N24bn public tasks deserted in states – Report

The BudgIT service supply monitoring platform, Tracka, has uncovered widespread circumstances of unexecuted, deserted, and fraudulently delivered public tasks throughout a number of states in Nigeria, amounting to about N24bn.

An evaluation of Tracka’s 2024/2025 report, titled “The Individuals and Authorities Oversight: Connecting the Dots in Service Supply,” which was unveiled in February 2026, confirmed that Benue State (40 per cent), Ondo State (32.4 per cent), Kwara State (30.4 per cent), Akwa Ibom State (27.3 per cent), and Sokoto State (25.6 per cent) recorded the best proportions of tasks that weren’t executed in any respect.

In line with the report, analysed by our correspondent on Sunday, these states collectively account for over 1 / 4 of all unexecuted tasks tracked, representing 28.8 per cent or N2.19bn out of the entire N7.60bn tied to tasks that obtained funds however weren’t carried out.

In distinction, Ebonyi State (5.6 per cent), Katsina State (4.4 per cent), Bauchi State (3.9 per cent), Niger State (1.9 per cent), and Enugu State (1.1 per cent) recorded the bottom proportions of unexecuted tasks.

Concerning deserted tasks, the report recognized Taraba State (29.9 per cent), Abia State (20 per cent), Nasarawa State (10.5 per cent), Adamawa State (7.5 per cent), and Ogun State (7.1 per cent) as essentially the most affected.

It famous that collectively, these states account for 97.5 per cent of all deserted tasks tracked, representing N7.8bn out of the N8bn tied to deserted tasks with funds already disbursed.

Nonetheless, the report indicated that 17 states recorded no deserted tasks throughout the monitoring interval. The report additionally expressed considerations about fraudulently delivered tasks, describing them as tasks marked by severe irregularities.

In line with the report, such irregularities embody diversion of undertaking funds, disbursements for tasks accomplished in earlier finances cycles with out new implementation, and poorly executed or substandard undertaking supply.

Imo State (17.4 per cent), Lagos State (12.7 per cent), Kwara State (11.8 per cent), Abia State (10.7 per cent), and Ogun State (8.3 per cent) recorded the best charges of such tasks.

Collectively, these states account for 57.1 per cent of fraudulently delivered tasks, representing N8.61bn out of the entire N15.07bn disbursed for tasks on this class, the report said.

Offering additional particulars, the report said, “Between 2023 and 2024, Benue recorded a modest 6.9 per cent enhance in income, rising from N19.1bn to N20.4bn.

Mission execution outcomes, nevertheless, had been deeply regarding. Solely 22 per cent of tracked tasks had been accomplished, whereas roughly 42 per cent had been deserted, indicating extreme weaknesses in implementation capability and oversight.”

It additional said, “Within the 2024 Federal Authorities finances, Benue was allotted 607 ERGP and ZIP tasks valued at N191.33bn, a 243.15 per cent enhance over the 2023 allocation of N55.76bn. Tracka tracked 100 tasks value N17.22bn. Of those, 30 tasks had been accomplished, 40 had not commenced, and 30 had been ongoing, with no fraudulent supply recorded.”

In Ondo State, the report additionally recognized a widening hole between rising finances allocations and precise service supply.

It stated, “Within the 2024 federal finances, Ondo obtained N104.1bn for 439 ERGP and ZIP tasks, a 304.89 per cent enhance from N25.7bn in 2023 allocations. Of the 101 tasks tracked (N32.6bn), solely 25 had been accomplished, seven had been deserted, 38 had been ongoing, and 5 had been deserted, 33 weren’t began. The figures reveal a widening hole between finances progress and precise service supply.”

In Kwara State, the report raised considerations about procurement integrity and contractor accountability.

It famous, “Within the 2024 Federal Authorities finances, Kwara was allotted 585 ERGP and ZIP tasks valued at N70.97bn, reflecting a 162.16 per cent enhance over the 2023 allocation. Tracka tracked 102 tasks amounting to N9.06bn. Of those, 52 tasks had been accomplished, 31 had not commenced, seven had been ongoing, and 12 had been fraudulently delivered, elevating vital considerations about procurement integrity and contractor accountability.”

The report additionally highlighted the sharp rise in allocations to Akwa Ibom State.

It said, “From the 2024 Federal Authorities finances, Akwa Ibom was allotted 797 ERGP and ZIP tasks valued at N207.95bn, reflecting a 959.7 per cent enhance over the 2023 allocation of N19.62bn, making it the state with the best share enhance over the 2023 undertaking allocation. Tracka tracked 84 tasks value N20.68bn.”

