Condemnation as NGO uncovers 29 abandoned NDDC projects in Ondo
A non-governmental organisation, Technocrat Media, says it has discovered no fewer than 29 projects abandoned by the Niger Delta Development Commission in the coastal area of Ondo State.
The group said the abandoned projects were discovered by its ‘Follow the Projects’ team.
In a chat with journalists in Akure on Friday, the Director, Follow the Projects, Daisi Omokungbe, said the organisation made the discovery after a three-month investigative research on NDDC’s various projects in the coastal area of the state.
Omokungbe noted that the report was supported by the HEDA Resource Centre, Lagos.
He said, “In the course of the three-month research, local trackers (young people) were recruited from each local government and trained, stakeholders engagements and meetings were held, and abandoned projects data were mined for analysis.
“A total of 29 abandoned projects running into billions of naira were tracked with Ilaje Local Government Area topping with 12 projects; Okitipupa LGA, 11 projects; Ese-Odo LGA, four projects; and Irele LGA, two projects.
“We made public searches on company registration documents of the contractors involved in these projects and we were able to gain information on who the directors of the companies are. We found their names, which are contained in the official report, which will be published.
“Most importantly, we discovered a serving federal lawmaker from Ondo State, an ex-senator in Edo State and others whose companies were involved in the abandoned projects.
“Luckily, we were able to have access to a financial paper published by the NDDC earlier this year, which provided little information on the amount that some contractors had received, as contained in the report which will be published before the close of work on Friday.
“Some contractors contacted told us that they took loans to execute projects but the NDDC failed to pay them as required. They promised to return to site if the commission decides to pay them.” Punch
