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INVESTIGATION: Behind the N123 Million abandoned Gateway Monument projects in Delta State

By Iteveh EKPOKPOBE


OPUKABU Primary School located in Patani Local Government Area of Delta State share similarities with an abandoned poultry farm.

The roofs are leaking, the seats in the classrooms are broken, the playground is mosquito-infested and swampy, fit only for swine, and there is no water supply, hence students engage in open defecation.

Amidst this deplorable condition, over 700 pupils receive instruction.  Opukabu Primary School is only the distance of a football field away from the Delta State boundary in Patani, where one of the abandoned Gateway Monument projects is located.

The Gateway Monument at the Patani boundary of Delta State is a mass of unpainted concrete and ironwork.

The “Welcome to Delta State” signboard hangs on atop the ironwork, but road leading to the projects is overtaken by bush and dirt.

As specified in the contract document, the gateway is to be partly adorned with tiles, and be painted, while royal palm trees are to be planted on both sides of the monument for two kilometres. But the gateway construction is a far cry from the project specification.

Similarly, residents of Ugbenu, a community that shares a boundary with Ologbo in Delta State, drink from their river due to the absence of portable water.

Movement is also a nightmare in the community when it rains because there are no motor-able roads. The gateway located in Ugbenu has also been overtaken by bush.

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Picture of gateway project at Ologbo hurried painted following the investigation, by Iteveh Ekpokpobe. Photo shot on October 4, 2020 at 06:50am.

In the same vein, the Gateway Monument sited at Alifikede entrance point has been abandoned, just as the people of Alifikede community have been left to their fate by the state government. The project is only a mass of concrete and metal. It is not painted as stipulated in the contract document. Neither are there royal palm trees lining a two kilometre stretch of the road.

The last of the four projects seems to be the worst. It is sited at Asaba Head Bridge entrance. This Gateway Monument, approved for construction three years ago, is a caricature of what it should be. It has just three uncompleted concrete poles and work scaffolds can be seen hugging each of the three concrete poles.

Located between the police checkpoint and the overhead bridge, the project cannot be recognised by any passer-by for what it was intended to be.

According to the project specification, “by the design, the wings of the monuments are to spread across the road, with the centre median bearing the monuments.”

Details of project approval documents

In a memo dated 20th June, 2017, the Delta State Governor Senator Ifeanyi Okowa approved for construction of Gateway Monuments for four entry points into the state, which are the Niger Overhead Bridge, Asaba-Alifikede Entrance Point, Patani Entrance Point and Ologbo Boundary Point.

 The contract was awarded to ZCI Concrete Industry at a cost of N123,059,370 only (One Hundred And Twenty Three Million, Fifty-Nine Thousand, Three Hundred And Seventy Naira) only.

The ZCI Concrete Industry was incorporated in Oshimili South, Delta State with registration number DE26413 according to details available in NG.Check.com.

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It was registered on the 12th of March, 2013, and its current status is unknown. The company’s registered address is KM 10, Benin- Onitsha Express Way Asaba, Oshimili South, Delta State.

In the aforementioned memo signed by the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Beautification, Chief Grace Aghoghovbia, the contract details indicate that each of the 4 Gateway Monuments cost 30 million naira.

A further breakdown shows that construction of each Gateway Monument was pegged at N24 million, while planting of royal palms along the road for a stretch of two kilometres would cost N6 million.

What happened to the funds?

Although all the funds have been released in 2017, as confirmed by a source in the Accountant General’s Office, three years after, the contract is still designated as on-going and at a completion stage of about 60 per cent.

In the same vein, the royal palms approved for planting on both sides of the road (a two kilometre stretch) for the four Gateways are nowhere to be seen.

Picture of gateway project at Head Bridge, Asaba, taken August 19, 2020 at 1.14pm by Iteveh Ekpokpobe.

A source in the office of the Executive Assistant on Beautification alleged that the non-completion of the four projects may be due to the fact that 30 per cent of the contract sum was deducted at the office of the Accountant General of the State.

When contacted, the former Accountant-General of Delta State, Mr. Cyril Agbeye, under whose tenure the project was approved, declined comments.

The same message was sent to him on October 7, 2020 via WhatsApp. “I have your contact my friend. What is the issue?,” he responded.

The reporter asked him to respond to the accusation of  30 percent deduction on payment for the gateway project which caused the delay in execution.

He read the questions, but that was the last time the reporter heard from him. He was contacted again on October 12, 2020 via whatsapp but did not reply.

Subsequently, calls placed on his cell phone number were not answered.

If the allegation of 30 per cent deduction is true, then over N36 million was deducted by the office of the Accountant General. This also means that the completion of the projects pegged at N123 million would be unachievable, since 24 million naira was the actual sum proposed for planting of the royal palms.

The incumbent Accountant General of the state, Mrs Joy Enwa, when contacted by our reporter also refused to comment on the matter. Text and whatsapp messages sent to her were ignored.

