₦17 Trillion Abandoned Projects Debacle - Punch Editorial - Politics
FOR years, Nigeria has become a vault of abandoned projects, big and small. The abandoned projects scattered across Nigeria have exacerbated the country’s chequered infrastructure development trajectory. Contrary to the lofty promises accompanying many of the now-abandoned projects, the remains are monuments of shame and wasted resources. This is a testament to Nigeria’s perennial underdevelopment. The Chartered Institute of Project Managers of Nigeria says the total value of abandoned projects in Nigeria is N17 trillion. This is obvious. The CIPMN registrar, Henry Mbadiwe, listed poor project planning, poor budgetary allocation, an inefficient legal system, corruption, and weak institutions as reasons for this. A committee set up by former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011 said that about 63 per cent of the projects initiated after Nigeria’s independence had been abandoned. The committee uncovered that the Federal Government abandoned 11,866 projects. The Nigerian Inst