THE second part of this investigation continues to examine the claims of the Presidency Office of Digital Engagement (PODE) on critical infrastructure projects in South-East Nigeria.

ON September 7, 2021, the PODE published what it called ‘a compendium of President Buhari’s ongoing and completed infrastructure projects in South-East Nigeria.’

The list was released two days before Buhari’s visit to Imo State, one of the five states of South-East Nigeria.

You can read the first part of this fact-check here.

READ FACT CHECK: Presidency’s claim about no- allocation for Hilux vehicles in the 2016/2017 budget is false

The PODE claimed that the Buhari administration was rehabilitating sections 1 and 2 of Abakiliki-Afikpo Road. The FactCheckHub reporter travelled through this road and confirmed that the work was ongoing.

According to information obtained from the website of the Ministry of Works and from online sources, the work is handled by several contractors, including Uniglobe, Builettine, CCEC, and Kemmasphere Realty Company.

Findings showed that work was going on at Abomegga, Abakiliki, Amuzu and Igboruma axes when The FactCheckHub visited the site, but it was found that Afikpo and Amasiobi areas were wearing off.

However, the Ebonyi State government lays claim on the project. In 2017, President Buhari flew into Ebonyi State and commissioned a 14.5 Kilometer Abakaliki-Afikpo Road, which is exactly the project the Federal Government claims to be rehabilitating. In Nigeria, federal roads are handled by the Federal Government while state roads are repaired or built by the state or subnational governments.

It, therefore, means that neither can claim projects done by the other.

The FactCheckHub sent the Freedom of Information (FOI) letter to the Federal Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola on January 25, 2022, regarding the status of this project and why it was so. Still, he did not reply to questions posed by this organisation more than one month after.

READ ALSO:

Nigerian presidency repeats lies, half-truths on infrastructure projects in South-East (part 1)

Ariaria Market: Failed power project forces Aba shoemakers to spend millions on powering generators (part 3)

COVID-19: How transporters, POS money traders rip off interstate, local passengers (PART 2)

One of the workers on-site, nevertheless, told The FactCheckHub that the project embarked upon by the state government was a smaller part of the contract being executed by the Federal Government.

The PODE also named the rehabilitation of sections 1, 2 and 3 of Owerri-Umuahia Road among the projects executed by the Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in the South-East region. This road connects Umuahia, the capital of Abia State, to Owerri, the Imo State capital, through Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area.

According to information on the Federal Ministry of Works’ website, the project is handled by Zerock Construction Nigeria Limited.

The reporter did not see any contractor on-site when he travelled through this road in December 2021. The Umuahia section of the road was tarred, but Ubowo to Ahiara in Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government did not look rehabilitated.

Residents said they saw contractors in 2019 working at Nguru, Aboh Mbaize Local Government Area, but one of them concluded that the company did a shoddy job. The reporter saw several potholes along the Mbaise axis.

“Well, you can see the state of the road now. We need to start taking infrastructure projects seriously in Nigeria if we want to change the poor state of our nation,” Ugo Amanze, a secondary school teacher from Mbaise, said.

The PODE also listed the rehabilitation of Oba-Nnewi-Okigwe Road as one of the activities of the Buhari administration in the region. The road links Okigwe in Imo State from Traffic Light in Nnewi, Anambra State.

The reporter travelled through this road but did not see any contractor or road rehabilitation equipment. Residents, however, testified that a contractor rehabilitated the Nnewi part of the road in 2020.

But there was no evidence that the road was rehabilitated in any way, as potholes dotted the Nnewi North Local Government axis and several other parts of the road.

“It was a poorly executed project,” a resident of Nnewi, Daniel, said.

The Ozubulu portion of this road wore a bad look, and two residents dismissed the question when the reporter asked them whether work was done on that axis by a Federal Government contractor or not.

“You journalists are the problems of this country,” retorted one of them, Anyanwu Josephine, a native of Ozubulu.

“Does it look like a project was done on this road?” she asked, scurrying away.

