Reps probes N5.1tn FG abandoned, on-going projects, $200m solar energy fund

The House of Representatives on Wednesday resolved to investigate the status of 11,886 abandoned and on-going Federal Government projects estimated at about N5. 1 trillion located in various parts of the country.

Passing this resolution following the adoption of the motion sponsored by Rep. Babagindda Ibrahim, the House mandated its committees on finance, national planning and economic development to ascertain the number and location of the capital projects either on-going or abandoned.

Also, the committees are to determine the amount committed into the projects, sums paid and the outstanding to date on all the on-going and abandoned projects and report back within eight weeks for further legislative action.

This is even as the House also resolved to investigate the $200 million clean technology fund meant for solar energy development in the North East geo-political zone.

Moving the motion, Rep. Ibrahim decried the alarming infrastructure gap in the country over the past 17 years, considering that the country is bedeviled with poor and dilapidated road network, epileptic power supply, a moribund railway system, airports requiring rehabilitation and crumbling infrastructure in the education and health sectors.

He said that over the years, trillions of naira was committed by the Federal Government in a bid to provide critical infrastructure in areas such as agriculture, aviation, transportation, education, health, environment, security, science and technology as well as roads and power supply.

“Implementation of capital budgets annually has never, in the past 17 years, reached an average of 50 per cent, thus resulting in proliferation of uncompleted projects all over the country.

“As at May 2011, there were over 11,886 on- going projects that required over N10trillion and more than 10 years to complete even if an average sum of N1trillion is provided annually to fund the projects,” he stated.
Rep. Ibrahim added that of the total commitment of N7.8trillion for the 11,886 on-going projects, only N2.7trillion was paid to contractors, implying an outstanding commitment of N5.1trillion as at May 2011.

The resolution to investigate the $200 million clean technology fund meant for solar energy development in the North East geo-political zone was sequel to the adoption of a motion sponsored by Rep. She hi Aliyu Musa drawing attention to the negative image of Nigeria in the international donor community over what he described as the monumental loss or mismanagement of the funds.

Consequently, the House directed its committee on environment and health to interface with the ministers of environment and finance on the status of the project, evidence of the disbursement of the funds and report back within three weeks for further legislative action.

Rep. Musa while moving the motion had stated that the Clean Technology Fund is one of the two multi-donor trust funds within the Climate Investment Funds meant to promote scaled up financing, deployment and transfer of low carbon technologies with significant potentials for long term greenhouse gas emissions savings.

The funding initiative, he said was intended to help overcome the financing and market barriers for low carbon investments and support the deployment and application of clean energy, and energy efficiency solutions in various industries, homes and service centres.

He however expressed concern that five years after the approval and subsequent release of the funds to the Federal Government, the project was yet to commence.