Since 2020 when a construction firm, Bucknor Integrated Links Limited, abandoned the road work despite receiving over N43 million from the federal government, life has not remained the same for residents and business owners in the community.
At Aguma village in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, many residents become victims of malaria and other illnesses each year as they prepare for Christmas, New Year and the dry season. This has been the tradition for the past three years.
They save enough money to cater to those illnesses. No thanks to the abandoned Anagu road – the sole source of their sickness.
Since 2020 when a construction firm, Bucknor Integrated Links Limited, abandoned the road work despite receiving over N43 million from the federal government, life has not remained the same for residents and business owners in the community.
Bucknor Integrated Links Limited constructed only gutters and sand-filled the road in 2020. Uche Ekwunife, a former senator, facilitated the project when she was a member of the national assembly.
But for community members like Celestine Njama and Caleb Golden, the road has turned into a nightmare. The two community members are not only displeased about the abandoned road, they are also upset about other things that are not working well in the village.
“You have seen it yourself, so it is not as if I’m just talking. We have the information that almost full payment has been made for the construction of the road but the only thing we have seen is the gutters and nothing else was done on the road,” Njama said as he turned his face toward this reporter from where he was seated.
“I don’t even think that they want to construct the road because they are not doing anything about it. There is no hope about it, yet, we are very sure that at least half, if not the whole money has been paid.
“They have been promising every year that they will work on the road from 2020 and this is 2023 and they have not done it.
“Those heaps of sand they put at some parts of the road are heaped by a member of the family of the same person that the money for the construction of the road was given because his daughter’s traditional marriage is coming up soon.”
Over N43 Million Paid To Contractor, No Work Done
Details of payments made to Bucknor Integrated Links Limited by NBRRI
The Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI), the government’s agency that awarded the contract, seems to have taken no action to get the contractor back to the site.
Data obtained from GovSpend.ng, an analytics platform run by BudgIT Foundation to give Nigerians access to information on daily spending at all levels of government in the country, revealed that between February 2, 2021, and May 8, 2023, NBRRI made four payment tranches, totalling N43,538,627.32 to Bucknor Integrated Links Limited for the reconstruction of A. Anagu Road in Aguma village in Idemili North local government area of Anambra state.
When our reporter visited Aguma village where the intended construction of A. Anagu road is supposed to take place, but despite the project signpost mounted by the contractor at the beginning of the road opposite St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Umuoji, there were no signs of work done.
However, towards the end of the road after A. Anagu’s compound, some heaps of sand were seen but when asked, some residents said the sand was heaped by Anagu’s family members to sand-fill part of the road leading to the family house ahead of his daughter’s traditional marriage.
It was further found out that an official of TrackaNG, a project tracking platform championed by BudgIT Foundation, had visited the village over the abandoned road.
But according to TrackaNG representative, Anagu who is said to be an aide to Senator Ekwunife and the one interfacing with the contractor on the project “told me to tell NBRRI to bring more money for the project”.
Residents Lament, express helplessness
Entrance to abandoned A. Anagu road/ Photo by Sunday Elom
Njama lamented that the whole community is at the mercy of dust due to the poor state of the road.
According to him, “It is the brother of the man whom the money was given who is doing the sand-filling now for the sake of his daughter’s marriage. He had heaped some sand before but water had washed them away.
“Senator Ekwunife mounted a signpost on the construction of the road but nothing has been done,” he added.
“As it is now, the whole area is always overtaken by dust during the dry season, which throws almost all our children and even adults into various illnesses, including cough and catarrh. Everywhere is always polluted and makes everywhere a living hell for us and our people who return for Christmas celebrations.
“During the rainy season, it is always worse. Everywhere becomes slippery, throwing people and bikes on the ground anyhow. People hardly go through the road when it rains. Meanwhile, money has been paid to construct the road, even as short as it is. What kind of a thing is that?
“Since I became a resident of this village, this road has remained like this.”
When asked if they had ever tried to reach out to Senator Ekwunife who facilitated the project, Caleb Golden said “Nobody was able to reach Senator Uche Ekwunife because the family whom the money was given to is the one in charge of this village, so, nobody can do anything. We are just looking at them because we are helpless.”
One of the female residents of the village who owns a provision shop along the road said that though the state of the road affected her business, especially in the rainy season, she will not say much about the road “to avoid anybody coming after me to say that I said this or that”.
According to the shop owner who declined to be named, when it rains, “it becomes a very big problem for us here because customers don’t come here”.
“There is no road for them to follow. Even people that supply items to us don’t come,” she added.
“They always ask us to transport ourselves for at least N300 to VIP, a neighbouring town, to get our items. Even those who supply bread to us don’t come at all when it rains and if they finally come, they charge us triple the prices of items they supply to us, yet, customers expect us to sell at the normal prices.
“Sometimes our items overstay here and spoil, and that is often a huge loss for us. But what can we do? We only manage and endure. The condition of the road is affecting everybody in this village.”