The PODE cited ‘more than 60 federal road and bridge projects’ being executed in South-East by the Buhari administration. Simple checks showed that the presidential office repeated exactly the claims made by Lai Mohammed in 2018, which were fact-checked here.All the roads listed by PODE in the new claims had earlier been named in Mohammed’s claims.

The FactCheckHub travelled through all of those roads again to ascertain whether they had been rehabilitated. One of such roads was Olokoro-Alaukwu-Itaja-Okwu-Obuohia-Ikwuano Road, contracted to Abia Rhas in 2010. The contract was awarded at N990.673 million, according to information on the Federal Ministry of Works website.

Findings showed that this project was started and completed by the immediate past government of Goodluck Jonathan. It was not ongoing and was not done by the Buhari government, which makes the claim MISLEADING.

Next was the Olokoro-Isiala-Oboro-Nnono Road Junction Road. This road was awarded to Abia Bok Company at N515.315 million by the immediate past government of Goodluck Jonathan. Residents said it was completed in 2013, meaning that the Buhari administration neither awarded it nor was it ongoing when the reporter visited it. Also, Umuahia-Ahiakwu-Amangwo Road was started and completed by Jonathan, and not Buhari.

“This road was done by the last administration. It was completed around 2014. It has nothing to do with Buhari,” 71-year-old Thadeaus Ohima, who is a native of Umuahia, told The FactCheckHub.

Next is the Umuna-Ndiagu-Agba Umuna-Ebenebe-Amasi Awka Express Road with Spur  from Umuna – Ndiagu.  The Amansea section of this road was supposed to be constructed by Conduc Nigeria Limited, the contractor listed by the Federal Ministry of Works, but this was not the case.

Part of the Ebenebe town was rehabilitated, but work stopped mid-way. The road from Ebenebe to Umuna was abandoned, so it was not ongoing as claimed by PODE.

“We have suffered on this road, but it gets worse during the rainy season. People can tell you anything they want, but the truth is that this road has been abandoned for many years – even before 2015 when Buhari came to power,” Sunday Ede, who hails from Amansea, told The FactCheckHub.

The PODE also referred to Mbaise-Ngwa Road, which connects the Imo River. The reporter saw no contractor when he visited, though the project was listed on the website of the Federal Ministry of Works as being executed by Mangrovetech Nigeria Limited. The FactCheckHub was told by residents that it was completed by the immediate past government of Jonathan.

“It was completed before 2015. Anybody who tells you otherwise is deceiving you,” a passer-by, Okechukwu, who hails from Ngwa, said.

The PODE equally claimed that the Buhari government was rehabilitating the Bende-Arochukwu-Ohafia Road. The FactCheckHub reporter found that work was going on at the site from Ohafia. However, this road is divided into various sections. Contrary to PODE claims that all were being rehabilitated, the Nkporo-Abiriba-Ohafia Road was found to have been executed by Abia State government with evidence hyperlinked here.

The Umuahia-Bende axis, as claimed in PODE’s list, was not ongoing.

In line with PODE’s claim, the Ibinta-Okigwe axis was being constructed when the reporter visited. The only challenge was the quality of the road, residents said. Of equal importance is the Nenwe-Mburumbu-Nara Road, which Arab contractors handle. The reporter found that work was going on as claimed by PODE. However, residents said it had been a ‘start-stop project,’ meaning that construction has been irregular.

“They stopped for two years and started again two weeks ago,” a commercial motorcyclist, Chima Anozie, who is from Nara, told The FactCheckHub.

Another resident, Adaku Nnaji, said she was happy that work had re-started on the site.

She urged the contractor to complete the project before the rainy season of 2022.

The Onitsha-Awka Expressway is also one of the projects claimed to be executed by the Buhari administration. The FactCheckHub found that work was ongoing in December 2021. However, this work had been on for close to 15 years now, meaning that two or three previous governments had been involved in its rehabilitation yet could not complete it.

“I remember it was President Musa Yar’Aadua that awarded it in 2008/2009, but it was not completed until he died,” a resident of Awka, who uses the road, Chinwe, said. She regretted that the road had been used to woo voters from the South-East region during general elections.

“Once election comes, they (politicians) will promise to complete it, but they forget their promise after the votes are cast,” she further said.

