Pankshin-Gindiri Road was first awarded in 2017 with a completion date of 2019, but the promise never came true. Seven years later, the construction work has been mournful. Communities along the road endured hardships, including the destruction of agricultural produce valued at millions, armed robbery and lengthy journeys due to the road’s poor condition. These hindered the development of these communities, resulting in a decrease in economic opportunities. WikkiTimes reports.
For farmers like Sati Gotep, the Pankshin-Gindiri road represents more than just a means of transportation but is essential to economic opportunity and a better future for their communities.
The harsh terrain of the road that could lead Gotep and their fellow farmers to the markets and neighbouring towns remains virtually inaccessible, halting their efforts to sell their produce and earn a living.
With each passing day, their hopes faded away, and their sufferings increased by the never-ending negligence of the government they were eager to vote for.
Despite years of promises from the federal government, the road remains a painful mark of the failed promises that torment the communities.
Within the last seven years – from 2017 to 2023 – N1.08 billion was released for the construction of the federal road in the Plateau – Bauchi border communities.
Data obtained from Govspend, the federal government spending website, show that the funds were disbursed to three construction firms: Investrite Ltd, Nebol Consult Ltd, and Waterfield Construction Company Ltd.
The search indicates that N774.37 million accounting for 71.4% of the total fund was paid to Investrite Ltd, while Nebol Consult Ltd and Waterfield Construction Company Ltd got 1.7% (N19.04 million) and 26.8% (N290.67 million) respectively.
The data show that the first payment for the road was made on 24 September 2018 to Investrite Ltd. with five different payments made in 2021 extending to the last instalment made on October 23 2023.
Sadly, despite these huge financial injections, the road remained largely untouched, compelling the communities into decades of hardships and losses.
The 54-kilometer Pankshin – Gindiri road was meant to connect agrarian communities like Ballang, Nyalleng, Tapshin, Lere, Sara, and Gindiri, promising economic growth and social cohesion.
The road launched to be constructed starts from the Pankshin Local Government of Plateau State through Ballang, then Tapshin to Lere – communities in Tafawa Balewa of Bauchi State – extending up to Sara and ends at Maciyan-Bello community in Gindiri, Mangu Local Government in Plateau State.
WikkiTimes’ visit to the work site discovered that despite initial commencement, including approximately seven kilometres of the road being graded and tarred, it remains largely untouched and terrifying.
However, the intentions behind its inception were overshadowed by fake promises, funds wastefulness and the subsequent neglect of duty.
The project’s abandonment or sluggishness left vast portions in decay, prolonging the locals’ nightmare and hardship.
The story of the Pankshin-Gindiri road stands not only as a sign of failed promise but also as an obvious mark of Nigeria’s system riddled with corruption and unaccountability.
LOCALS LAMENT POOR ROAD
In the remote villages along the route; Ballang in Pankshin Local Government in Plateau State, with Tapshin and Sara in Tafawa Balewa of Bauchi State, lies valleys of fertile land in the agrarian communities – the residents struggle with the harsh realities of life on neglected roads.
The locals lamented the government’s lack of accountability and disregard for their plight left with no hope for a better future.
The poor state of the road network in these communities is more than just an inconvenience, but a daily struggle for survival, Lawrence Iliya, a cows businessman in the area lamented.
As someone who frequently ply these roads, Lawrence pictured the struggles the isolated communities faced, particularly during the rainy season when impassable roads cut off vital links to markets and medical facilities.
“People with sorts of ailments and pregnant women, in particular, bear the brunt of this isolation, sometimes carried on motorcycles or stretchers to far areas accessible by vehicle.
“The road holds the key to our development,” Lawrence explains. “With proper infrastructure, farming and businesses would thrive, lifting our community out of hardship,” he told WikkiTimes.
Lawrence also recounted how the neglected road became a breeding ground for criminal activities, with robbers taking advantage of the vulnerable terrain, “especially on market days,” He said in his hopeless face.
“We plead with the government to intervene. The road construction and access to clean water are our basic needs here and without them, our community will continue to suffer.
For Samuel Bako, a commercial cyclist, the plight of the locals navigating the dreaded routes is a sign of systemic failures tormenting infrastructures in the area.
According to him, the construction of such roads in the rural areas is the only dividend villagers could have to enjoy, But their dream was dashed away.
He added that if such an amount was released for the project, “I see no reason this road was halted. Were the funds wasted here or diverted? One thing must have happened.”
When the road was awarded seven years ago, he recalled, “We were excited thinking that part of our agony would be over.” As days turned to barely a decade, Samuel Bako asserted that the project remains a mirage.
Sati Makeri Tapshin, a cow businessman, knows the challenges of navigating the neglected roads that connect his village to neighbouring Nyalleng.
He lamented that the road’s incompletion directly impacts his livelihood. “When I purchase cows from Nyalleng, I get additional costs due to the lack of a proper road. I must pay exorbitant money to those who transport the cows, eating into my profits,” Sati explains.
“Moreover, the journey becomes even more dreaded when the rains come. Crossing the rivers between Tapshin and Nyalleng turns out to be a daunting task, often taking some residents days to navigate through the flooded waters,” the businessman told WikkiTimes.
He lamented that the uncertainty of why the project was abandoned adds to their frustration. “The road only reached Kabis from Ballang Kallep, leaving us stranded in isolation.”
With farming as the primary occupation in the area, Sati stressed the need for government intervention. “We are pleading with the federal government to prioritize the construction of this road,” he urged. “It’s not just about convenience; it’s about our survival,” he concluded.