For Sokoto State, the report pointed to persistent implementation gaps regardless of elevated allocations.

In line with the findings, “For Sokoto, the 2024 finances allotted N112.01bn for 449 tasks, an 82.3 per cent enhance over the N19.79bn allocation in 2023. Of the 72 tasks tracked, 38 had been accomplished, 5 had been deserted, 12 had been ongoing, and 17 weren’t executed, highlighting persistent implementation gaps.”

The report additionally assessed fiscal efficiency and undertaking implementation in Abia State underneath Governor Alex Otti.

It stated, “Underneath the administration of Governor Alex Otti, Abia State has recorded vital progress in Internally Generated Income, growing from N20.1bn in 2022 to N23.7bn in 2023, and surging to N40.0bn in 2024. Whereas this progress displays improved income mobilisation and monetary capability, undertaking monitoring outcomes reveal substantial implementation challenges. Regardless of elevated capital investments, solely about 39 per cent of monitored tasks had been accomplished, indicating weaknesses in undertaking execution and supply.”

The report added, “From the 2024 Federal Authorities finances, Abia State was allotted 514 ERGP and ZIP tasks valued at N96.8bn, representing a 75.34 per cent enhance over the 2023 allocation of N23.9bn. Tracka tracked 75 tasks valued at N10.84bn. Findings confirmed that 27 tasks had been accomplished and in use, 15 had been deserted, 15 had been ongoing, 10 had not commenced, and eight had been dealt with fraudulently, underscoring persistent accountability and procurement integrity considerations.”

In Nasarawa State, the report famous declining allocations however persevering with implementation challenges.

It said, “Within the 2024 Federal Authorities finances, Nasarawa was allotted 405 ERGP and ZIP tasks valued at N76.6bn, reflecting a pointy -38.80 per cent decline from the N125.2bn allotted in 2023. Of those tasks, solely 76 value N10.06bn had been tracked. Inside this subset, 31 tasks had been accomplished and operational, six had been deserted, 21 had been ongoing, 16 had not commenced in any respect, and eight had been deserted. The information factors to persistent challenges in undertaking execution and capital utilisation.”

The report additionally highlighted implementation challenges in Adamawa State.

It stated, “Underneath the 2024 Federal Authorities finances, Adamawa State obtained allocations for 373 ERGP and ZIP tasks valued at N62.5bn, reflecting a 145.06 per cent enhance over the 2023 allocation of N25.5bn. Tracka tracked 107 tasks amounting to N16.6bn. Of those, 36 tasks had been accomplished and operational, eight had been deserted, 44 had been ongoing, 15 had not commenced, and 4 tasks had been fraudulently delivered, highlighting systemic challenges in monitoring, contractor efficiency, and institutional oversight.”

In Ogun State, the report recorded substantial funding will increase however persistent execution gaps.

It said, “Within the 2024 federal finances, Ogun obtained N275.7bn for 932 ERGP and ZIP tasks, a 202.25 per cent enhance from the N91.2bn 2023 allocations. Of the 89 tasks tracked (N23.5bn), 46 had been accomplished, 5 had been deserted, 13 had been ongoing, 19 weren’t executed, and 6 had been fraudulently delivered. Whereas income mobilisation stays sturdy, execution gaps proceed to undermine worth for cash.”

For Imo State, the report recognized a notable variety of fraudulently delivered tasks.

It stated, “From the 2024 Federal Authorities finances, Imo State was allotted 570 ERGP and ZIP tasks valued at N77.02bn, reflecting a 170.07 per cent enhance over the N22.37bn in 2023. Tracka tracked 109 tasks amounting to N5.70bn. Findings present that 56 tasks had been accomplished, 22 had been ongoing, 12 had not commenced, and 19 had been fraudulently delivered, pointing to persistent execution and accountability challenges.”

In Lagos State, the report additionally highlighted governance considerations regardless of the state’s sturdy fiscal capability.

It famous, “From the 2024 Federal Authorities finances, Lagos was allotted 1,013 ERGP and ZIP tasks valued at N351.89bn, reflecting a 43.51 per cent enhance over the 2023 allocation. Tracka tracked 110 tasks amounting to N34.72bn. Of those, 56 tasks had been accomplished, 21 had not commenced, 19 had been ongoing, and 14 had been fraudulently delivered, highlighting persistent governance dangers regardless of distinctive fiscal capability.”

The findings underscore persistent challenges in public undertaking implementation and accountability throughout a number of states regardless of the discharge of funds for improvement tasks.

Analysts and civil society organisations known as for an intensive scrutiny of how state governments spend their monetary sources, as many tasks in these states have remained unexecuted for a protracted interval.

