NIGER DELTA: PROJECTS WORTH OVER #4TRN ABANDONED......Says Group

The practical and sustained development of the Niger Delta region is one panacea that will bring about lasting peace, if only those saddled with authority do the right things.



Successive governments and leaders have, with their penchant for "white elephant" projects, abandoned these elitist projects for newer ones without as much consideration for the governed or its effects on the finances of the state and the people.

An Abandoned Road Project 

In the quest to draw the attention of government to the issue of abandoned projects in the region, a group known as the "Niger Delta Enterprise Initiative (NDEI)" has called on Niger Delta Governors to complete abandoned projects started by their predecessors before embarking on the award of new contracts.

This was made known in a statement issued on Thursday and signed by its Programme Coordinator, George Kerley.

In the statement, the group disclosed that, "over N4 trillion worth of projects lie abandoned across the Niger Delta".

This, according to the group, "these projects largely do not only tie down badly needed funds but also tie down human capital and waste too much time".

The group (NDEI) alleged that "most of the abandoned projects are white elephant projects for which feasibility studies and diligence were not properly carried out".

Citing specific examples, the NDEI listed the Port Harcourt Monorail Project in Rivers dtate for which more than N40bn was paid out to the contractors.

"Today, the project stands out as an eyesore in the Port Harcourt landscape. Besides, the initial technical partners for the project have long left", NDEI said.

It also cited the Bayelsa Tower Hotel Project, which was conceived and started during the tenure of late Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha but has long been abandoned after more than N10bn had been injected into it.

NDEI also listed two other multibillion-naira projects in Rivers state, "which were abandoned largely as a result of poor planning, poor feasibility studies, faulty budgeting and a poor knowledge of the workings of public private partnerships".

"These include the Karibi-Whyte Mega Hospital Project and the Mega Bus Terminals for which the Rivers State Government under former Governor Rotimi Amaechi paid about $19m and more than N5bn respectively. Today, there is nothing to show for all the billions of naira that have been sunk into these projects".

The Niger Delta Enterprise Initiative stated that with the huge drop in monthly allocations, governors of the Niger Delta states should focus on people-centered projects in order to achieve strong value for money.

Source News Express