The reporter found that only one part of the road was done. Work stopped in 2019 after Arroma Junction in Awka, Anambra State capital. No work was done after the Government House in Awka, resulting in a series of accidents, residents said. The reporter found that the Amansea section of the road had been abandoned, eliciting angry reactions from residents.

“This place has been like this for over 10 years now, no work, nothing,” said Adanna Ihuoma, a native of Amansea, who used a stream of expletives on the Federal Government for ‘abandoning the road.’

She berated the reporter for “not telling the government the truth” even though she was told that the journalist was on a fact-finding mission.

Similarly, PODE claimed that the Second Niger Bridge was ongoing. The claim was found to be TRUE.

More so, Aba-Ikot Ekpene Road claimed to be rehabilitated by Buhari has the signature of the Abia State government. Due to its deplorable state, the Abia State government, in October 2021, “directed the immediate fixing of the deplorable state of the Umuahia- Ikot Ekpene federal road, which has become a death trap.” This was one month after PODE’s claims.

Completed projects

Some of the projects listed by PODE were discovered to have been initiated and completed by Buhari’s government.

One is the Umuahia Tower-Port Harcourt Road. This project, handled by Setraco Nigeria Limited, had been completed when the reporter visited. The same result was also found at the Old Enugu-Port Harcourt Road. The PODE claimed it was ongoing, but it was discovered to have been completed.

Similarly, Onitsha-Owerri Road has been rehabilitated as claimed by PODE, including the Okija-Oguta section. This is also the same for Ekwulobia-Oko Road in Anambra State and Uburu Nenwe Road in Ebonyi State.

Also, Enugu-Port Harcourt Road has been rehabilitated.

Conclusion

The PODE claimed that the projects were either ongoing or completed. But out of the 27 projects investigated, only five were completed by President Buhari. Six were ongoing, while two were done by the Abia State government. Three were partially done. No work was recorded on six projects. However, four projects were completed by Goodluck Jonathan, and one was suspended. This means that only 15 out of the 27 projects recorded some form of execution by the Federal Government.

ON September 7, 2021, the Presidency Office of Digital Engagement (PODE) published what it called ‘a compendium of President Buhari’s ongoing and completed infrastructure projects in South-East Nigeria.’

The list was released two days before President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to Imo State, one of the five states of South-East Nigeria.

It was a strategy targeted at convincing the people of the region that the current government of Buhari, which they had accused severally of marginalising them, was committing humongous public resources to building and rehabilitating their decrepit infrastructures.

On-the-ground checks, however, showed that PODE lied on the status of some of the projects and told half-truths on a few others.

It rehashed some of the lies and half-truths told by Minister of Information Lai Mohammed in 2018 that were debunked here and here, making reference to “more than 60 ongoing federal road and bridge projects across the five states of the region…” already fact-checked by the reporter.

The presidential office listed some of the projects as “the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, Construction of Ihiala-Orlu Road in Isseke Town-Amafuo-Ulli with Spur (Ihiala-Orlu-Umuduru Section) in Anambra State, Rehabilitation of Oba-Nnewi-Okigwe Road Route Section II: Anambra/Imo States Border-Ibinta-Okigwe Road; and Construction of Oseakwa Bridge in Anambra State.”

Other projects listed by PODE were: “Rehabilitation of Old Enugu – Port Harcourt Road (Agbogugu-Abia Border Spur to Mmaku); Rehabilitation of Nsukka-Obollo-Ikem-Ehamufu-Nkalagu Road in Enugu State; Rehabilitation of Owerri-Umuahia Road Sections I, II & III Imo/Abia States; Rehabilitation of Oba-Nnewi-Okigwe Road Section II: Anambra/Imo States Border-Ibinta-Okigwe Road; Rehabilitation of Bende – Arochukwu – Ohafia Road Section I in Abia State; Rehabilitation of Abakaliki-Afikpo Road Sections I and II in Ebonyi State, among others.”

The source of the projects listed by PODE was traced to this link. The list came from the Ministry of Information and Culture but was also placed on the website of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing.

