By Abubakar Dan Ali
Across the country, abandoned projects dot the landscape as painful reminders of endemic corruption, wasted resources, dashed hopes, and betrayed public trust. Too often, contractors especially the local contractors collect huge sums as mobilization fees only to vanish into thin air, leaving communities stranded without essential facilities like school blocks, hospitals, dams, roads, and other vital infrastructure the government intended to provide.
In Sokoto State, however, a new era appears to be unfolding under a new sheriff in town. That sheriff is Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, who has shown—both in word and in deed—that he is genuinely committed to accountability and the judicious use of public funds. Under his watch, the state government has drawn a firm line against the entrenched culture of impunity and economic sabotage by taking bold steps to hold defaulting contractors accountable.
Since assuming office in 2023, Dr. Aliyu has made it unequivocally clear that the era of people obtaining contracts, collecting upfront payments, and disappearing without fulfilling their obligations is over. Even those who benefited from contract scams under previous administrations are not exempt as they being called upon to either fulfill their obligations or face the full weight of the law.
In this light, the recent Sokoto State Executive Council meeting resolution that the relevant government agencies should act swiftly to recover huge funds from contractors who failed to execute projects related to the reconstruction of the burnt Sokoto Central Market must be applauded.
As many would recall, the Central Market in Sokoto metropolis was gutted by a harmattan-induced inferno on January 19, 2021. In solidarity with the victims and the Sokoto State Government under the leadership of Aminu Tambuwal several individuals, organizations, and even state governments rushed in with hefty donations to support the swift reconstruction of the market and to aid the displaced traders. One such notable gesture came from then-Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, who donated a hefty ₦500 million to assist the victims.
In response, contracts were awarded to 33 companies, and a substantial sum of ₦4 billion was released as advance payment for the quick reconstruction of the market. The goal was to quickly restore the livelihoods of affected traders who depended on the daily trading at the central market for their livelihoods.
Regrettably, the reconstruction contracts awarded under the inefficient administration of former Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal was soon stalled. Investigations revealed that most of the contractors abandoned their sites after receiving mobilization fees. A tracking committee later confirmed that over 30 of the firms failed to meet their contractual obligations, effectively owing the government for work not executed.
Clearly, decisive action was necessary. Staying true to his reputation as a stickler for accountability and transparency, Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto refused to let this massive breach of trust be swept under the carpet. As a result, the Sokoto State Investment Company has been tasked with investigating the failed market reconstruction project with three key objectives,verifying and approve payments to contractors who met performance benchmarks,recover public funds from those who found to have defaulted in their contractual obligations and to immediately initiate legal action against contractors who fail to refund mobilization payments.
This bold step has earned Governor Aliyu commendation from various stakeholders involved in the state’s broader development agenda. The government’s commitment to recovering misappropriated funds not only safeguards taxpayers’ money but also rebuilds public confidence in governance and public procurement processes. By holding contractors to account and imposing consequences for negligence, Sokoto State is setting a commendable standard for others to follow.
That said, the state government must realize that all eyes are now on them to see how far—and how effectively—they will pursue this recovery initiative. In the past, several states had made similar bold declarations, only for them to fizzle out without concrete action.
Take, for instance, Ebonyi State. In 2023, it awarded contracts to 87 companies to build 140 three-bedroom bungalows for internally displaced persons in Ohaukwu Local Government Area. By September 2024, only 24 contractors had completed their projects. The state government threatened to prosecute the remaining 63 firms. Yet, nearly a year later, no public update has been provided, raising doubts about the sincerity of the threat.
Another example involves the Ekiti State Government and Prodeals Nigeria Limited. The company received over ₦1 billion in mobilization fees in 2014 for a road project. When Governor Kayode Fayemi lost the 2014 election, the contractor abandoned the work. Though the contract was revoked in 2019 and threats of prosecution were made, the public has heard nothing further about the matter.
This issue of abandoned contracts is not limited to state governments—it’s a national crisis. In its Q4 2023 report, BudgiT, a budget transparency watchdog, revealed that 17 contractors failed to begin work on 15 projects across nine states after collecting ₦2.4 billion in mobilization payments. A year earlier, BudgiT’s Tracka platform reported that 26 contractors absconded with ₦8.6 billion earmarked for 19 projects, including dams and roads that remain untouched.
As always, BudgiT called on anti-graft agencies like the EFCC and ICPC to act. Yet, responses remain inconsistent at best.
Returning to the Sokoto Central Market matter, expectations are high that Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto will break the trend and ensure that errant contractors are held accountable. Whether by compelling them to return to site or prosecuting those who fail to deliver or refund public funds, the government must prove that this initiative is not just an empty threat.
It is worth recalling that a presidential committee on abandoned projects set up by former President Olusegun Obasanjo found, in its landmark report, that Nigeria had lost trillions of naira to over 11,000 abandoned federal projects nationwide. The committee cited weak contract enforcement mechanisms,funding, political interference, and lack of continuity in governance as major reasons for the problem. Sadly, many of the committee’s recommendations were shelved, and the cycle of waste has continued unabated.
To avoid repeating these failures, states like Sokoto must institutionalize independent project monitoring and evaluation units, strengthen procurement laws, and insist on performance bonds before disbursing funds. Furthermore, contracts should include enforceable clauses that allow for real-time tracking, automatic penalties for default, and public reporting mechanisms for transparency.
Stakeholders in the “Better Sokoto Project” will as a matter of responsibility keep a close watch on the unfolding process and not out of cynicism, but out of enlightened interest to help ensure that government doesn’t succumb to political pressure to let the contractors off the hook. We are however optimistic that Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto will follow through and set a lasting precedent that other leaders in Nigeria will emulate.
