Gov Uduaghan Conspiracy; Uncompleted Projects In Delta State An Unnecessary Burden By Stephen K. Dieseruvwe.
In the introductory part of his policy document titled, ROADMAP FOR INTEGRATION AND SUSTAINED DEVELOPMENT, Anthony Chuks Obuh a PDP governorship aspirant in Delta State said, “There is no gainsaying that the incumbent Governor, His Excellency Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, CON, has done a lot for the development and progress of our beloved Delta State. I pledge to build on his achievements”. A very careful study of the direction Mr Obuh wants to take Delta State reveal that he was going to be bugged down with the task of completing the laudable projects started under Governor Uduaghan, which had no completion schedules/timelines. The quotes below, taken from the policy document provides an insight into the burden being placed on Anthony Chucks Obuh by Gov Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan:
1. “…Completion of ongoing road projects, especially the Asaba/ Ughelli Road dualisation, Ode-Itsekiri and Koko Road dualisation among others.”
2. “…We will complete other ancillary projects at the Asaba and Osubi Airports to make them functional International Passenger and Cargo Airports. In particular, we will intensify collaborative efforts with the federal government to realize the speedy completion of the cargo terminal of Asaba International Airport. We appreciate the importance of Osubi Airport and will work towards the completion of its runway project to accommodate bigger aircraft.”
3. “….we will liaise with the Federal Government to ensure that the State is adequately covered in the National Grid map. In addition, we will ensure the completion of the Independent Power Plant Project.”
4. “…We will complete and put to use the Wild Life Park at Ogwashi-Uku and the Delta Leisure Resort and Theme Park at Oleri in Udu LGA.”
5. “…We will also ensure that the Koko Free Trade Zone is reconceptualised and developed.”
6. “…The Warri Industrial Business Park, the Free Trade Zone and all the Gas based projects will be completed.”
7. “…We will complete the Information and Communication Technology Park (ICT Park) in Asaba and the Broadband Fibre Optic project to enhance Science and Technology”
There are so many burdens being placed on Anthony Chuks Obuh by Gov Emmanuel Uduaghan, as all the projects Mr Obuh is promising to complete were all started by Gov Uduaghan. The question to ask is, did Gov Uduaghan ever plan to complete these projects at their inception? The answer appears now to be a definite NO. An attempt is made here to review the projects Gov Uduaghan is pushing on to Anthony Chuks Obuh, a PDP Governorship aspirant for completion, which some view as an unwelcome and unnecessary burden to bear. If Anthony Chuks Obuh is going to be saddled with completing these ongoing projects, when will he initiate projects that will be associated with his administration, if elected the Governor of Delta State? Are we going to keep asking the same questions as to when the projects will be completed, questions which Gov Uduaghan and his team failed to provide answers to?.
Koko – Ugbenu Road Dualisation
The dualisation of the 33 kilometres long Ugbenu-Koko Road was awarded at a cost of N11.2billion. Over N3 billion had been spent by the end of the 2011 fiscal year. An additional N2 billion was earmarked in the 2012 budget and a further unknown amount allocated in the 2013 budget, as all on-going road projects came under the heading Road Networks, with an allocation of N20.24 billion. A further N3 billion was allocated to the project in the 2014 budget. By the end of 2014 the total amount spent would be in the region of N8 billion, plus the amount allocated in 2013 from the bulk allocation to road networks.
Asaba – Ughelli Road Dualisation
The dualisation of the 148.9 kilometres long Ughelli-Asaba Road was awarded in three sectors on November 14, 2008 to three contractors at a total cost of N44.7billion. Over N19 billion had been spent by the end of the 2011 fiscal year. An additional N5 billion was earmarked in the 2012 budget and a further unknown amount allocated in the 2013 budget, as all on-going road projects came under the heading Road Networks, with an allocation of N20.24 billion. A further N10 billion was allocated to the project in the 2014 budget. By the end of 2014 the total amount spent would be in the region of N34 billion (we are reliably informed by an inside source that, the actual amount spent to date is in the region of about N50 billion), plus the amount allocated in 2013 from the bulk allocation to road networks.
Effurun – Osubi – Eku Road Dualisation
It was awarded to three contractors at a total cost of N10.3billion. Over N2 billion had been spent by the end of the 2011 fiscal year. An additional N3.94 billion was earmarked in the 2012 budget and a further unknown amount allocated in the 2013 budget, as all on-going road projects came under the heading Road Networks, with an allocation of N20.24 billion. A further N5 billion was allocated to the project in the 2014 budget. By the end of 2014 the total amount spent would be in the region of N10.94 billion, plus the amount allocated in 2013 from the bulk allocation to road networks This shows that amount spent to date has exceeded the initial contract sum and this project is far less than 50% complete.