Abandoned shop along abandoned A. Anagu road/ Photo by Sunday Elom
Another shop owner along the road confirmed that the contractor only constructed the gutters in 2020, but lamented that the abandoned road has become one of the major sources of cough, catarrh and malaria for them, especially children, and that heavy dust from the road usually causes them dry and itching throat.
Speaking in Pidgin language, the shop owner who identified himself as Clement Irem, said, “the state of the road affects my business too much. For instance, some items I have are sold for N700 in other places but here, a few customers that come always insist on N300, yet, I spent more money going to the market to buy them”.
He pleaded with the Nigerian government to take the necessary steps to ensure that the road is constructed to make life better for them.
Meanwhile, his neighbour refused to comment on the state of the road as she told our reporter that she does not want to say anything that will make those in charge of the village give her a notice to quit and leave the village since she is not an indigene of Aguma.
However, attempts to speak with the community leader identified as Akaekpuchi Onwa, failed as he was said to have gone for a traditional marriage in Enugu when our reporter visited his home. Several calls made to his mobile phone were not answered nor were text messages sent to him responded to.
Contract Details Shrouded In Secrecy Against Public Procurement Act Provisions
The details of the contract have been shrouded in secrecy by the NBRRI in violation of the Procurement Act.
According to section 16, subsection 1(c-f) of the Procurement Act, “All public procurement shall be conducted (c) by open competitive bidding; (d) in a manner which is transparent, timely, equitable for ensuring accountability and conformity with this Act and regulations deriving therefrom; (e) with the aim of achieving value for money and fitness for purpose; (f) in a manner which promotes competition, economy and efficiency.”
Heaps of sand dropped by a member of Anagu family/ Photo by Sunday Elom
Subsection 17 provides that “A contract shall be awarded to the lowest evaluated responsive bid from the bidders substantially responsive to the bid solicitation”.
However, NBRRI, the agency of the government that contracted the road work has no information on advertisement for open competitive bidding for the contract as required by the Public Procurement Act, 2007. Searches on NBRRI's official website showed no information about the contract.
A Freedom of Information letter was sent to NBRRI requesting details of the project, including contract documents, in line with section 2(3) and (4) of the FOI Act 2011 which require all "information relating to the receipt or expenditure of public or other funds of the institution to be widely disseminated and made readily available... " was not responded to.
However, whereas the FOI Act, 2011 stipulates that requested information should be made available in hard or soft copy within seven days from the date of receipt of the application, NBRRI received and acknowledged the letter on November 27, but till the time of filing this report, the requested information has neither been provided.
No reason or justification as to why the information will not be provided is made.
Bucknor Integrated Links Limited Is Inactive, No Proven Qualified Details
Not only that the details of the contract award are not in the public domain, but the construction firm that got the job is also described as inactive on the portal of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).
The firm does not also possess the required capacity to undertake the project as provided in the Procurement Act.
Section 16, subsection 6(a-d) of the Public Procurement Act, 2007, stipulated among other things, criteria a contractor must meet to be awarded a contract by any procuring entity in Nigeria.
Sub-section 6 provided that “All bidders in addition to requirements contained in any solicitation documents shall: (a) possess the necessary: (i) professional and technical qualifications to carry out particular procurements; (ii) financial capability; (iii) equipment and other relevant infrastructure; (iv) shall have adequate personnel to perform the obligations of the procurement contracts;
“(b) possess the legal capacity to enter into the procurement contract; (c) not be in receivership, the subject of any form of insolvency or bankruptcy proceedings or the subject of any form of winding up petition or proceedings; (d) have fulfilled all its obligations to pay taxes, pensions and social security contributions.”
However, the only details provided by the CAC, the government agency responsible for registering companies, business names, incorporations and trustees in Nigeria, is that Bucknor Integrated Links Limited was incorporated on January 22, 2016, with registration No: RC-1311073 and No. 5 Mgbike Close, Aroma-Awka, Anambra State as registered address.
Details provided by the CAC further revealed Chidi Elee Franklin as one of the directors of the company with No. 5 Mgbike Close, Aroma-Awka, Anambra state as the registered address attached to him as the service address of the company, while another director, Josephat Elee Onyebuchi, has Plot 17 AHOCOL Estate Phase II, Awka, Anambra State attached to him also service address of the company.
No information on Bucknor Integrated Links Limited’s possession of professional and technical qualifications to carry out procurements; financial capability; equipment and other relevant infrastructure; adequate personnel to perform the obligations of the procurement contracts or other requirements of the procurement law was provided.
Further searches about the contractor only revealed Elee Margrate Ngozi, as the secretary of the company but neither contact details of the company nor any information on the persons identified as directors or their contact details was traced.
In further efforts to unravel the reason behind the abandonment of the contract to the detriment of the beneficiaries, an email was sent to the former lawmaker, Senator Ekwunife, on December 1, for a reaction and explanations on why the contract has remained abandoned, but till the time of filing this report, she has not responded to the email.
This story is published under the GovSpend Media Fellowship, supported by BudgIT, ICIR and MacArthur Foundation