The newly appointed President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, has assumed responsibility for a significant number of unfinished projects worth over N16.29tn from the previous administration led by Muhammadu Buhari. This information was uncovered through the national monitoring and evaluation platform called EYEMARK, which was established by President Buhari in December of the previous year.
EYEMARK serves as a comprehensive system for tracking and assessing the progress of various projects across the country. It has identified a substantial number of ongoing initiatives that were left incomplete at the time of the leadership transition. These projects span multiple sectors and encompass a substantial financial investment.
With this knowledge, President Tinubu and his administration will face the task of evaluating and determining the most effective strategies for completing these projects. The inherited projects carry significant implications for the nation’s development and will require careful planning and execution to ensure their successful completion, delivering tangible benefits to the Nigerian people.
Acknowledging the challenges of effectively monitoring numerous infrastructure projects nationwide, the former President emphasized the need for a comprehensive system to oversee these initiatives. Recognizing his administration’s significant investment in infrastructure development, he believed it was crucial to establish robust mechanisms for close monitoring by the citizens.
The creation of EYEMARK addressed these concerns by providing transparency and accountability in project implementation. It allowed the public access to information regarding the status of projects, including the allocated funds and expenditures. This increased transparency aimed to bridge existing gaps and encourage citizen engagement in governance.
According to the findings from EYEMARK, approximately 33 projects remained incomplete. The availability of this data through the national monitoring and evaluation platform served as a critical tool for both the government and the public to track the progress and ensure the successful completion of these projects.
There is also the Nigeria- Morocco Gas Pipeline estimated at $25bn (about N11.52tn). It is the most expensive yet-to-be-completed project.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited is leading the implementation of Nigeria’s National Gas Expansion Programme, including the development of domestic gas pipeline infrastructure projects and the Nigeria-Morocco and Trans-Sahara Gas Pipelines.
The NNPC has signed five Memoranda of Understanding with national oil companies and relevant entities of five African countries on the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project. The five national oil companies and relevant entities are from Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau and Sierra Leone.
Another project is the $2.8bn (about N1.29tn) Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano pipeline project, which is said to be at 70 per cent completion.
The contractors include Oando Plc, Brentex Petroleum Services Ltd, Oilserve Ltd and China Petroleum Pipeline Bureau.
The former Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, recently revealed that the project would help in generating 3.6 gigawatts (3,600 megawatts) of electricity, adding that the AKK pipeline was a major project of the Buhari’s administration.
The NNPC also recently said that $1.1bn had been spent so far on constructing the $2.8bn Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline project.
The counterpart funding for the Greater Abuja Water Project, estimated at $470.76m (about N217bn) is still pending.
In July last year, The PUNCH reported that five years after the conceptualisation of the $470m Greeter Abuja Water Project, the Federal Government was yet to release the 20 per cent counterpart fund for the execution and delivery of the project as planned.
There is also the dualization of Akure-Ado Ekiti Road in Ondo/Ekiti states put at N90bn. Fashola last week commissioned the dualisation and construction of the Akure/Iju-Itagbolu/Ado-Ekiti road, which he said would be completed within a spate of 24 months.
He also disclosed that the award and commissioning of the road took so long because of the necessary process required by the new procurement law.
He assured stakeholders that the financing of the project had been taken care of by the NNPC through a tax credit policy and that construction work would not stop till completion.
The Itobe power plant, with a project cost of $5bn (about N2.3tn), is also pending. The 2,400MW coal-fired power project is put at 30 per cent completion with the contractor as Eta-Zuma Group.
There is also the renovation of the National Assembly Complex projected to cost about N30.23bn. The Federal Capital Development Authority recently said that the National Assembly complex would not be ready till August, despite pressure for the remodelling of the complex to be completed before the inauguration of the 10th Assembly.