Difference between Mohammed’s and PODE’s claims

Mohammed’s claims in 2018 did not include water projects. PODE added some water and dam projects it claimed were completed in the South-East region by the current government. It also listed some power and MSME projects, which were not part of Mohammed’s claims three years ago.

Commencement of the investigation

The reporter picked 27 projects at random – out of over 70 projects listed by PODE – for investigation. Many of the projects investigated were previously listed by Mohammed and rehashed by PODE as either ongoing or completed.

The reporter visited all the water projects, except one. The 27 projects investigated cut across the five states of the South-East region, which are Imo, Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia and Anambra states. The investigation was done in December 2021 – three months after the claims were made.

The uncompleted water projects

The first project visited by the reporter was Inyishi Regional Water Supply Project, situated in Imo State. PODE claimed that this project had been completed, but there was no sign that any work had ever been done on it when the reporter visited. It was still, stagnant water, making it unsafe for drinking or household use.

Normally, a scheme like Inyishi Regional Water Supply Project should provide a source of water for the community, but villagers said it was only good for washing cars and motorcycles. There was no signpost signalling commencement or completion of the project, nor was there any piece of equipment found there.

The water is surrounded by thick green grass, creating the foreboding that it could be a habitation for scorpions and cobras.

A woman who lived close to the water project, Anna, told The FactCheckHub that she only saw some government officials five to six years ago while inspecting it.

Another villager, Joy Okereke, said it was only useful for cyclists who always came to wash their motorcycles.

Apart from Inyishi Regional Water Supply, PODE also listed Ofeme Water Scheme as one of President Buhari’s completed projects.

The water scheme,  which is located nearly 20 kilometres from Umuahia, Abia State capital, was handled by Jidadu Ventures Limited, as seen on the signpost mounted in front of the project site.

The FactCheckHub journalist was not allowed into the project’s premises by a security guard when he identified himself. Outside of the gate, it would seem that the project had been completed: The water storage tank had been erected and the finishing touches had been made.

President-General of Ofeme community Chibueze Onyemata, a lawyer, told The FactCheckHub that the project had been completed and was functional, benefitting the three villages in the town. He explained that it had three sources of power: solar, hydro (public electricity) and generator. He praised President Buhari and Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State for putting the project in place.

However, the reporter found that the water project was not serving its purpose. Taps only ran at Umu-Nkpu, where the project was sited but did not function in other nearby communities. None of the taps seen by the reporter at Udo-Ofeme, fewer than five kilometres from the project site, was producing water. Even at Umu-Nkpu , the reporter was told that the taps were not producing water regularly.

“We do not get water from the taps. Only those at Umu-Nkpu enjoy it,” a villager at Udo Ofeme, Sunday, who lived fewer than five kilometres from the water project, told this reporter.

An engineer Peter Oyigbo told The FactCheckHub that a project could only be described as completed when it began to serve the purpose for which it was constructed.

“So, if a water project has dry taps or does not provide water, it is simply not a completed project,” Oyigbo, a Lagos-based structural engineer, said.

Next is the Earth Dam situated at Amauzari in Imo State. PODE claimed that the project was completed, but villagers said they did not witness when it was even started.

When the reporter got to the actual location of the project at a village known as Okwosu, there was no evidence to show that work had been done there. There was neither the contractor’s signpost nor was there equipment nearby.

The water was not overflowing its bank, but that was because of the heaps of sand and withered grass that were able to withhold it.

An adjoining road to the water project was untarred, and it rarely had visitors, villagers said. The reporter interviewed four villagers, including the motorcyclist who brought him to the site, but none of them admitted seeing any work done on the project in the last three years. “Nobody came here to do that water scheme,” an Amauzari villager, Tochukwu, said when asked about the project.

Johnson Ude, the motorcycle rider who brought the reporter to the site, who is also from the village, said he had never seen contractors on the site.

Last but not least is Uburu water supply scheme, which was handled by a contractor known as Yubar Consultants Limited, as seen on the signpost erected one kilometre from the project. PODE claimed that this project, located in Ebonyi State, had been completed. On-the-ground investigation showed that PODE was correct to an extent.  In terms of structure, the project had been constructed and completed.

