ON September 7, 2021, the Presidency Office of Digital Engagement (PODE) published what it called ‘a compendium of President Buhari’s ongoing and completed infrastructure projects in South-East Nigeria.’

The list was released two days before Buhari’s visit to Imo State, one of the five states of South-East Nigeria.

It was a strategy targeted at convincing the people of the region that the current government of Buhari, which they had accused severally of marginalising them, was committing humongous public resources to building and rehabilitating their decrepit infrastructures.

On-the-ground checks, however, showed that PODE lied on the status of some of the projects and told half-truths on a few others.

It rehashed some of the lies and half-truths told by Minister of Information Lai Mohammed in 2018 that were debunked here and here, making reference to “more than 60 ongoing federal road and bridge projects across the five states of the region…” already fact-checked by the reporter.

The presidential office listed some of the projects as “the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, Construction of Ihiala-Orlu Road in Isseke Town-Amafuo-Ulli with Spur (Ihiala-Orlu-Umuduru Section) in Anambra State, Rehabilitation of Oba-Nnewi-Okigwe Road Route Section II: Anambra/Imo States Border-Ibinta-Okigwe Road; and Construction of Oseakwa Bridge in Anambra State.”

Other projects listed by PODE were: “Rehabilitation of Old Enugu – Port Harcourt Road (Agbogugu-Abia Border Spur to Mmaku); Rehabilitation of Nsukka-Obollo-Ikem-Ehamufu-Nkalagu Road in Enugu State; Rehabilitation of Owerri-Umuahia Road Sections I, II & III Imo/Abia States; Rehabilitation of Oba-Nnewi-Okigwe Road Section II: Anambra/Imo States Border-Ibinta-Okigwe Road; Rehabilitation of Bende – Arochukwu – Ohafia Road Section I in Abia State; Rehabilitation of Abakaliki-Afikpo Road Sections I and II in Ebonyi State, among others.”

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The source of the projects listed by PODE was traced to this link. The list came from the Ministry of Information and Culture but was placed on the website of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing.

Difference between Mohammed’s and PODE’s claims
Mohammed’s claims in 2018 did not include water projects. PODE added some water and dam projects it claimed were completed in the South-East region by the current government. It also listed some power and MSME projects, which were not part of Mohammed’s claims three years ago.

Commencement of the investigation
The reporter picked 27 projects at random – out of over 70 projects listed by PODE – for investigation. Many of the projects investigated were previously listed by Mohammed and rehashed by PODE as either ongoing or completed.

The reporter visited all the water projects, except one. The 27 projects investigated cut across the five states of the South-East region, which are Imo, Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia and Anambra states. The investigation was done in December 2021 – three months after the claims were made.

The uncompleted water projects
The first project visited by the reporter was Inyishi Regional Water Supply Project, situated in Imo State. PODE claimed that this project had been completed, but there was no sign that any work had ever been done on it when the reporter visited. It was still stagnant water, making it unsafe for drinking or household use.

Normally, a scheme like Inyishi Regional Water Supply Project should provide a source of water for the community, but villagers said it was only good for washing cars and motorcycles. There was no signpost signalling commencement or completion of the project, nor was there any piece of equipment found there.

The water is surrounded by thick green grass, creating the foreboding that it could be a habitation for scorpions and cobras.

READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/nigerian-presidency-repeats-lies-half-truths-on-infrastructure-projects-in-south-east-part-1/