How Immediate Past Senator Nasarawa South Allegedly Abandoned N150M  Wuse-Akiri Electricity Project- Budgit Opens Up

Rabiu Omaku

The Nasarawa State coordinator of Budgit, a non-governmental and Civic  Organization saddled with the responsibility of monitoring projects lobbied by either Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or Members of the House of Representatives, has described the multi-million naira electrification project as an abandoned project. 

Sarah Musa in an interview with selected Journalists in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital opened up that the N150 million electrification project of Wuse-Akiri communities facilitated by the immediate past Senator representing Nasarawa South Senatorial district, Sen.Umaru Tanko Al-Makura was an abandoned project with a chunk of money paid for the project.

She gave the hint after visiting the communities early this month, saying she was called by a concerned commoner who explained to her that there was no electricity in the communities of Wuse and Akiri even after stepping down electricity to the auxiliary transformer.

Sarah Musa, in addition, said her source, who did not want his name in print, briefed her that the contractor informed them that two components inside the transformer are dead, contributing to the non-supply of electricity.

The abandoned project was under the 2023 Constituency projects in Nasarawa Southern District has been abandoned with alleged claims of completion.

The Nasarawa State coordinating Officer of Budgit at the National Assembly, Traka Department, made this known in a chat with Journalists in Lafia. 

The organization has the mandate of checkmating all Federal Government and constituency projects through tracking, monitoring, reporting, investigating, and sensitizing communities to table their needs to the appropriate authorities for necessary actions due to a lack of accessibility to the Central Government.

Sarah Musa said the Wuse-Akiri electrification project under the 2023 Constituency projects of the immediate past Senator, Umaru Tanko All-Makura, with an approved budget of N150m.

She explained that money to the tune of over N125m  and a release of over one hundred and twenty-five million naira was left uncompleted while records have shown completion of the work.

She noted that during an assessment visit to the area and the project site, the beneficiaries said they had not yet to access power supply to the community as money is still being demanded from them to facilitate completion of the project.

According to her, the alleged completion and handover of the electrification project was a mere paperwork despite the funds released by the Federal Government to the contracting firm “Border Communities Development Agency” BCDA.

Sarah Musa pointed out that the contracting firm was on three occasions given money, which included a mobilization fund of over N39m on September 20, and the second trench was over  N23,920m, which was released in  October  20, and over N62,977m  on November 20 and the third payment was in 2023.

The Nasarawa State Budgit Coordinating Officer stressed that constituency project funds are taxpayers’ money, hence, representatives should ensure that such funds are meant to provide the needed projects for the constituents to enhance the development of their area.

The immediate past  Senator and two-term Governor of Nasarawa State, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura when contacted on Whatsapp responded to our Correspondent.

“Thanks. I thought  you have repented from your usual haphazard.

Alas you have relapsed to your usual nuisance.

“Don’t forget your series of litigations and apologies. 

I don’t think you are credible enough to benefit  from me response. 

I advise you to go and read more and be more  literate to understand what journalism is , more so investigative Journalism. You also may need to find out what yellow Journalism  is”.