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Tag: NDDC

  • INVESTIGATION: Inside Cross River, Abandoned Projects Leave Communities  In  Grave Needs (Part 2)

    INVESTIGATION: Inside Cross River, Abandoned Projects Leave Communities  In  Grave Needs (Part 2)

    Just like Odupkani, health centres in Akpabuyo local government in Cross River State have been abandoned after construction. Kehinde Ogunyale reports how  this has affected the community’s healthcare.

    Every two months, Etim Ekpenyong, a businessman and farmer, earmarks N20,000 for the clinical and medical needs of his aged father. The father, Etinyin Ekpenyong, 93, is the clan head of Eneyo south-ward in Akpabuyo local government area, Cross River state. He is assailed by some recurrent illnesses, including glycomer and other age induced incapacitations. 

    This regular need for medical attention takes the 93-year-old village head to General hospital in Calabar, a 45 minutes journey from his community, every two weeks.  

    “The last time he had an issue, I took him to Akwa Ibom, (a neighbouring state to Cross River). I had gotten to the general hospital in Calabar but was referred to another hospital in the neighbouring state,” he added.

    Caption:Constructed health centre in Eneyo south-ward in Akpabuyo local government area. PhotoCredit: Kehinde Ogunyale.

    Several residents of the Eneyo-Akpabuyo village find themselves in similar health conditions but are unable to access the right health facility. Ekpenyong expressed concern that the community is paying for the cost of this lack of access to health facility in grave outcomes.

    “Recently, we lost a very young man because he could not get proper health care. He had gone to the maternity centre to complain but was told to go to the general hospital. He came back home since he did not have enough money to go there and days after he died in his house,” Ekpenyong narrated.

    In April 2021, the Federal government paid 12.3 million naira  as part of the payment for the construction of a health centre at Akwa Obio inwang, Eneyo south-ward in Akpabuyo. The contractors, Ufuma Contractors Ltd, had earlier received a part payment of 34.9 million naira in December 2020 to commence construction.

    The project has evidently been completed by the contractor but is yet to be put to use due to lingering controversies as well as foot dragging in commissioning the facility by concerned government agencies.

    Ekpenyong told this reporter that the closest access to a hospital is a maternity health care located– 15 minutes’ drive away – on the outskirts, emphasizing that any health complication that does not relate to pregnancy is redirected to the general hospital in Calabar.

    A health centre laying to waste

    According to Francis Edet, a community resident who was engaged by the contractor as local security responsible for watching over the construction materials and assets, the construction of the health centre was completed within four months and was slated to be commissioned in April 2022. 

    “People had gathered around on the  commissioning day. Canopies were erected and some village heads were present but then I learned that there was an issue with the generator so we did not commission the project that day,” Edet explained to this reporter.

    Caption:Constructed health centre in Eneyo south-ward in Akpabuyo local government area. PhotoCredit: Kehinde Ogunyale 

    Ekpenyong, however offered additional insight, stating that the generating set was part of several items of equipment budgeted for but which had not been installed in the centre at the time of scheduled commissioning. 

    “Some of the youths in the community were opportune to see the list of things to be supplied into the centre by the contractors before commissioning. They noticed that this equipment was not supplied and stopped the event from holding,” he said.

    He added that the contractors promised to supply the equipment within two weeks but have yet to live up to their promise. 

    During a visit to the health centre, it was observed that the bushes around the site had just been cleared. On further enquiry, one of the community leaders, Etim Okon, told the reporter that they had received a message that the contractor was coming to install some equipment.

    He however asserted that this was not the first time such a message was received by the community but it turned out in the end that nobody showed up. He added that the community had taken it upon itself to maintain the surroundings of the health centre in expectation of completion and installation of the remaining equipment.

    Another health centre abandoned

    Similarly, another 13.8 million naira primary health project fund released to Accubiz limited has been lying fallow even after its completion and full equipment installation, including a solar-powered borehole in Nkaket, Ikot Effiong Essien Akpabuyo.

    Caption: Constructed health centre in Nkaket, Ikot Effiong Essien Akpabuyo local government area. PhotoCredit: Kehinde Ogunyale

    During a visit, it was observed that community members had access to the borehole and have been depending on the facility for potable water.

