Nine-year-old Kabiru Sani lost his life in November 2021, when he fell into a ditch dug by contractors of the Nigerian Government in Rigasa community of Kaduna State, in Northwestern Nigeria.
Recalling the sad event, Aisha Abubakar, Kabiru’s stepmother said she received the shocking news on a Friday morning. “He was dear to me, talented with a bright future. He was consistent in his struggles to make a living while at the same time attending school,” she told this reporter when he visited the community in October 2023.
“I wish the government could fast-track the construction of the abandoned erosion control project,” she said, referring to the ditch dug by contractors and which Kabiru fell into. She said Kabiru’s brother, Ibrahim Sani had survived the incident that claimed his brother’s life.
The family is one of many who have suffered death and injury due to the failure of the Nigerian Government to ensure the completion of the project which the contractor dug and abandoned.
In the densely populated Zagezagi area of Rigasa community, residents say a project aimed at alleviating the suffering of the people has now become a death trap for children. Many others have been denied road access due to the excavation. Among the countless victims of the ditch is Adama Abubakar, whose poor health condition and disability caused by stroke has made it a challenge for him to cross through a culvert sidewalk; an alternative route to the main road to access a hospital.
Residents say this reality also affects their children’s education saying the culvert sidewalk, which is the only alternative route, becomes sloppy during the rainy season.
This situation hampers their ability to pursue education, especially coming at a time when UNESCO revealed that Nigeria’s out-of-school children figure rose within a decade, from 10.5 million to 15 million. The number places Nigeria, India, and Pakistan at the highest spot in global ranking of out-of-school children.
This reporter learned that an erosion control project awarded by the Federal Ministry of Environment and started in December 2020 became the cause of the community’s much suffering. Residents accuse the contractor, Real Phenomenal Integral Services Limited, of abandoning the project despite receiving payment.
Since then, approximately 20 houses have been devoured by relentless landslides and erosion, leaving many families with only a few rooms, devoid of essential amenities such as a kitchen, toilet, or courtyards.
Nuhu Abubakar is one of the residents who continue to count losses from the erosion after his house sank. He now has a few rooms left which he shares with his wife and children. Facing the challenging condition in the area, a place devoid of access roads and marred by the plight of an abandoned project, Abubakar said no relief has been provided to alleviate the suffering of the people.
Many families such as the late Kabiru’s and others have become direct victims of the abandoned project and have become part of a larger, undocumented number of people in Rigasa community who have endured life-threatening circumstances.
How the project was awarded and abandoned
Over a decade ago, Zagezagi area of Rigasa, was hit by gully erosion. Residents say it was the effect of the actions of some residents who were clearing a field to construct a house. They were said to have pulled out two mango trees from their roots and that action was said to have resulted in a gully that consumed dozens of houses.
A resident of the community, whose home was consumed by the gully, Bila’atu Abubakar said residents had tried to control the erosion by mounting sandbags, creating drainages, but it had been unsuccessful.
“We struggled for years as different groups and organizations like the Rigasa Action and Awareness Forum, the Students’ Forum, and other groups combined with a team of engineers,” he said.
Speaking with this reporter, the President of Rigasa Students’ Forum, Muhammed Yahaya, while presenting copies of document submitted to government agencies said, “We submitted a comprehensive report of the erosion to the Ministry of Environment, the Ecological Fund, the local government, and even the Kaduna State Ministry of Environment.
He said they had been excited when in 2019, former Minister of Environment, Muhammad Mahmud, sent a delegation to supervise the level of damage caused by the gully erosion. “Months after, contractors resumed site in December 2020. They excavated the environment, but that only increased our suffering. The contractors abandoned the project and denied us access to the road,” he said.
Copies of the document presented by the president of the Rigasa Student Forum
“We were suspicious about the quality of the contractor’s work because they never mounted a signboard with the project specifications which should carry their organization’s names or full detail of the erosion control project,” he added
Before then, on November 28 and 30, 2020, an online platform, Crystal View, and the Facebook page of the then Minister of Environment, Muhammad Mahmood stated that the Rigasa erosion control project was awarded based on merit, after a rigorous screening process. Hyperlink the story by Crystal View and the Facebook page of the then-minister so that anyone reading your story can click on it
On the Facebook page and the Crystal View News story, it was also stated that representatives of the community clergymen, community-based organizations, the emirate council, and Igabi local government council were present at the project kick-up.
