By; YUSUF ISHAKU GOJE
The administration of former Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, had urbanization, under the Urban Renewal Projects, at the top of its agenda. This was evident both in the series of policy statements and annual actual budget spending. The construction and upgrades of urban roads was clearly the top priority, with remodeling of markets coming second.
However, pundits, keen observers, public analysts, civil society actors and opposition parties, even while acknowledging the evident reconstruction of urban road networks, had raised concerns on the near absence of transparency in the procurement process. Also of concern is the observed unequal speed and quality in the delivery of some of the projects in the three urban centres (Kaduna capital, Zaria and Kafanchan) as well as near neglect of rural roads.
Hence, there was mixed reaction when the incumbent Governor, Senator Uba Sani, on the 26th of June, 2023, approved the constitution of a committee to determine the status of all ongoing projects across the state. This also includes those in the pipeline in order to ensure speedy completion of all priority projects.
This had led to heightened anticipation in some segments of the residents that the above mentioned concerns will be addressed; while there was excitement in other quarters based on the belief that the Governor has hit the ground running; and lastly, there were also nonchalant reactions fueled by the perception that it is more of motion without movement – as the Governor will not want to embarrass his predecessor.
Notwithstanding, the terms of reference given to the committee were to: determine the status of all ongoing projects across the state; get the details of contractual agreements/obligations; find out the funding arrangements and commitments of parties; find out the completion period of the projects; and come up with specific recommendations on each project. The eight member committee headed by Sabiu Sani has since commenced work.
Interestingly, the work of the committee has already generated controversy with a news report which was titled “They collected money and abandoned the projects – Kaduna Official slams El-rufai’s contractors” as the trigger. The said report went on to quote the Committee Chairman stating the State government may need to arrest some contractors appointed by former Governor, Nasir El-rufai, who abandoned projects awarded them after receiving payment. This has been construed to be a subtle indictment on the former Governor.
Although the Chairman has publicly debunked the statement allegedly credited to him, nonetheless, the issue raised in the report need not be swept under the carpet – as usually there is no smoke without fire. If truly there are contractors that have been paid but have abandoned the site, they should be identified, ordered back, blacklisted after refund or prosecuted. No doubt, contracts are the major drain pipes through which public funds are mismanaged and siphoned.
More so now that the State cannot afford any wastage or diversion of public funds. This is due to our fiscal contraction made worse by high debt service and huge liabilities. We have had enough of abandoned projects littering our landscape. This is in the light of the staggering revelation by the Chartered Institute of Project Managers that there are about 56,000 abandoned projects across the country worth N17 trillion and still counting.
Overwhelmingly, the Kaduna Infrastructure Master-Plan (KADIMP, 2018-2050) shows the State will need about N20 trillion to address the infrastructure gaps in the health, education, water and sanitation, and agriculture sectors. Narrowing it down, a total of N8.09 trillion (N245 billion annually) will be required to address the roads renovation, construction and expansion envisaged in the State during the plan period.
In addition, the master-plan states that State-owned roads comprises of 2,133.59 kilometers, out of which only 49.20% (1,049.72km) are in good state, 22.09% (471.25km) are in a fair state and 28.71% (612.63km) are in a poor state. Out of the total State roads, 66.87% (1,426.79km) are paved (AC/SD) while the remaining 33.13% (706.80km) is earth road.
Furthermore, out of total Local Government roads amounting to 3,110.43 kilometers, only 3.35% (104.20km) is paved road (SD Road) while 96.65% (3,006.23km) is earth road. The Governor needs to do more in attracting private sector investments in infrastructure development in the State. This in order to ensure the needed critical urban and rural infrastructure are provided to boost economic activities thereby creating wealth, jobs as well as generate revenue.
While the governor is currently scouting for investors, creative financing such as tax credit policy to attract investments from private companies in the sector should be deeply explored. Meanwhile, ensuring that the State has no abandoned projects should be a priority of the administration and not compromised for any reason.
Finally, the Governor should pay attention to the equitable distribution of the projects in terms of amount, adherence to specification and quality, timeliness and value for money. In the spirit of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) commitment on Open Contracting, all procurement/contract data should also be made public online to enable social accountability.
Lets engage, ask the right questions and hold the government accountable.
Yusuf Ishaku Goje is an
Active Citizen