    Umo Ita, the clan head of the community who spoke with the reporter traced the origin of a primary health care project in the community to 2019 when representatives of the Border Communities Development Agency visited Nkaket and had interactions with the community. 

    Ita said two residents volunteered their parcels of land for the project although, according to him,  construction did not commence until last year. He further told the reporter that upon completion, the representatives of the federal government handed the operations of the health centre to the state government. 

    Caption:Constructed health centre in Nkaket, Ikot Effiong Essien Akpabuyo local government area. PhotoCredit: Kehinde Ogunyale

    “On the day of commissioning, representatives from the state’s border commission were present alongside that of the local government secretary, who acted as representative to the chairman. All keys were handed over to the local government secretary. Some health officials have also visited the centre but operations have not commenced because, I learned, some materials are still not available,” he narrated. 

    Ita emphasised that the community was yet to receive any communication from the local government office on the functionality of the health centre since the official transfer was done. 

    “Some nurses have come down and told us that they were assigned to resume work here. We told them to go back to the local government council to get access to the centre. That is all we have heard since then,” Ita added. 

    The village has a primary health care facility that was built through a collaboration between the state government and the Tulsi chanrai foundation sited directly opposite the residence of the paramount ruler of Akpabuyo.

    Caption: Another constructed health centre in Ikot Effiong Essien Akpabuyo local government area. PhotoCredit: Kehinde Ogunyale

    The paramount ruler, Etinyin Edet, told the reporter that following a span of abandonment the government had started reconstruction work on the facility. 

    “There was a building erected here for years, just some months ago, it was pulled down and reconstruction began. It has not been commissioned at all but we hope it will, “ he said. 

    Missing link

    When this reporter contacted the director general of the state’s border commission, Noel Ugbong, he said the primary health care project awaiting commissioning was not abandoned but was only handed over to the Akpabuyo local government council. 

    “My commission does not have details of the contract. We do not know the scope of the work. The Border Communities Development Agency handed it over to us and we in turn handed it over to the council. The secretary to the council stood in for the chairman,” he said. 

    Caption: Another constructed health centre in Ikot Effiong Essien Akpabuyo local government area. PhotoCredit: Kehinde Ogunyale

    When contacted, the  local government chairman, Emmanuel Bassey, rather pointed in the direction of the state’s ministry of health who, according to him, was expected  to provide resources to the local government for  running the health centre

    “The responsibility has been lifted from us to the department of primary health centre under the state’s ministry of health. I am not aware that nurses have been assigned to this PHC,” he said. 

    Meanwhile, efforts were made to contact the contractors of the project in Eneyo south-ward but no sufficient information was found during the search. According to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Ufuma Contractors Ltd was registered in Oct 2017 with its location in Abuja. On the CAC website, the company status is inactive.

    However, a further search showed that the company is owned by one Raymond Okoli and directed by Emeka Okoli and Blessing Chisom Okoli, who are also shareholders in the organization.

    Also, an email was sent to the NDDC questioning the delay in commissioning the PHC project but no response was received.

    Suffering continues

    Community needs for regular health care attention is mounting particularly with an ageing local population but the non operational state of these facilities in both communities continues to compound the anxiety and distress experiences of the people.

    “We expect that the government fast tracks the commissioning and operations of this project as it would be of more benefit to the community,” Ekpenyong stressed.

    However, while residents anticipate the operations of these PHCs, the situation continues forcing them to either depend on local herbs or spend hours on the road in search of health care.

    • This report is supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, ICIR. 
  • Investigation: Cross River Communities Battle With Water Scarcity In The Midst Of Failed Water Projects (Part 1)

    Investigation: Cross River Communities Battle With Water Scarcity In The Midst Of Failed Water Projects (Part 1)

    The Ifako Okoyong community, like several others in Cross River State, is  littered with water scheme projects but the people are unable to access potable water for years.. Kehinde Ogunyale reports.  

    Mary Ekpang  goes through frustration in search of water every day. She treks  several kilometers  to a local stream for drinking and cooking water. She relies on the same stream water for laundry.

    When the streams dry up during the dry season, access to water becomes difficult.  “You would not find water anywhere. So it means you have to wake up very early to fetch clean water at the stream”, she lamented. 