CSOs converse

Civil society organisations blamed corruption, weak accountability techniques, and poor planning for the persistent abandonment and non-execution of public tasks throughout Nigeria, warning that the development continues to waste billions of naira.

Talking on the problem, the Government Director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Auwal Musa, stated the issue of deserted tasks has lingered for years throughout successive administrations.

“Through the years, the abandonment of tasks by completely different governments, each on the state and nationwide ranges, has severe implications. When you bear in mind, throughout Jonathan, there was an evaluation that was achieved, and it exhibits quite a few tasks,” he stated.

Musa attributed the development largely to corruption and misuse of public funds. “One of many causes for the abandonment of tasks is that there’s corruption. Corruption is the motive force typically, as a result of they provoke tasks, they usually simply take the cash to start out the undertaking, then they’ll abandon it and depart the undertaking. And typically, this cash is outrightly diverted or misused,” he said.

He additionally cited political transitions as a significant component, noting that incoming administrations usually neglect tasks initiated by their predecessors. “Then secondly, we additionally know that there’s an issue of political instability. Though the federal government is meant to be a steady train, among the states which have inherited tasks won’t wish to do them. They wish to provoke their very own,” he added.

In line with him, insufficient funding and poor planning additional worsen the scenario. “And subsequently, that creates an issue, and loads of tasks are being deserted, which had been initiated by the earlier administration. Additionally, you’ve an issue that has to do with the truth that there’s not even cash to truly maintain or to proceed with the undertaking. So, insufficient funding of these tasks additionally contributes to the abandonment of tasks.

“It’s actually unlucky that billions of naira are wasted on these tasks. These typically are simply political tasks. They don’t seem to be meant to enhance the well-being of Nigerians, nor are they meant to additionally create financial fortune for the folks within the state or on the federal stage.”

He urged governments to prioritise impactful tasks and enhance planning processes. “So governments have to cease all these pointless tasks that they can’t fund. However on the finish of the day, they only begin the undertaking and abandon it. They should cease these issues.

“They should deal with tasks that may have social and financial advantages for the state and for the nation. That is the one means we are able to treatment this. After all, lack of planning is a part of the issue.

“When folks haven’t any undertaking planning, they only provoke a undertaking, finances some cash for that exact yr, and the undertaking most likely will attain 10 years or 5 years of planning. However they’ll simply begin the undertaking, acquire the cash, and abandon it. So we have to cease all this as a means of managing the sources that we have now in Nigeria, cease financial waste, and be certain that this cash is utilised for the advantage of the Nigerian folks.”

Equally, the Government Director of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Management, Debo Adeniran, stated the issue of non-executed tasks has continued for many years.

“Non-execution of tasks has been there since Obasanjo. It was when Musa Yar’Adua got here into energy that they carried out a coverage that unspent finances must be returned, and that any public servant who refused to return it will be punished. Bear in mind, public servants had been punished,” he stated.

Adeniran blamed the scenario on the absence of sanctions for erring officers. “There aren’t any penalties for individuals who don’t implement the appropriation legal guidelines set by the Parliament, each on the state stage and the nationwide stage, and that must be instructive even to these of us and people of you within the media. It’s factor that’s arising now.

“BudgIT has all the time been monitoring finances execution from the purpose of allocation to the purpose of launch and execution of tasks. This downside might even be extra widespread than the states that had been talked about. It’s simply that lately a number of tasks had been accomplished in Lagos.”

He additional criticised the politicisation of governance, which he stated results in the proliferation of deserted tasks. “Politicians have politicised every thing. They need their very own information to surpass the information of their predecessors, so as a substitute of finishing present tasks, they’ll begin new ones, which they themselves could not end.

“Ogun State is a foul instance of this, the place deserted tasks are widespread. A lot of the outdated tasks weren’t accomplished, and it will likely be stated no new tasks have even been inaugurated regardless of the humongous amount of cash that’s coming to their coffers. So what Budgit has eradicated could also be removed from actuality.”

He known as for stronger enforcement by anti-graft companies and stricter penalties. “Each states and native authorities officers who’re discovered wanting must be totally punished by anti-graft companies.

“All of those companies must be empowered to do their work to the extent that everyone that’s concerned, together with the federal government, in the event that they don’t execute the undertaking that has been awarded, they shouldn’t be allowed to start out one other, in order that on the finish of the day folks can have the chance of respiration the air of freedom and benefit from the dividends of democracy the way in which they want it.

“As a result of there aren’t any penalties for abandonment of a undertaking, it’s virtually a practice for native officers to only determine to start out one other undertaking even when there are a number of different ones that have to be executed.”