Some Delta State communities have raised the alarm over the growing number of abandoned projects in their vicinities. A non‑governmental organisation, Connected Development (CODE), recently began tracking these projects in the Ndokwa West Local Government Area. Among the sites being monitored are the construction of a Multipurpose Hall at the School of Marine Technology, Umusam‑Ogbe, awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission, and a modern Civic Centre and Museum in Isumpe community, awarded by the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, among others.
Speaking at a town‑hall meeting organised by CODE in collaboration with OXFAM, Delta State Support Officer Mr. Ugochukwu Alexander explained that the gathering was intended to secure community buy‑in and permission for the tracking effort. “We cannot just enter the communities and start tracking these projects,” he said. “That’s why we came to you after identifying these projects. CODE is here to amplify the communities’ voices and help track abandoned projects so that the government’s attention is drawn to them.” He noted that, while the government continues to approve new projects daily, many already‑approved initiatives remain incomplete, citing factors such as inflation and youth restiveness as possible contributors to abandonment.
Chief Igbe Benjamin, Palace Secretary of Utegbe‑Ogbe Kingdom, lamented the high rate of abandoned projects in his area and praised CODE’s intervention, promising full community support and the provision of necessary information to facilitate tracking. He expressed confidence that this collaboration would bring the desired development. Similarly, spokesperson Ogwezi Alex of the Umusam community, CDC Chairman Mr. Onyemeh Basil of Umusam, and Mr. Akpati Ephraim of Isumpe community all voiced their disapproval of the abandoned projects affecting their respective communities.
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