On 10th November 2015, a contract worth N98.7 Million was awarded for the Construction of Weru Bridge in Malete District under Moro Local Government Area, Kwara State with population of over 300, 000 people. The bridge is meant to serve over 70 communities, among which are: Oniko, Olowu, Karabuje, Omigbangba, Zuru 1 &Zuru 2 and many other communities.
With farming being the major occupation of the people of these communities there is often the need to transport farm produce to the market and neighboring cities to earn their living. Over the years, transportation of goods and farm produce continued to pose very great challenge to these communities. The construction of the bridge was purposed to alleviate the transportation burden affecting them.
Value for Money independent findings revealed how the abandoned project was aggravating the sufferings of the communities. Our reporter equally found out that despite commitment of N43.5million, work done on the project did not show commensurate value. Also, the sum of N16.5 million was not accounted for by the contractor handling the project.
During site visit on 5th September 2018 to verify data from 2016 Audit Report of the Federation, our team met with the community Youth Chairman and the community leader who narrated the challenges faced by the people of the community due to abandonment of the bridge. The VfM team also held town hall discussion with members of the community to intimate them with audit findings on the project and advise on what actions needed to be taken with their full cooperation.
Similarly, our engagement with Anti-Corruption Agencies through petition submitted on 26th August 2019 on the abandoned Weru Bridge project led to further review and investigation of the project by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to enable it take necessary action to recover funds not accounted for and initiate legal action against culpable contractors.
In addition, our team held a Sensitization Workshop bringing together relevant Civil Society Organizations, Journalists, and citizens to address highlighted issues while engaging key stakeholders. Furthermore, a TV program series was produced and aired to amplify community voices on the abandoned bridge. Our organization through its social media platforms constantly engages the public with audit facts and embarked on a social media advocacy campaign with other CSO partners to draw attention of duty bearers to the problem faced by these communities while encouraging improved citizens’ engagement and participation in advocating for completion of the project.
In June 2020, one of Malete community leaders, Mr. Aremu Usman informed our team that the contractor returned to site early this year (2020) but the project is only partially implemented with minimal construction done on the main bridge. He reported that a temporary pathway was constructed for pedestrians while the bridge is still inaccessible to vehicles. The residents in the community explained that during heavy rainfalls, the pedestrian bridge is submerged as the water level rises.
Despite the return to site of the contractor, the project is still not fully executed and non-functional necessitating the need to increase citizens’ involvement to continue to demand accountability from public officials and the institutions they represent.
Image(s) before intervention
Image(s) after intervention
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