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By Merit Ibe
The paradox of oil wealth and widespread poverty is one painful reality that tortures the psyche of Nigerian masses.
Part of the contributory factors to the economic stagnation is the growing vault of abandoned projects in the country.
Economic experts have expressed concerns that despite the swelling austerity, the country flaunts gigantic edifices rotting away, with many more in cue to serve as conduit for graft and profligacy.
Estimates by Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors suggest that over 56,000 projects have been abandoned nationwide, which includes warehouses, half-built roads, dilapidated bridges, deserted housing estates, non-functional airports due to poor planning, lack of funding, corruption and policy changes, like the relocation of the capital from Lagos to Abuja, which left many government properties behind.
Across the country, scores of government projects worth trillions of naira have been left to decay, experts say.
These projects, which spread across all states and sectors, have a combined estimated value of over N17 trillion, according to the Chartered Institute of Project Managers of Nigeria (CIPMN).
The CIPMN registrar, Henry Mbadiwe, listed poor project planning, poor budgetary allocation, an inefficient legal system, corruption and weak institutions as reasons for this.
Instead of allowing these projects to continue as waste, depriving the economy of huge revenue, experts suggest that they can be channeled into profitable use.
These structures which have been abandoned for decades are economic opportunities buried under corruption, poor planning, and neglect, which could have been generating revenue for the government if put into proper use.
On the list of some of the abandoned, underutilised and incomplete buildings and projects in Lagos are the old Federal Secretariat complex in Ikoyi; Federal Government’s Guest Houses on Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos; Federal Ministry of Justice, Annex building on Marina/Broad Street, Lagos; Net Building; 18-storey NSITF building on Lagos-Badagry Road and various buildings housing the Federal Ministries office at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), Lagos.
The decay is not limited to government projects. Nigeria’s once-vibrant industrial estates have also suffered neglect. Created in the 1970s to drive industrialisation, estates in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano, and Abuja now wear a look of desolation.
At Ikeja and Apapa, where companies like Michelin, Dunlop and the Nigerian Textile Mills once thrived, factories have folded up. Some complexes now house churches, hotels, or residential buildings. Others, like Dunlop’s former headquarters, stand abandoned.
Power shortages, bad roads, insecurity, and corruption have all been cited as reasons for this collapse.
Experts argue that corruption is at the heart of this malaise. Contracts are often inflated, padded or awarded to unqualified cronies of those in power. Funds are diverted and midway, contractors abandon projects once the money dries up. In some cases, governments themselves renege on payment agreements, leaving contractors stranded.
“Most contracts are compromised at source because awarding agencies take their cut upfront, leaving little for actual work,” a stakeholder explained.
Another major cause is the lack of continuity. Successive governments often abandon projects initiated by predecessors, preferring to chase “legacy projects.” These new initiatives, too, sometimes end in the same cycle of corruption and neglect.
Analysts warn that if even half of these projects had been completed, Nigeria would have reaped enormous benefits, from jobs and wealth creation to improved infrastructure and reduced crime.
Some experts blamed corruption, lack of maintenance culture, ego among leaders, prolonged litigation and lack of innovation for long abandonment of many of the projects which have become an eye-sore.
The government could redesign, repurpose, or hand over these structures to private organisations or multinational corporations who are willing to do Public Private Partnership (PPP), so the government can generate revenue and create employment opportunities for the populace.
Some of these monumental edifices are rotting away, stalling economic growth.
In 2011, a committee set up by former President Goodluck Jonathan said about 63 per cent of the projects initiated after Nigeria’s independence had been abandoned. The committee uncovered that the Federal Government abandoned 11,866 projects.
To move forward, experts suggest that governments must trace these projects, carry out reassessments, and resuscitate viable ones. Infrastructure projects/ contracts should not be politicised to reduce politically induced abandonment.
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Each abandoned project represents not just wasted funds but also lost jobs, reduced productivity, and unmet infrastructural needs.
