The N709 million budgeted by Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) road repairs in Abia state is not traceable to any location, the 2017 Commission budget obtain by MAWA FOUNDATION has shown.
The commission in 2017 had budgeted the sum of N 709.073, 865.64 for the repair of roads in different locations in Abia state.
Projects that the Commission did not mention where they will be located, but rather described it as various locations in the budget that has since been passed and money released for the projects.
A senior official of the Commission who spoke to MAWA and did not want his name mentioned for fear of victimization said there are many projects captured in the Commission budget that cannot be traced anywhere.
Asked if efforts are been made to monitor project implementation after fund approval, he said what matters most is approval and funds release.
“NDDC for a long time rather than serve the purpose of developing communities especially rural dwellers, for which it was established has since turned to a venture where political friends and associates are rewarded for their loyalty,” the official said.
Mr. Mike Onwudiwe, who spoke to MAWA telephone, and claims to have monitored the NDDC project for over three years, said that there are no such roads that were repaired in Abia state by the NDDC.
Has accused the Commission of diverting monies meant for community development while the government makes no tangible efforts to enforce transparency and accountability on the way the Commission operates and ensure monies budgeted and released are used for the purpose they were meant for.
Checks by WAR show the locations of the places where the roads will be repaired not known while the Commission in the budget said the project will be done in various locations without mentioning where the locations are for traceability and evaluation.
Worse still, a huge number of women in Aba, a major city in Abia state last week trouped out to protest the terrible nature of roads in the city.
One of the women who led the protest said if Aba was to be in a civilized society, everybody that has ruled Abia state should be in jail by now because of huge corruption that has taken place under them.
A visit to Abia state exposes one to the terrible road network and the hazardous environment as a result of dustbins that are littered all over the state.
This is even as the NDDC claims it has spent the sum of over N709 million on road repairs since three years ago.