₦246 Million 'Ghost' Bridge Project Exposed in Akwa Ibom
A shocking investigation has revealed that a ₦246 million bridge repair project in Akwa Ibom State, officially declared completed by a Federal Ministry of Works contractor, was never actually built, despite public funds being allocated for the work.
Contract Awarded, Project 'Completed' on Paper Only
The scandal involves the Repair of Ndiya Bridge at KM20+000 along Ekparakwa–Etinan–Ikot Ubo Road, which was awarded in March 2023 to Nakiz Integrated Services Ltd by the Federal Ministry of Works. According to official reports, the contractor claimed the project had been "completed, certified, and signed off by the supervising agency, with a certificate of completion issued."
However, when the civic technology platform MonITNG conducted a field verification visit on 17 April 2024, their Tracka team made a startling discovery. "No repair work had been carried out at all" at the bridge site.
Instead of a repaired structure, the team found the bridge remains in what they described as a "deplorable state, collapsed, unsafe, and abandoned." Local residents confirmed the bridge has been in this dangerous condition for over 10 years, severely impacting their daily lives, economic activities, and access to nearby markets and communities.
Budget Recycling: Ghost Project Reappears with New Codes
Despite being declared complete in 2023, the same bridge project mysteriously reappeared in subsequent national budgets under different codes and titles, suggesting a pattern of budget recycling.
In the 2024 budget, the project resurfaced as a "new project" with code ERGP12209234 under the same ministry, receiving a fresh allocation of ₦10,250,000 despite its supposed completion the previous year.
MonITNG's investigation further revealed that in the 2025 budget, the project appeared yet again with another code—ERGP12230591—this time titled "Special Repairs of Ekparakwa–Etinan–Ndiya–Ikot Ubo Road" with ₦75 million allocated to the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) under the Federal Ministry of Works.
"Despite the huge amount released, the site shows no trace of implementation, and no single improvement has been made," MonITNG stated in their report.
Calls for Investigation and Systemic Reform
MonITNG has characterized this case as "a disturbing example of how public resources are siphoned away while citizens are left to suffer the consequences of abandoned projects." The platform has urgently called on anti-corruption agencies to intervene.
The organization has demanded that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Federal Ministry of Works immediately investigate Nakiz Integrated Services Ltd and the supervising officials responsible.
They specifically challenged authorities to "provide proof of where this project was allegedly completed, as claimed in the official reports."
The report highlights the critical absence of functional Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) systems within key ministries and agencies, which enables contractors to collect payments without accountability. Proper monitoring is essential for ensuring project quality, preventing corruption, enhancing transparency, and guaranteeing that citizens actually benefit from government spending.
MonITNG also called on the Ministry of Budget and National Planning to prioritize verifying project implementation before approving new allocations, emphasizing that "Every naira released must be tracked, accounted for, and tied to visible, functional infrastructure."
This case exposes how the absence of proper oversight allows taxpayers' money to disappear into fraudulent projects that exist only on paper, while critical infrastructure remains in disrepair and communities continue to suffer.
