The presence of abandoned projects in any nation presents a sad commentary on its governance, because it makes the society with such an occurrence a reckless and backward one.

WITH abandoned projects littering the place, it means good practices such as transparency and accountability have been thrown overboard and it  may be difficult for such a society to forge ahead.

THE issue of abandoned projects creates adverse effects, brings a negative impact to a nation or state, indicating that projects have been mismanaged by the people.

THIS issue assumes a great importance when seen in the context of revelations that projects totaling 56,000 have been abandoned though contracts awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

THE HOPE frowns at such a scenario, as it validates all the assertions that economic, social and human development factors in the country are among the worst in the world.

ACCORDING to the report containing the revelations, the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS) estimated the total cost of abandoned projects to be in the range of N17 trillion.

THOUGH funds have been allocated to these projects, contrary to the practice in serious nations, the funds got mismanaged, because they were given in the first place due to social and political considerations not rational ones.

UNFORTUNATELY, the consequences for abandoning the projects have been grave, taking for instance the Ibadan – Olotin road, which has been abandoned by NDDC contractors.

BILLED to be a first-class road, it has been left to rot, and now, it has become a deathtrap to hapless motorists through frequent motor accidents, which decimate the nation of its valuable work force.

YEARS ago, the NDDC awarded the contract for the East-West road, a public work meant to span five states in the south-south and designed to function as a spine for the region.

OVER the years, contractors once again abandoned the road, after hundreds of billions of naira were sunk into it, leading to the collapse of some sections.

RIGHT now, a ten-minute journey on the road may take three hours, with the portion from Calabar to Itu in Akwa Ibom problematic, as it totally collapsed, making it a death trap.

ANOTHER project abandoned by the NDDC is the Ayetoro embankment project in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, awarded with billions of naira almost two decades ago.

THE project, according to the NDDC, would prevent the Atlantic Ocean from submerging  Ayetoro, serving as a bulwark against the advancing waters, engendered by a combination of  oil exploration and climate change.

THE effort was abandoned, allowing the Atlantic Ocean to overwhelm a large portion of the town, with over 15,000 people displaced in the past few years, their means of livelihood destroyed, and ancestral treasures buried in the water.

THE NDDC also embarked on the dredging/reclamation of the West-East Araromi-Oghoye canal in Ilaje, the Etugbon -Ayetoro section of it, as well as the Aboto water project, meant to supply water to many communities in the area.

BOTH projects suffered from abandonment, with members of the communities supposed to be impacted by the project going through intense challenges and agony, as their problems intensified.

IN actual fact, an independent assessment by one of the nation’s leading newspapers found out that in the last few years over 80 projects were earmarked to about 20 communities in this state by the NDDC.

HOWEVER, contractors of the intervention agency abandoned the projects, after erecting signposts with inscriptions, without executing or completing many.

CONSEQUENTLY, members of the communities involved continue to be challenged by an acute case of infrastructural deficit, giving room for disaffection.

In Delta State, projects abandoned by the NDDC litter the area, including the Ayakoromo Land Reclamation project in Burutu Local Government Area.

AWARDED in 2016, the contractors executed it halfway and then abandoned it, not minding the huge amount of money spent on the work, about N6.5 billion.

TODAY, residents of Ayakoromo groan over the issue, especially when the environmental challenges supposed to be solved by the contract persist in more challenging dimensions.

UNDER these circumstances, THE HOPE kicks against a situation whereby funds are spent at implementing projects but political considerations and other circumstances encourage their abandonment, to the chagrin of the people.

THEREFORE, appropriate government agencies should carry out a proper investigation into the circumstances related to abandoned projects, especially the manner funds were appropriated through them.

THE agencies should make sure those responsible for the construction of the projects to either go back to  site with the aim of completing them or return the money spent.

THE authorities concerned must ensure all monies earmarked for the projects are accounted for or prosecute people found to be culpable for their mismanagement.

FINALLY, steps should be put in place to prevent a situation whereby billions are spent on public works with nothing to show for them at the end of the day, and one way of doing this is by making transparency and accountability the nation’s watchword.