    On the other day, Ekpang wakes up by 6.a.m to buy water at a private vendor a few miles away from her house. She  needs N120 every day to buy 6 kegs (25kg) of water for the day. This means Effiong would be spending N3600 monthly to get water for her household, hence the need for  stream water as an alternative. 

    Caption: N13.5 million solar water project abandoned in Ifako community. Photo Credit: Kehinde Ogunyale

    Mary’s daily routines regarding access to and water usage are tedious experiences shared by other communities in Ifako Okoyong Odukpani Local government area in the Cross River state. Faced with growing agitations arising from these challenges the Federal government scoped out an intervention plan that focused on providing potable water access to the communities.

    N13 million abandoned water project

    About N13.5 million solar water supply project was budgeted for by the government in 2021. The project was awarded to Fluids Reservoir Services and supervised by the Cross River State Basin Development Authority. Fluids Reservoir Services is a one-man business incorporated in October 5, 2016 and owned by Nasiru Isah Reshe. Checks on the Corporate Affairs Commission’s website show the status of the organization to be inactive. When this reporter visited no 14 Becles Davis street, Calabar which the company claims as office address, there was no company with such  name at the location. .

    On a visit to the project site, it was discovered that the project had virtually been completed with a borehole, water house, overhead tank, connecting pipes in place awaiting activation and commissioning. Residents told the reporter that it has been over a year since the project was constructed but it has not been put to use. “We were told that a representative from the government would come down for the commissioning but since then, we didn’t hear anything,” Christopher Asuquo, a community leader told this reporter. 

    Residents in the community already converted the land space in the project site to farm plots, growing crops all across the site. The water house was locked and some pipes were already rusting.

    But this is not the only abandoned water project scheme in the Ifako community.

    Multi-million naira water projects abandoned

    Asuquo led this reporter to three different parts of the community where similar water projects were started but abandoned. He informed the reporter that some of the projects were embarked upon by governments as far back as the early 2000s. He listed two by the Niger Delta Development Commission, (NDDC) and the United Nations Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programs. The UN WASH funded project was targeted to support the community health centre. But the health centre has been abandoned  and in a state of disuse.

    Caption: Another solar water project abandoned in Ifako community, allegedly constructed by NDDC. Photo Credit: Kehinde Ogunyale

    He further told the reporter that two of the water schemes constructed by the NDDC were awarded in the years 2000 and 2006 respectively. At the site of these projects, the reporter saw a water house, erected poles with water tanks and a drilled borehole system but no potable, running water for the communities.

    It was further observed that the site of these projects had been overgrown with weeds. Some parts of the site still serve as farm land for the villagers. The engine house, solar connection panels, wires and other materials kept by the engineers were still intact.

    Caption: Another water project abandoned in Ifako community allegedly constructed by UN WASH programme. Photo Credit: Kehinde Ogunyale

    According to Asuquo, “We did not use the first one at all. But the second in 2006 was undergoing a test run when a pipe broke in the process of bringing out water. They told us they would come back to repair it and since then we have not seen anyone.”

    An enquiry at the Cross River Basin Development Authority, Calabar, by this reporter to ascertain the reason behind the delay in commissioning the water projects for use of the community was met with indifference. First, Jackson John, the Public Relations officer contacted on phone, demanded that a formal letter from the news organization be sent to the management. Two weeks after the letter was submitted  and acknowledged, there was no invitation for an interview. The reporter made additional futile visits to the organization before going to the press. It was obvious the agency was reluctant to answer questions about the failed water project. 

    Caption: Another  water project abandoned in Ifako community allegedly constructed by NDDC. Photo Credit: Kehinde Ogunyale

    The daily 6 kilometres walk for water

    The town crier  offered to take this reporter to the village stream so as to appreciate the distance which was estimated to be 6-kilometer round trip.

    The town crier strapped himself with a sharp cutlass to clear the path that led to the stream. “There are two roads. One is faster than the other, but it all depends on where you want to come out from”, he explained.

    Caption: Town crier leading the report to the community stream. Photo Credit: Kehinde Ogunyale

    “We will take the shorter route while going and when coming the longer one so that you’ll understand the stress our people go through to search for water,” the town crier said.

