The concerted effort of the Imo State Government towards the completion of abandoned projects has been commended by the Citizens Center for Integrated Development and Social Rights (CCIDESOR).
When huge sums of money are earmarked for projects and they are not completed to the benefits of citizens, the short and long term intentions are eroded. Indeed, the Government of the day can change the narrative of governance if they exert and expedite effort in ensuring that uncompleted projects, irrespective of who the original initiator is, are completed. The State Government has started the completion especially that it has understood that government is continuum.
CCIDESOR has continued to advocate for completion of abandoned projects in the state which is for the ultimate gains of the citizens and builds political capital of the state government.
CCIDESOR has been the advocate of completion of abandoned projects for democratic gains.
At the centre of dividends of democracy is the effective and timely implementation of capital projects which help to improve the standard of living and livelihood of citizens. When the completion of capital projects implementation is delayed or abandoned, then democracy dividends have either been delayed or denied. But if the qualities of projects are poor, then the citizens have been short-changed. When government spends public funds on capital projects that don’t get finished or is abandoned, then dividend of democracy is delayed or denied.
To ascertain what causes the delay of democracy dividends to citizens, Citizens Center for Integrated Development and Social Rights (CCIDESOR) during her USAID project with focus on abandoned projects scattered all over the state, CCIDESOR did mapping of abandoned project in Imo State which was taken from 2010-2014, where about 121 capital projects were mapped. Out of the 121 capital projects, 32 were completed without quality, 51 projects were ongoing/uncompleted, while 34 projects were abandoned. 4 projects were not sighted. Most of the projects are still not completed. When one adds the number to the current motley of uncompleted projects, the number rises to a worrisome note.
CCIDESOR urges the state government to ensure that projects that provide dividends of democracy are completed before starting new ones stressing that since the intention still is for the development of the state, the completion will serve the purpose.
