By Aminah Salako – Adekunle

EJIWUNMI  Enji Area 1, in Offa Local Government Area of Kwara state, is a fish farming community. The swampy community, adjacent Offa Secretariat Road, is fast becoming a shadow of itself. This followed incessant flooding, which residents said has continued to ravage their residential and business premises, forcing many to vacate their homes and abandon their businesses.

Alfa Azeez Kanisuru, is a fish farmer and one of the community leaders. He soon became emotional while speaking to this reporter in September. He narrated how he incurred a debt of about N10 million due to flooding about two years ago and is now unable to repay the loan he took from a Cooperative Society.

Two years ago, Kanisuru said the entire area was flooded and their fish ponds submerged. “Our fishes were swept away. Some of us who have high blood pressure fainted and landed in the hospital because of the huge loss. Personally, I had just gotten a loan of about N10 Million from a Cooperative to boost my fish farming, but alas! the fish ponds were submerged by flood,” he said.

He said the community went to Offa Local Government Secretariat to complain, and they were promised assistance of money and fingerlings, but were instead, offered fertilisers as support. “We rejected it because we are fish farmers. Of what benefit is fertiliser? What can help our situation is to fix this erosion control, expand it to contain the volume of water coming here and provide us with soft loans to run our businesses,” he insisted.

“Even on different occasions, officials of the State Government have visited this area on this problem. There was a time the Former Commissioner for Water Resources, Alhaji Femi Whyte Agbaje, visited here in 2021 with a promise to help us fix it, but nothing was done,” he said.

Like the fish farmer, Margaret Oni, a civil servant, who reside in the community, says her three–bedroom apartment often gets flooded during heavy rainfalls. The 56-year-old widow said though the community had made efforts to expand the drainage system in the area, it has not been of much help due to the volume of water that fills the area.

“All the houses here were flooded just last week. My children could not go to school for days,” she told our correspondent in September.

Both residents and other members of the community told this reporter that the flooding has continued to damage homes and businesses despite an erosion control project constructed by the Federal Government in 2019.

This investigation found that in the 2018 budget, the Federal Government made provisions for the construction of flood and erosion control structures along Enji River Offa (around Owode market area) worth N37,181,242 for the first phase. The allocation is under the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority. The Federal Government also made another allocation of N20,436,683.40 for the same Enji River flood and erosion control along Secretariat Road in Offa, for its completion. Both projects were awarded to Barosit Interbiz Nigeria Limited.

According to the GovSpend portal, a payment of N21,138,855 was released on the March 1, 2019 by the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority to Barosit Interbiz Nigeria Limited for the construction of flood and erosion control work along Enji River, Offa Kwara state. But when contacted, the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority confirmed to this reporter that full payments have been made to the contractor, with a total sum of N57,617,925.78

However, a visit to the site of the project by this reporter confirmed that despite the release of funds and the construction work, residents say the drainage system constructed by the contractor was too narrow and has, therefore, not solved the problem of flooding.

This reporter gathered that when the contractor, Barosit Interbiz Nigeria Limited, started the construction of the drainage, residents of Ejiwunmi were full of hope that their flooding problem would be solved. However, their hopes were short–lived.

“It is just too narrow that the community need to create an alternative besides the one done by government. If you see its size by the roadside where we have the culvert, it is a bit wide but narrower as it gets inside,”  Oni told this reporter in September.

Meanwhile, Razaq Ajeigbe, who owns a shop along the Enji River culvert, said the culvert contributed to solving the erosion problem the Secretariat Road was known for. “Before we had this culvert, when it rains here, everywhere used to be flooded. The road will be taken over by water, which causes serious traffic. But since they have done this culvert, it has become a thing of the past,” he said.

Oni, who accused the contractor of doing a substandard job, said some parts of the drainage are in bad shape, just two years after the project. She pointed at some parts of the drainage concrete which had been washed away and cut off.

“We cannot even see any traces of drainage along the river at some parts; it has been washed off and some parts submerge with sands. The community does an expansion for free flow of water,” she maintained.

Oni added that some of the landlords and fish farmers were forced to abandon their houses and trade due to the flood. “One of such landlords is a lawyer whose house is built on the bank of the river. He had to relocate his family, but if we have a deep-high and wider flood control in this area, it will solve our problem,” she said.

While speaking with this reporter, Alfa Azeez Kanisuru another resident equally faulted the work carried out on the erosion control and described the drainage as too narrow to control the volume of water in the area.

“When the work was under construction, we complained to the site workers that the drainage was too narrow for the volume of water coming down when it rains. But they said that was what they were told to do. What we want in this area is the type of erosion control at Ojude – Aponbi Abata area here in Offa,” he said.

“When you get to that area, you will see that it is high and very wide, unlike this one which was built like a compound drainage. The drainage is often submerged whenever it rains, because water coming from the upper side.

Obanimomo and the one coming from Olohunkuse all meet down here. We need drainage of 4ft instead of about 2ft that was done,” he further said.

Expert fault use of U-shaped erosion control

A Structural Engineer in the Department of Civil Engineering, Federal Polytechnic Offa, Kwara state, Olu Otunola, who assessed the erosion control when this reporter visited in September, faulted the construction of U-shaped erosion control, saying it is not adequate for the volume of what culminated in the area during the raining season.

Otunola said a V–Shaped flood and erosion control ought to be put in place instead of the U – Shaped erosion control done by Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority.