Nigeria’s abandoned projects reflect a pattern of waste that undermines development, erodes public trust, and leaves communities worse off. While the government speaks of reviving some of these assets, experts insist that without transparency, accountability, and a clear strategy to involve the private sector, history will only repeat itself.
In his comments, the Project Implementation Team Leader of the Calabar and Gulf of Guinea Municipal and Trade Centre Limited By Guarantee, David Etim, noted that abandoned projects, generally, from a government perspective, are caused by inadequate funding, funds diversion, improper planning among others.
“Somebody just conceives a project, throws government money at it without proper planning, and then abandons it.
“In some cases, the project was never designed to succeed, it was just a scheme to siphon funds.”
Etim also highlighted donor-funded projects that stall once initial foreign support ends. “The donors trigger the project, expecting the government to complete it. But when the government fails to bring in its share of capital, the project simply dies.”
Political influence plays a role too. Factories, schools, and hospitals are sometimes sited in locations with no access to raw materials or supporting infrastructure, just to please a minister’s hometown. Inevitably, they collapse.
“The government must appraise each project,” Etim insists, adding that “If it has no viability, then repurpose it. Land and infrastructure have already been acquired. Instead of leaving them to waste, let us use those assets for something profitable.”
Daniel Dickson-Okezie, a public affairs analyst, described the situation as really worrisome, pointing to the billions sunk into assets such as the Airport Hotel and conference centre at MMA2, the East-West Road, the 32-storey Marina building, the National Stadium in Surulere, and countless others scattered nationwide.
“According to estimates, over N17 trillion worth of public projects lie abandoned across Nigeria. These range from roads and bridges to airports, hotels, housing estates, and industrial complexes such as the Ajaokuta Steel Plant.”
He cited disputes and litigations as major culprits.
“For instance, the Airport Hotel and conference centre project at MMA2 has been tied up in court for more than a decade due to disagreements between Bi-Courtney Aviation Services and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
“Relocation of the seat of government from Lagos to Abuja in the 1990s also left behind a trail of disused properties such as the Federal Secretariat. Corruption, poor project planning, unqualified contractors, and weak implementation of privatization policies further complicate matters.
“There’s a mindset problem,” Dickson-Okezie added, noting that people see government assets as nobody’s property. If the Secretariat or the Airport Hotel were privately owned, they would never have been allowed to rot.”
He noted that the implications are dire, which include revenue loss. “The government continues to borrow heavily while assets that could generate daily income waste away. “You can imagine how much the Airport Hotel or the Federal Secretariat would have earned if concessioned or rented out,” Dickson-Okezie lamented.
“Abandoned estates and high-rise buildings could have been converted into residential apartments, easing Nigeria’s housing deficit.
“Empty complexes have become hideouts for criminals, posing security risks. These abandoned sites provide cover for kidnappers, robbers, and gangs.”
Dickson-Okezie warned that Nigeria is borrowing to survive, yet the solutions to our revenue crisis are lying in ruins before our very eyes.
Ehimigbai Omokhia, a board member, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria Export Group (MANEG) recalled how the Agbado-Berger road project in Ogun State displaced residents, some of whom later died after losing their homes and rental income. Yet, the road remains a white elephant.
“Beyond economic waste, abandoned projects cause environmental blight, job losses, insecurity, and even deaths,” Omokhia stressed.
He argued that the government must reprioritize projects and put people’s needs first. “Of what benefit is a Lagos-Calabar coastal road when the Benin-Onitsha and Benin-Sapele-Warri roads are nearly impassable, “ he queried.
Suggesting concessioning or selling unused assets to private investors, Omokhia cited the case of the old Secretariat in Ikoyi that could be turned into residential buildings, while the Surulere National Stadium could be revived through private ownership.
The Ajaokuta Steel Complex, a perennial symbol of Nigeria’s failed industrial dreams, is often cited as the starkest example. “Any Nigerian who visits there today will weep,” Omokhia said.