    This reporter observed that the path that leads to the stream is divided into three. The first section passes through a narrow way, surrounded by thick bushes, as high as the height of an average human being. It is a 10-15 mins walk to the second section of the journey where landscapes are more visible and used for farming. In this section, it is easy to navigate  the narrow path.

    The town crier told this reporter that residents mostly farm bush mango, cocoa,  cassava, maize and other cash crops that can be sold in the market. This is a 10-15mins walk also. This path leads to the thick bamboo forest and hilly terrain before reaching the stream.

    Journeying to the stream and back to the community is approximately an hour on foot. Residents told this reporter that it is better done in the early hours of the day. 

    With four water projects abandoned in the community, residents in Ifako Okoyong are part of the 63 million Nigerians who do not have access to improved water sources. UNICEF and the National Bureau of Statistics reported that this number represents 33 percent of the country’s population. 

    The agency noted that despite having 70 percent of Nigerians with access, only nine litres of water is available to them per day for the required basic water services.

    Pressure on children

    For Martins Amunike,  a teacher at the St. Patrick Primary School, Ifako Okoyong, who has lived in the community for over seven years, access to water  has been very frustrating. “We are in a rural area and most parents do not have enough money to get water from the borehole, so children would always go to the stream early in the morning before coming to school. Some of them often come to school late and we cannot punish them for that.

    “Some of these children get so tired (following the routine trekking to fetch water) that they sleep off in the classes. There is nothing that we can do other than to encourage parents to get their water on time because this affects the performance of their children”, he stressed. 

    Lost hopes

    The head of the community, a traditional chief, Paul Effiom, told this reporter that access to water as well as other basic amenities has been an age-long problem, spanning decades, for the community.

    “To get water you have to walk some kilometres of distance which is a challenging situation for our people. In addition to this, we do not have electricity, health centres and good schooling facilities in the community. So it is a daily struggle for villagers,” he said.

    Effiom said that he was displeased with the stalled activation of several projects constructed in the community for the benefit of the people. He frowned at the lack of interest by public officials in alleviating the plight of the people in the communities. 

    While residents in the Ifako await the commissioning of the projects, their temporary relief  is the rain water..  But as the dry season approaches, the search for water will again become their daily struggle. 

    •  This report is supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, ICIR. 
  • Video Explainer On NDDC Audit Report

    Video Explainer On NDDC Audit Report

    The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, had submitted the forensic audit report on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to President Muhammadu Buhari, through the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.

    Findings from the report states that 13,000 projects were abandoned in the region since the creation of the Niger Delta Development Commission.

    “The report of the audit committee showed that there are over 13,000 abandoned projects in the Niger Delta and even before the submission of the report some contractors have returned to site on their own and completed about 77 road projects”, Akpabio said.

    He lamented that the region remained backward since 1958 despite successive governments’ efforts through the creation of various intervention programmes and projects.

    https://youtu.be/-kO70-B4F80

    Commenting on the report, Malami, said  that NDDC poorly executed 13,000 unverified projects despite being allocated N6 trillion between from 2001 to 2019.

    NDDC is an interventionist agency set up in 2000 to see to the development of the oil-rich Niger Delta region and tackle the ecological problems arising from oil production activities in the mandate states.

    These states are Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo, and Rivers 

    However, the agency, since inception, has fallen short of meeting the expectations of the people of the nine mandate states. 

    According to the AGF, within 19 years, from 2001 and 2019, the federal government approved over N3.3 trillion to the agency as budgetary allocation, and N2.4trillion as “income from statutory and non-statutory sources”.

     “The federal government is also concerned with the multitudes of Niger Delta Development Commission’s bank accounts amounting to 362 and lack of proper reconciliation of accounts,” Malami said.

    Recall that in a review, by a coalition led by the Paradigm Leadership Support Initiative, between 2008 and 2018, about N90.9 billion meant to execute 176 projects was unaccounted for within the commission.

    The discovery was made through the review and analysis of the data from the 2008-2012 and 2013–2018 audit reports on NDDC as well as on-ground assessment of the project sites.

    However, Malami said the President had directed that the audit report be forwarded to the Federal Ministry of Justice “for a legal review and relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government will be engaged in doing justice to the findings accordingly”.