TheCable

Godswill Akpabio, minister of Niger Delta Affairs, says there are 12,128 abandoned projects in the Niger Delta area, with most of them taken over by hoodlums.

The minister said this in Abuja while playing host to Amina Mohammed, United Nations deputy secretary-general.

According to Akpabio, this was revealed in an interim report submitted after a forensic verification of projects in the region.

“Interim reports of the forensic verification exercise has been revealing. The process has been transparent. We listed 9,080 projects to be considered in the verification process, but in less than three months, the report so far shows that 12,128 projects have been discovered as abandoned projects with no specific ownership attached to them,” he said.

“Most of these abandoned projects have become sanctuaries to criminals. Projects were embarked on without consultations — there was no initial coordination.

“So, as part of its mandate, the ministry has adopted a programme called ‘Strategic Implementation Work Plan’, which will coordinate the activities of development partners and stakeholders, to prevent duplication of projects in the region.”

Akpabio also told the UN deputy secretary-general that his ministry is working on a project aimed at enlightening youths about the negative economic impact of destruction of oil installations, and how the act directly affects them, their communities and the ecosystem.

He commended Mohammed for championing the cause of the Niger Delta region and the Ogoni clean-up during her tenure as minister of environment.

In her remarks, Mohammed said the UN is aware of the Niger Delta situation, and promised to address the situation within the organisation’s programmes.