In this report, Yunusa Umar tells how abandoned road projects in four different rural areas in Patigi local government area of Kwara State threaten livelihoods. For the residents of Nimbo-Mamba, Mawogi, Etsungi, and Godiwa communities, the awarded road projects were meant to bring succor to multiple road crashes and flash floods that characterize their daily routine. However, the current state of the roads has not only worsened their lives but also threatens their means of survival, which solely relies on agriculture.
Sitting under a tree with white trousers and a bandage wrapped over his injured leg, Mohammed Mohammed, a resident of Mawogi village who collided with a motorcyclist on the abandoned road five days before our visit on December 12, 2023, narrated that he was taken to the hospital after the unfortunate accident.
“I had an accident on the road five days ago,” the victim said. “I was on the abandoned road when Fulani men, on high-speed, escaping from police extortion, collided with my motorcycle.”
He continued, “I bled, and he ran away after the collision. I stood up and fell again. I was helpless on the road for about 30 minutes before being helped by a passerby to the hospital.”
While blaming the poor state of the road, the victim stressed that the abandoned road needs bumps to limit high speed and accidents.
During The Informant247 visit to the abandoned 2km road, it was observed that a drainage was constructed on the road, leaving the main part of the road without asphalt. Residents expressed their displeasure with how contractors in charge of the road repair disappeared without a trace some years back.
Usman Dangana, a community leader, worried that the project has been long abandoned, decried that the road was left uncompleted during his service year in the local council.
“It started some years ago because I was still on council then. I helped the contractors for the project to be completed. The contractor promised to spill asphalt on the roads but failed to return to the site,” he said.
“But if the road construction was completed, the community would also wear a new look. Whenever I called them, they blamed paucity of funds,” Dangana said.
He further claimed that many residents had been involved in accidents on the road, citing that his neighbor’s son had a collision with a reckless Fulani motorcyclist.
According to him, he had drawn the attention of youths and village heads to address multiple accidents on the abandoned road.
He alleged that the facilitator awarded the project to a firm outside his state to connive with them (contractors) for residents not to understand his dubious acts.
A youth leader and janitor of the contractor’s store, Abubakar Sodi Wassa, narrated how he helped them (contractors) to safeguard their working tools in the village.
He told The Informant247 that he handled working tools of the road construction in his village safely, emphasizing that equipment was never stolen under his watch.
“When they came, they told us that they would construct roads for the community,” he recounted. “We showed them where to construct the road, and contractors brought their bulldozer truck to make way for the road.”
He said, “Two days later, I saw another set of people claiming to be contractors, and they came with a working machine to start work, including woods and others.”
“After constructing waterways, they told us they would still come back, but they later returned, and their response wasn’t what we expected. They would only tell us their work had been completed,” he aptly said.
He blamed the contractor for constructing waterways without spilling asphalt on the road, claiming that their children often sustain injuries on the abandoned road.
2Km Etsungi Road Not Constructed
Residents of Etsungi village said that no road was ever constructed in their village.
A farmer, Mohammed Alhaji, was prepared to take his lunch when he was approached. He blamed the contractors for not constructing the awarded road for the community.
He further lamented the poor drainage system constructed on the abandoned road. Narrating the ordeals of residents on the road, he noted that floods often take over the road during the rainy season.
He said, “Residents face a series of challenges on the abandoned road. The contractors solely came into the village without consulting us before making one drainage.”
It was observed that the road, which has one-side drainage, was poorly constructed without proper planning. The residents of the agrarian community said their plight often comes in rainy times.
“The contractor attempted to construct a road on the hill before leaving the road project, but they (contractor) would have spoken to us,” he said.
The farmer said that his community members and elders were not consulted when the road construction commenced.
“The community members were not informed of the road project,” he said. “The drainage was almost done, and it was constructed on one side. We talked to them about it but insisted that it is where they would stop.
He further lamented that the community would have prevented them from further damaging the road, noting that the half job done on the road has compounded the villagers’ woes.
Like other villages, Godiwa—Death-Trap for Road Users
Like other villages visited, Godiwa’s project is also left over in the community. The residents who often ply the road can’t do it in comfort.
A community leader who preferred not to be named said many traders from his community have lost their means of livelihood on the road.
He stated he could not count the number of accidents that occurred on the road while traders plying the road for their daily business.
“Whenever I travel to Patigi, I ought to use drugs because of the nature of the road. When we were handling the road, it was better, but it was worse when the road construction was taken over from us,” he bitterly laments.
“It is beyond the community unless the government intervenes for us. Even the younger ones involved in the accident on the road.”