It explicitly indicated that Real Phenomenal Integral Services Limited secured the contract but did not capture the project details, or the amount the project was awarded or budgeted for.
However, the 2020 budget of the Federal Ministry of Environment shows that about ₦45,747,244 was budgeted for erosion control projects for the community. Information from the GovSpend portal shows that the contractor received the sum of ₦20,565,337.76 in April 2023 for the project.
Encounter with contractor
Despite the visible appearance of the ditch that claimed nine-year-old Kabiru’s life, the contractor, Real Phenomenal Integral Services Limited, whom residents say abandoned the project has been given a certificate of project completion by the Federal Ministry of Environment.
The company director, Abdul’aziz Usman Maigoro, affirmed that the project had been completed and mentioned that the Ministry of Environment has since issued a completion certificate.
Speaking to this reporter on October 12, 2023, Maigoro, when pressed for further details regarding the project promised to provide comprehensive information, but has since stopped answering calls. He also did not reply to SMS and WhatsApp chats.
Details of the company from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), identified Mr. Mailambu Lawal B. and Bashir Sulaiman as associates, directors, and secretaries. However, their contact details were absent from the CAC portal.
The organization’s website and social media accounts could not be located. Extensive searches on popular platforms such as Facebook, X, and LinkedIn, as well as standard search engines, yielded no results. Besides the corporate affairs commission’s portal, which displayed the company’s details and status as active, the only reference to the company’s details seems to be on the https://ng-check.com directory, where their information is displayed, even though the company’s status appears to be unknown on that portal.
Ministry remains mum
To gain a deeper understanding on why an uncompleted project will be marked as completed and the Federal Ministry of Environment will provide the contractor with a certificate of completion, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request was submitted to the Federal Ministry of Environment official email at info@environment.gov.ng on October 17, 2023. A reminder was sent on October 25th and 30th but there was no response to any of the requests.
After a long wait with no response from the ministry, the reporter called the ministry’s Public Relations Officer, Malam Haruna Ibrahim on November 8, 2023, and he responded that he would contact the ministry’s IT personnel to check the FOI requests sent. However, when pressed for more information on the project, he redirected this reporter to the Director of Erosion Control within the ministry.
A call was made to the director on November 9, 2023 and during the conversation, the director inquired whether the reporter was a Nigerian and confirmed the functionality of the ministry’s email system.
“Were you the one who sent me a text message? If you have any inquiries, please visit the office, provide an official written request addressed to the ministry, and we will respond accordingly,” he said.
He also inquired about the channel used for sending the FOI request and questioned whether this reporter was familiar with Nigeria’s operations. The call concluded with the director stating, “Understand how the system works and take appropriate action.”
Attempting to communicate with the ministry regarding project funding, payments made, project status, and contract terms was not successful. The challenges persist as the contractor insists on having completed the project, despite its current state of abandonment.
Community wants government to order contractor back to site
Abubakar Bello, the Galadiman Rigasa and a traditional title holder from the emirate council has expressed concern regarding the lack of completion of the project. He emphasized that it poses severe threats to life and requires immediate action and the prosecution of those responsible.
“We were initially elated upon receiving news of the government’s intention to alleviate the suffering of vulnerable people affected by landslides and erosion in Rigasa. However, our excitement quickly turned to shock due to delays and eventual abandonment of the project. This situation has been a source of great worry for us, particularly because it has already resulted in casualties and continues to pose a looming threat to the residents and neighbouring communities,” he said.
In light of these concerns, Bello urged that the contractor be held accountable while expressing confidence that the authorities would act decisively to address the issues and seek justice for the affected communities.
On their part, the founder and executive director of Enhancing Communities Action for Peace and Better Health Initiatives (e-CAPH), Yusha’u M. Abubakar, said the community is swarming with abandoned projects but explained that the uncompleted project in the Zaggezagi area is worrisome. He said the project had at one time been named after Bil’atu Abubakar, whose house was almost consumed by the erosion.
Abubakar, who is also a budget and accountability advocate with engagement in tracking budgets for almost a decade, said they intend to ensure that the contracting company and Ministry of Environment are forced to do the right thing.
“So, I urge the anti-graft agencies like the EFCC and the ICPC to act swiftly by ensuring every culprit faces the wrath of the law,” he said.
This story is published under the GovSpend Media Fellowship, supported by BudgIT, ICIR and MacArthur Foundation“
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