The message was read on whatsapp. The blue lines on WhatsApp indicates that he read the message. Subsequently, calls placed to her cell phone were not answered.

Faulty procurement plan

That the project execution is poor can also be attributed to the fact that the procurement process was faulty, even though key government officials  have refused to talk about the contract.

The Director General, Delta State Bureau for Public Procurement, Dr. Duke Okezi, said he was not in office when the contract was approved hence he could not speak about it.

Picture of gateway project at Patani, taken on September 18, 2020 at 11.54am by Iteveh Ekpokpobe.

However, as contained in the contract approval memo signed by Aghoghovbia, it is obvious that ZCI Concrete Industry was awarded all four projects without following any procurement process.

In the memo, the governor’s aide wrote, “the company, ZCI Concrete Industry has proposed to beautify four strategic main entrances with monuments, featuring the Delta State map, the new logo and cultural touch to give Deltans as well as visitors a special feel as they enter the state.”

ZCI was hand-picked by Aghoghovbia whose office awarded the contract. Following series of inquiries by our reporter, the project in Ologbo was hurriedly painted four weeks ago.

Meanwhile, all efforts to reach the contractor proved abortive. Calls placed across as well as text messages were neither answered nor responded to.

Condemning the procurement process, Mr Kehinde Taiga, of the state branch of Committee for Defense of Human Rights (CDHR), said the contract should be reviewed with the contractor called to order and prosecuted according to the Procurement laws of the state which recommends three to five years jail term for defaulting on procurement agreements.

Mr Taiga said the procurement process was obviously done to serve political interest based on contribution to election.

“This is a contract that is supposed to add colour to the state. It is sad that the majority of contracts issued by the state government are fraudulently done, hence projects are abandoned or done shabbily.” He added.

Disrespect for Due Process Our Bane – CSO

Also, a Civil Society Organisation, Publish What You Pay (PWYP), frowned at the irregularities shrouding project execution and financing in the state.

The Coordinator of the organisation, Faith Nwadishi, said the issue of corruption and lack of respect for due process or laws has become endemic in the governance processes, adding that development would remain stunted in this regard.

According to her, “These are issues we have been shouting ourselves hoarse about. The issue of corruption and lack of respect for due process or laws in the country has become endemic in the governance processes”.

Grace Aghoghovbi refuses to comment on the project

Aghoghovbia, who awarded the beautification contract, declined comment. She did not answer her call and responded to messages.

However, in a case of mistaken identity, she called the reporter back asking if he was from her community since she included his name in a list of those to benefit from a government empowerment programme.

When our reporter eventually introduced himself, she promised to call back but never did, “Are you from Oviri Olomu? When we were giving names from Oviri Olomu for a list, I included your name. I will have to ask the admin to remove it,” she said

When asked why she did not respond to the earlier inquiry she said, “I wouldn’t have seen the text because I am abroad. Let me call you back. I will call you back. Is it possible for you to send the message via Whatsapp?” That was the last time she communicated with our reporter. All messages sent to her via WhatsApp were read but not replied to.

However, the Chief Press Secretary, CPS, to the Governor, Mr. Olise Ifejika, told the reporter that the lady in charge of the project was indisposed as she was in the United Kingdom for medical attention.

“I have told you about her state. If you ask anybody who knows her, that is the truth. She left this country early February. She is going blind even now. Even that surgery, they have not been able to do it. At the time it should have been done before Covid-19 came in. She is still in the United Kingdom.”

Speaking on the projects, Olise said out of four, three were on-going, adding that there must be a reason for the delay. “I think it is one thing at a time. It cannot be that it won’t be done. This government is transparent enough.”

Read Also: INVESTIGATION: How NDDC spent N2bn on abandoned, non-existent road projects in Edo communities

Experts Review of Project

A civil engineer with over five years in the construction industry, Engineer Terry Ighoro said the cost per project is pegged at N2,904,000 with minimal profit even with the current dollar rate.



In total, the sum of N11,616,000 million will cover for the four projects.

In his quotation, Engineer Ighoro stated that while N350, 000 could construct each of the wing rails with a total of N700,000, the Delta State map and design by artist goes for N300,000.




     

     

    “Fifty bags of cement can cover each of the projects at N3000 per bag totaling N150, 000. Fifty 12mm rods at N3000 per rod including transportation is N150,000. Granite gravel, a trailer load is N250,000 although a trailer load will be too much for each of the projects.”

    “Two trailer loads of sharp sand at N50,000, At most, two tankers load of water at N10,000 per truck totals N20,000. For the painting, N100,000 can cover for both buckets of paint and labour. Four cartons of tiles for the base at 5,000 per carton totals N20,000. Goodbye and welcome to Delta State signpost mounted on the wing rails at N75,000 each totals N150,000. Overall Labour and supervision is pegged at N400,000 while Miscellaneous is pegged at N264, 000.”

    Ighoro said the project duration was not supposed to exceed six months if the funds were available.

    * This investigation is supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR). 

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