Koko Port Free Trade Zone
Although a PPP project, N2 billion was earmarked in the 2012 budget to facilitate the quick take-off of the FTZ project. In the 2013 budget, a further N7billion was allocated to the project. The question to ask is what has been the contribution of the private sector partners to the project? There was no allocation to this project in the 2014 budget, but a new FTZ- Ogidigben Free Trade Zone was started, for which the sum of N1 billion was allocated in the 2014 budget.
Independent Power Project, Ogharefe
This project started in 2009, was awarded at an initial cost of N27billion. Over N24 billion had been spent by the end of the 2011 fiscal year. An additional N4 billion was earmarked in the 2012 Budget. In the 2013 budget, the government allocated a further N4billion to the project. Although there was no specific allocation to this project, the government allocated N6 billion in the 2014 budget to boost electricity supply in the State. By the end of 2014 the total amount spent would be in the region of N38 billion in the power sector. The amount spent on this project to date has exceeded the initial contract sum of N27 billion by N11 billion, and not even 1 kilowatt of electricity has been generated.
Second Runway and Expansion of Osubi Airport
Over N1.3 billion had been spent on this project by the end of 2011 fiscal year. An additional N8 billion was earmarked in the 2012 budget and a further N4 billion allocated in the 2013 budget. Another sum of N4.5 billion was allocated to the project in the 2014 budget. By the end of 2014, the total amount spent would be in the region of N17.8 billion. The question to ask is, at the inception stage of the project, how much was earmarked for completion and what completion deadline was set?
ICT Park, Asaba
The Delta State government earmarked the sum of N1.3billion in the 2012 budget to build a state of the art ICT park in Asaba. In the 2013 budget, the government allocated a further N1billion to the project, at that point, the ICT Park sited on the outskirts of Anwai-Asaba, had not taken off beyond foundation level. In the 2014 budget, no specific amount was allocated to this project.
Warri Industrial Park
Although a Public Private Partnership, over N1 billion of State funds were spent on Master Planning, Environmental Impact Assessment, Consultancy, etc. by the end of the 2011 fiscal year. An additional N3 billion was earmarked in the 2012 budget and a further N2 billion was allocated in the 2013 budget. Again the government allocated a further N3 billion to the project in the 2014 budget. By the end of 2014 the total amount spent would be in the region of N9 billion. The question to ask is what has been the contribution of the private sector partners to the project and when will Deltans begin to reap the benefits of this project?
Trans Warri – Ode Itsekiri Road and Bridges
The Trans Warri/Ode –Itsekiri Roads and Bridges is a road with 24 bridges, and several connecting routes to the main Ubeji/Ode –Itsekiri road, which runs over rivulets and rivers. The project was estimated to cost about N27billion at inception. Over N6 billion had been spent on this project by the end of the 2011 fiscal year. An additional N5 billion was earmarked in the 2012 budget and a further unknown amount allocated in the 2013 budget, as all on-going road projects came under the heading Road Networks, with an allocation of N20.24 billion. A further N15 billion was allocated to the project in the 2014 budget. By the end of 2014 the total amount spent would be in the region of N26 billion, plus the amount allocated in 2013 from the bulk allocation to road networks. Despite spending the initial amount allocated to this project, it is nowhere near completion.
Delta State Leisure and Wildlife Resort Projects
The Leisure and Wildlife Resorts currently under construction in Oleri village, Udu LGA and Ogwashi-Uku, Aniocha South local government areas of Delta state are the result of a public-private sector collaboration between the state government and SarnerPFM (in conjunction with its international arm, Sarner Ltd UK). The project which is a part of the Delta Beyond Oil initiative designed to divest the state of its dependence on oil based revenue, will cost about N40 billion (over $250m) in total, and is expected to be completed by December 2014.
According to the government, this project has a job creation potential of 6000 jobs, span over 300 acres and a projection of 1.8 billion visitors by 2030, the resorts have been described as the first of their kind in West-Africa. Why is this project scheduled for completion by December 2014, now being listed as one of the projects to be completed if Mr Obuh is elected governor?
Judge for yourselves Nigerians and see why we say no to godfatherism