“The taps run twice every week,” said a villager, Uduma Nwankwo. However, interactions with other villagers showed that it was not supplying water to those living far away from the project.

The reporter did not witness water flowing from the taps on the day of his visit and one Amaka Oluchi said the project, being an Uburu village water scheme, was not serving the majority of the town. Hence this project can be classified as partially done, going by Engineer Oyigbo’s explanation of a completed project.

Minister of Water Resources refused to disclose details

The FactCheckHub, through its parent company, The ICIR, sent a Freedom of Information (FOI) letter to the Minister of Water Resources Suleiman Hussein Adamu on January 25, 2022,  requesting details of these projects, including how much was allocated to them, names of contractors, contract periods, the status of the projects and amount released so far.

The National Assembly passed the FOI Act on May 24, 2011, and signed by former President Goodluck Jonathan on  May 28, 2011.

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) mandates public and private sectors to make information of public interest available on request.

A Ministry of Water Resources’ staff member contacted The ICIR via telephone on January 31, stating that the information was available.

In line with the FOI Act, the minister was given seven days to provide official responses to the questions, but he failed to do so.

Another seven days was given to the minister to allow him time to provide the needed information, but he still did not respond. More than two weeks after the 14-day period, the minister is yet to provide the requested information, which is of public interest.

Bridge and an important road in Anambra State

PODE claimed that Oseakwa Bridge located in Ihiala, Anambra State, one of the five states of the South-East region, had been completed. Findings showed that the presidential office was correct. According to information obtained from the 2018 contract details released by Mohammed, the contract for this project was handled by Horizon Construction Co. Ltd.

The bridge wore a new look when the reporter visited in December 2021.

This was totally different from how it was in 2018 when the reporter investigated Mohammed’s claims. In 2018, there was neither a bridge nor a road that could be regarded as Oseakwa, but that has changed.

Furthermore, PODE also claimed that the current government had constructed the Ihiala-Isekke-Orlu Road (Ihiala-Orlu Road in Isseke Town-Amafuo-Ulli with Spur (Ihiala-Orlu-Umuduru Section) in Anambra State.

PODE simply listed the project as ‘construction,’ which is ambiguous.

The reporter found that the project started at a town known as Ihiala and ended at Isekke, both in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State. The project did not stretch to Awo-Idemili, a town bordering Anambra and Imo states.

The route leading from the palace of the traditional ruler of Awo-Idemili, L.I. Okoligwe, to Orlu in Imo State, both in the South-East region, was untarred.

Pinnatech Nigeria Limited, the contractor handling the project as seen on the signpost mounted in front of the site, had tarred the road from Ihiala to Isekke, but was yet to start work from Awo-Idemili to Orlu.

Quantity surveyor for the project Anthony Okafor blamed it on poor weather conditions. Foreman Samuel Kalu told the reporter that work would start ‘soon’ since the rains had subsided.

A native of Isekke Ifeoma Joshua said the contract from Ihiala to Isekke was ‘solid,’ but wondered why the project had stalled.

“This road is closer to Orlu, but because of its state at the moment, vehicle drivers take longer and more expensive routes,” she said. Construction was not going on as in December when the reporter visited the site,  though the contractor was seen, sparking fears that the contractor might be owed by the Ministry of Works and Housing. A resident of Awo-Idemili, Charles, told the reporter that work stopped on the site in 2020.

Source: The FactCheckHub Investigation

Residents of Ihiala, Awo-Idemili and Isekke told The FactCheckHub that the road had become an escape route for criminals, kidnappers and armed robbers. The reporter witnessed first-hand, three young men on bikes wielding AK-47 rifles along that axis.

“Every day here, soldiers engage them in gun battles. We are tired, and that is because of the fact that this road here is not yet fully constructed,” a resident, who pleaded anonymity for fear of being attacked, said.

Like the Minister of Water Resources, the Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola did not respond to an FOI request made by The FactCheckHub on January 25, 2022. He, therefore, did not provide details of the contract, which residents say is slow.

*Infograph by Zahra Musa Oyibo and Ibukun Ajayi.