, spread a road in a typical Nigerian vil- Owa-Ebenebe (Anambra been abandoned for ages and across the five states in the lage—sandy, hilly and bumpy. State Border) with Spur to politicians play politics with South-East Nigeria, were at The Cambridge Dictionary Awaha-Oyoha-Oyofo-Iwol- them, I was told. different stages of comple- (online) defines a bridge as a lo Road in Enugu’. This road “Once the government tion, thanks to the funding ‘structure that is built over a starts from a town known as announces the construction of sourced by the present Mu- river, road, or railway to allow Amansea in Anambra State. roads around here, politicians hammadu Buhari administra- people and vehicles to cross But this town was not factored begin to take the praise by tion from budgetary alloca- from one side to the other’. into this project. The only sec- claiming that they influenced tions, the Sukuk Bond and the This so-called bridge does not tion of this road constructed the contracts,” one native of Presidential Infrastructure fit into this definition. was between Alaoji and Ok- Ozu Abam Ohafia told me. Development Fund. Also, the road leading to puno in Ebenebe. This is just “Is it not their job to influ- Understanding the prob- it is not tarred and the road one out of seven towns which ence such contracts?” he asks, lem extending from it is decrepit the contract was supposed rhetorically. The South East is one of and is not passed by vehicles. to cover. Next is the Ohafia-Oso the six geopolitical zones in Ordinarily, federal govern- Completed Mbaise+Ngwa road at Imo River Of particular interest is the Road, which is between Abia Nigeria. It is made up of Abia, ment roads always intercon- Amansea road. It is dilapidated and Ebonyi states’ border. Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and nect states in Nigeria, but this completed before May 2015. tion) in Anambra State, I de- and decrepit. I noticed that Work on this road, though Imo states. It is the only zone so-called bridge does not lead No work was going on as of cided to engage a commercial some sections of the road ongoing, is in fits and starts. among the six geopolitical re- to anywhere. September 13 when I used motorcyclist on the state of were rehabilitated. However, The N979.889 million gions with five states. The oth- Villagers told me that work this road. It was neither aban- this road. I was not convinced that it was Omor-Umulokpa Road, which er five—South South, South was done and completed on doned nor poorly funded as “You can see that the con- handled by the same contrac- borders Anambra and Enu- West, North Central and North the so-called bridge, but the residents testified that it was tractor started in Isseke and tor that worked on Ebenebe gu states, is going on, just as East have six states, with North road looks like nothing was completed around 2013. stopped at Health Centre, axis. The reason is simple: Nnenwe-Uduma-Uburu Road. West having one more. ever done. Another one completed by Ihiala. They stopped work here Ebenebe road is solid while Similarly, construction Pundits say the region has Completed projects listed the immediate past adminis- before the 2015 election and the section of Amansea road of Nenwe-Nomeh-Mburu- the worst infrastructure re- as ‘ongoing’ tration but listed as ‘ongoing’ nothing has happened since already serves as a dunghill. bu-Nara Road with spur to cord, with major federal roads Findings showed that the by Lai Mohammed is the Olo- then,” the motorcyclist, who No work was going on here Obeagu Oduma Road in Enugu in state of disrepair. list released by Mohammed koro-Alaukwu-Itaja-Okwu- gave his name as Ikenna Iluno, when I used this road. State is going on and is handled The zone is made up of contained some projects com- Obuohia-Ikwuano, awarded told me. Similarly, ‘Umuna-Ndiagu- by Arab Contractors OAO mainly Igbo-speaking people pleted by the immediate past on March 10, 2010, to Rhas I stopped at Ihiala Micro- Agba Umuna-Ebenebe-Amasi Nigeria Limited.