By Emmanuel Nduka
Tracka, a service delivery promotion platform by BudgIT, has revealed how over N2.4 billion was disbursed to 17 contractors for 15 federal projects across nine states in 2023, yet work has not started on these sites.
In a statement from Ayomide Ladipo, Head of Tracka, several large payments were highlighted, including N401 million paid to Mainstream Contractors in December 2023 for the rehabilitation of the Welcome-Nasarawa-Farewell road in Nasarawa State, which connects northern and southern Nigeria.
Other payments included N153 million for the completion of the Onicha-Uku Town Hall and Event Centre in Delta, and N88 million for the construction of a PHC Centre in Osun State.
These findings, and others like them, are part of Tracka’s 2023/2024 report, titled “Achieving National Development through Efficient Service Delivery,” launched on January 30, 2025, in Abuja.
The report also revealed that Tracka monitored 1,404 projects worth N282.5 billion across 25 states. Shockingly, 51% of these projects were completed, 24% were still ongoing, 9% had been abandoned or fraudulently executed, and 16% never got off the ground.
Tracka’s report ranked ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) by project completion rates. The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) led with a 78% completion rate, while the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs lagged with just 16%.
BudgIT’s Country Director, Gabriel Okeowo, expressed concern over the funds’ misuse, stating, “Despite growing calls for more capital expenditure, our findings show that capital projects are prime areas for embezzlement and mismanagement.
“Without stronger oversight and accountability, Nigeria’s infrastructure projects remain vulnerable to abandonment and corruption. We urge the administration and anti-corruption agencies to close these loopholes and ensure that public funds are used effectively”.
Okeowo also called on the ICPC and EFCC to investigate discrepancies in the 2023 budget and hold contractors accountable to prevent further waste of Nigeria’s scarce resources.