His namesake in Nyalleng, Sati Gotep, a farmer and commercial car driver, corroborated that the poor condition of the abandoned Pankshin roadworks gives them sleepless nights.
Interacting with WikkiTimes, Sati lamented over the halted progress and deteriorating road. “The situation is too bad, exacerbated by the fuel subsidy removal” he said, reflecting on the high transport costs compounded by the poor road conditions. “A journey from Nyalleng to Boi now costs N1,500, more than double the previous fare of N600,” he explained.
As a driver, Sati’s struggles increase during the rainy season, particularly on the dreaded route from Nyalleng to Tapshin. “The road becomes dilapidated, and what should be a short journey turns into a long and painful ordeal,” he said in his descending voice with grief.
“My car has been damaged several times, and I’ve had to replace the driving shaft on many occasions due to the poor road. The costs are dwindling my earnings, and the delays on the road are agonizing.”
TEACHERS, HEALTH WORKERS FLEE
Sati Gotep bemoaned the impacts of the poor road on the economic development of their community, revealing that school teachers in the areas like health workers deployed to the communities leave or even decline to attend their work.
“Teachers and health workers do not want to come here due to the inaccessible roads, depriving us of vital services and impeding our progress.”
WOMEN SUFFER MORE
Pregnant women with their bellies filled with the promise of new life burdened with the weight of impending motherhood need reliable transportation to hospitals where they can receive the care they need to bring their babies into the world.
However, the women living along the Pankshin – Gindiri Road, navigate treacherous paths in search of medical care, while newborn babies face uncertain futures in the absence of timely interventions,” villagers told WikkiTimes.
Salomi John, 32, feeling the weight of her nine-month-old pregnancy declared “Our voices must be heard now,” harping that “We should not be forgotten, and our voices must be heard,” adding nothing further.
Mercy Joel, an 18-year-old girl, finds herself trapped in the harsh reality of her community’s crumbling infrastructure saying that her aspirations are being suffocated.
Corroborating on the impacts of the poor road, she said “Let me tell you even workers deployed to these communities, they will do all things possible to get transferred. This generation and our children deserve better,” she said with her voice trembling.
She grieved that the dream of receiving a quality education for brothers and sisters within reach became a distant mirage.
But Mercy’s plight doesn’t end with her education. As the daughter of a struggling farmer, she witnesses firsthand the toll that inadequate roads take on her community’s health and well-being. Basic medical facilities often become increasingly inaccessible due to impassable routes.
The victims harped that it is time for the Federal Government to listen to the cries of the people of the communities and fulfil their obligations to provide safe and accessible infrastructure in the area to sense the joy of the dividend of democracy.
PROFILING THE CONSTRUCTION FIRMS HANDLING THE CONTRACTS
WikkiTimes’ Check on NG-Check, a site that provides information about Nigerian companies, shows that INVESTRITE LIMITED was incorporated in ABUJA, registered on 28 Jul 2008 with Registration Number 762908, but its current status is unknown, and no email or phone number was provided on its site dashboard. Ayodele Taiwo and Daniel Rose Omolola are the Directors of the firm.
The Company’s registered office address is SUITE23, YASUHA PLAZA WUSEII, ABUJA, FCT.
Similarly, CAC shows that NEBOL CONSULT LIMITED is “inactive”, indicating that the firm failed to conform to certain obligations.
NG-Chech shows that the firm was also incorporated in ABUJA, registered on 05 Nov 2013 with Registration Number 1151574, and like Investrite, Nebol neither a phone number nor email was provided at its NG-Check dashboard. Ikechukwu Ezenwanne, Samuel Kusumi, Adewoye Oyesijii Oladotun, Chibugo Theresa Okenwa, Aminu Gwaba, and Boniface O. Nwigwe are Directors of the construction firm.
The search shows that its registered office address is PLOT346, BAMAKO STREET, WUSE ZONE1, ABUJA.
The third construction firm, Waterfield Construction Company Ltd was registered on Jul 28, 2008, with RC – 762908 and office address at HOUSE 1 NO 3 NJABA CLOSE OFF RIMA STREET.OFF IBRAHIM BABANGIDA BOULEVARD MAITAIMA.
A letter of Freedom of Information (FOI) request dated February 27, 2024, was sent to the Federal Ministry of Works seeking clarification on the issues surrounding the project but the ministry did not respond.
After two weeks of silence, WikkiTimes reached out to John-Bello Onimisi, the FOI Schedule Officer at the ministry, for an update about the letter.
Onimisi explained that the email address used by the reporter – which was obtained from the ministry’s site – was used when they were merged with the Ministry of Housing, and has now been separated from the Ministry of Works.
He advised the reporter to resend the request via his WhatsApp for review and subsequent response.
Upon sending the request to Onimisi’s WhatsApp, the officer acknowledged the receipt a day later and assured that he would forward the FOI letter to the Minister in Charge of the ministry, David Umahi.
However, despite the assurance, weeks have passed without the reporter receiving the requested details, and Mr Onimisi did not provide any further clarification.
Another week later, the reporter asked Bello if there was an update about the letter, and he said “When I get to the office I will check to know the progress and get back to you”. And there has been no response from the ministry, months after.
Despite the ministry’s silence and unwillingness to respond about the funds paid for the abandoned Pankshin-Gindiri road project, the tale of the project mirrors the consequences of corruption and unaccountability within the Nigerian government, setting a notch for urgent action.
This report was supported by the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) under its Accountability Project funded by MacArthur Foundation.
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