He also pointed at the poor channelisation of the drainage, which he said has spaces around it and observed that the drainage is about 2 feet, which is in accordance with the project scope of work.

He maintained that the best period to determine the size of such work would be at the peak of the rainy season with a feasibility study of the volume of water for a proper design.

“They need to clear and desilt the water for it to be wider, though the erosion control is still controlling, but not adequate enough for the mass amount of water coming into it during rainy season. The appropriate thing that ought to be in place is a V-shaped erosion control, the U-shaped is not adequate enough and there should be no space around it with proper channelization of water,” he said.

…Supervising agency reacts

The Executive Director, Planning and Design, Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority, Engineer Rasheed Oyedeji, argued that Enji Area 1 community in Ejiwunmi is a floodplain area which should not be serving residential purposes. He said the erosion control project was a remedial work.

EOyedeji explained that the construction of the flood and erosion control along Enji River in Offa, Kwara State was first awarded in October 2018 at the sum of 37,181,242:38 and paid in three instalments to the contractor. He said another contract award for its completion was made in November 2019 at the sum of N20,436,683.40 and paid in two instalments.

He said the scope of work for the first phase was earthworks on clearing and evacuation of materials along the centre line of the drain, construction of U – Shaped reinforced concrete drain of 1800mm x 100mm and 150mm thickness. It also includes clearing and desilting of culverts at various locations (Oke Agun, Muu, Owode, Lamodi, Adeleke) as well as construction of U-Shaped concrete drain 1200mm, 1000mm and 150mm thickness.

The contract award for the completion of the project which was made available to this reporter has its scope of work to include earthworks on clearing and evacuation of materials along the centre line of the drain, construction of U – Shaped reinforced concrete drain of 600mm x 600mm and 100mm thickness, adjacent to the discharge end of the new culvert. It also includes construction of RC rectangular channel downstream of the existing weir (6000mm x 150mm), 150mm thickness, as well as construction of RC box culvert.

Oyedeji said the first phase of the project commenced on January, 2 2019 and was completed on March 2 2019, while the second phase started on November 25 2019 and completed on 25th of February, 2020.

“It is a big project, if they can contact Ecological Office in Abuja to fund the work. Only if Ecological can get involved, to visit the area and execute the work. Flood control cost in our jurisdiction is very minimal. It can only be around N20-30 million. To really control that flood, a lot of money need to be expended which will go beyond our capacity.”

He said there was a need to relocate the people adding that most of the buildings in the area need to be evacuated to let the water flow. “Human activities compound the problem. The Ojude – Aponbi erosion control people make reference to, as at the time of construction was not less than N400 Million, but this Enji River, was just a remedial work,” Engr. Oyedeji maintained.

Speaking on U-shaped erosion control which was faulted by an expert, he argued that the choice was based on assessment report of the area by a team of engineers from the agency, feasibility study and the financial strength of the agency.

“If we are to do that of 4ft or V-shaped control, it will gulp much money beyond the financial capacity of the agency, besides we only found it in our budget to execute it, it was included from Abuja. The Ecological Project Office can solve it, because it will also require demolition of structures along the waterways, which is beyond our jurisdiction,” he said.

He, however admitted that the work was not done according to the community’s specifications, as that could have made the project more capital-intensive, which only the Ecological Project Office can fund.

This reporter however, reports that by not applying the community’s specifications, the federal government may have expended funds to a project that may not achieve the required value for residents.

According to Section 16 of the Public Procurement Act 2007, the fundamental principles for procurement should be conducted with the aim of achieving value for money and fitness for purpose. The erosion control project, however, failed to do this despite the release of N57,617,925.78 by the federal government.

The section states that: “Subject to any exemption allowed by this Act, all public procurement shall be conducted: in a manner which is transparent, timely, equitable for ensuring accountability and conformity with this Act and regulations deriving therefrom; with the aim of achieving value for money and fitness for purpose.”

I followed government’s specifications- Contractor

Meanwhile, Bashir Lanre Ayodele, the Managing Director of Barosit Interbiz Nigeria Limited, an active company registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission who spoke with Radio Nigeria said he carried out the work according to the contract specifications.

He maintained that he did the job to the satisfaction of the agency, as he was given a certificate of completion when the work was completed.

The contractor, however, declined comment on how much he received for the project, as he urged this reporter to contact the supervising agency and work with the information provided by the agency on payment.

“I even did more than what I was given to do, and I was given my completion certificate. I did what I was asked to do. The area is a flooded naturally even before the project, it is not because of the work. It is what an average man that was born and brought up in Offa knows. Enji River is a river that flow for a long distance. I was born and brought up in Offa, the area is a floodplain,” the MD argued.

When this reporter called Bashir Lanre Ayodele for the second time on October 23 to confirm if he actually received the total of N57 million for the project, he told her to work with the amount given by the supervising agency.

We want government and contractor back on site – Ejiwunmi residents

The residents of Ejiwunmi Enji Area 1 in Offa want the Federal Government to order the contractor back to the site to ensure they provide wider and deeper erosion and flood control. This, the residents said, is the only way to serve the community optimally and to enable them to return to their homes and businesses. This is also as the fish farmers seek government compensation in the form of financial support to boost their farming activities.

This story is republished from Radio Nigeria under BudgIT’s 2023 GovSpend Media Fellowship, with support from ICIR and MacArthur Foundation.