Niger Assembly inaugurate 7-man committee to probe abandoned projects

Worried by the spate of abandoned projects across the state by the present administration, the Niger State House of Assembly has constituted a 7-man adhoc committee to immediately investigate the circumstances surrounding why these projects were abandoned.

The 7-man committee which has two weeks to submit its report, is headed by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Hussini Ibrahim.

In a motion calling on the Assembly through its standing committee on works to investigate the cause/causes of abandoned projects across the state, sponsored by the member repressing Bosso Constituency, Hon. Malik Madaki Bosso, the house observed with dismay that these contracts were awarded more than two years ago but yet to be completed.

More worrisome to the house, is the fact that these projects were abandoned after the contractors have been paid about 75 percent of the contract sum even when the work done is below 20 percent.

According to the house “after the payment of those sums to the contractors, most of them have since abandoned their sites thereby leaving both the residents of those areas and indeed the road users in untold hardship especially during the raining season”.

The house believed that the non-completion of these projects, particularly the drainage system purses a great threat to the people with raining season around the corner, stressing that “some of these contractors, especially the non-indigene ones did not only abandoned the sites, they have left the state”.

The house also expressed worries that most of the abandoned road projects are now in worst condition than they were before work was started on them, adding that “another raining season is fast approaching and yet the contractors are feeling unconcerned”.

“There is the need to investigate the cause/causes why the contractors have abandoned their sites when payments of such percentage were paid to them”, the House submitted.