The community leader stressed that one of their children was involved in an accident on the road and had to spend over 3-month taking local medication.
A commercial motorcyclist who simply identified himself as Musa narrated his ordeal on the road, saying the road is terrible for motorcyclists.
According to him, “While we are riding on the road and the front tire fails, it causes an accident.”
He added, “I have not had an accident on the road but whenever an accident occurs, it leads to a broken leg and other injuries.”
On December 11, two traders returning from their weekly market in Patigi town were involved in a road crash and lost their means of livelihood to the crash.
One of the victims, Fatima Isah, who lost her business commodity during the crash on the road, said they had the accident at night.
She said, “I had an accident yesterday around 9 pm. We were on a bike riding home from the market. We were alone on the road when the bike fell but luckily, no car or bike came at that time.”
Narrating further, she said, “A passerby helped us after the incident. My partner’s hand had swollen up, and my leg too sustained a serious injury.”
A youth leader, Muhammed Musa, told this reporter that hands are on a desk to curb frequent accidents on the road.
“Other concerned youths and I had sketched a plan to meet Aliyu Bahago over the state of the road causing an accident,” Musa said. “Yesterday, a woman who had an accident lost five liters of groundnut oil. They lost everything when the accident occurred.”
Narrating how the road contractors came into their village before leaving, he said “contractors came and spent a few days before leaving,” adding that they have not returned since leaving the village.
The Released Funds
According to Govspend, a website that analyzes and tracks government spending, over N83 million naira had been separately released for the construction of these roads in four different rural villages since they were awarded in 2019.
In April 2019, a sum of N31,666,666.66 was released through the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority as part payment to control flood and erosion at Godiwan village in Patigi.
Screenshot of the released funds.
Similarly, a sum of N9,059,466.77 was also released to Buruj Engineering Limited company under the supervision of Ogun/Osun river basin development authority with caption “in respect of land reclamation/erosion control works of Esungi road in Patigi”.
Screenshot of the released funds.
Also, Extreme Industrial Limited Company secured N9,444,078.72 under Ogun/Osun River Basin Development Authority with caption “in respect of land reclamation/erosion control works in Nimbo-Mamba road in Patigi”.
Screenshot of the released funds.
On February 27, 2021, a sum of N26,245,329 was released to Beta construction Service limited under the ministry of Ogun/sun rbda with caption “in respect of land reclamation/erosion control works in Mawogi, Patigi”.
Screenshot of the released funds.
It was observed that these abandoned road projects have a signpost erected at the start point with an indication that it was facilitated by Hon. Aliyu Ahman Patigi, an ex-Federal lawmaker who represented Edu, Moro, and Patigi constituencies between 2007 to 2019.
When contacted, Hon. Aliyu Ahman Patigi about our findings regarding non-execution of the projects, he blamed paucity of funds, claiming that some of the road projects mentioned were not facilitated by him but the Federal government of Nigeria under the ministry of works and housing.
In his words, “Nimbo’s project is a Federal ministry of works and housing. It is not a constituency project. It is a Federal government project by Muhammadu Buhari in 2019. But I don’t think it will be funded the following year.
He emphasized that there is inconsistency in budgetary provision.
“The problem was when you put a project in a budget. The Federal government does the project,” he said in a telephone chat. “You put a project this year and the following year….. because it doesn’t continue in year one. It is supposed to continue for year two”.
He stated that when there was no funds in subsequent years, it led to the abandonment of the project, saying that it is the reason why there are many federal government projects abandoned.
He further urged The Informant247 to write to the Federal ministry of housing to request details of the project.
Companies React
The Informant247 was only able to speak to two out of five companies over the awarded projects abandoned in the four villages visited by our reporter.
Other companies such as Buruj Engineering, Tessia Nigeria Ltd, and M/W global services Ltd cloned their addresses online.
Extreme Industrial Ltd, which was paid N9,444,078.72 through Ogun/Osun river basin development authority, was not available for comment as a text message sent to their contact was not replied to as of press time.
However, The Informant247 was able to speak to Beta Construction Services Limited who were paid N26,245,329.55 through the same agency, Ogun/Osun River Basin Development Authority. The company’s agent, who refused to give his name when phoned, blamed the lack of funds for the reason the road project was abandoned.
According to him, “the government has not released the money but when the money is released, we will resume back to the site” he said.
The company’s agent further responded that his company is pursuing funds to complete the road project, Even while he refused to tell this reporter the percentage of funds released to his company.
“There is no need to ask me about the percentage. No need, but anytime the government releases the money definitely, I will resume back to the site and complete the project,” he said as he dropped the call without further comment.
This report was produced with support from Civic Media Lab.