17 years after, Gov. Mbah revisits abandoned International Conference Centre
By Nnamani Arinze Darlington
In August 2021, the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, NIQS, disclosed the existence of a large quantum of uncompleted projects, estimated to be worth N12 trillion. The Nigerian Society of Engineers, NSE, recently confirmed this fact in a lecture at the University of Ibadan.
It is estimated that there are over 56,000 abandoned projects in Nigeria. According to research, since 1960 two-thirds of large projects that were done were abandoned projects. A total of 11,886 federal government projects have been abandoned in the past 40 years. These abandoned projects are spread across all the six geo-political zones in the country.
From the North to the South and the East to the West, they all suffer from this malaise. The Southeast has the highest number of abandoned projects in the country with an estimated total of 15,000 followed by the South-south with 11,000. The South-west is next with an estimated total of 10,000 abandoned projects, The Northwest has 6,000, in the North-central 7,000, 5,000 in the Northeast while the federal capital territory (Abuja) has 2,000.
Many have asked the reason for this indecorum. They forget that government is a continuum; a relay race. The baton exchange must continue with each project following suit until they are fully actualized after its conceptualization.
The common abandonment of public projects traces to a lack of continuity in our government system. New regimes tend to abandon contracts awarded by their predecessors, especially when there is a rancorous takeover of power. Everyone wants to pursue his or her own “legacy” projects.
There is an ongoing total reconstruction and construction of the abandoned International Conference Centre. The 3,000-capacity auditorium was the brainchild of the previous administration of Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani which was abandoned in 2007. 17 years after, this massive project is gaining needed attention under Governor Peter Mbah. The centre has a 1500-seat capacity, a dome with a 500-seat capacity, a shopping mall, a food Court, and a recreation centre.
The project will have a huge impact on boosting wealth and employment creation in the state. It is estimated that the International Conference Centre when completed will create employment opportunities for about 1,500 persons directly and indirectly which is also a non-kinetic approach to solving problems of insecurity.
The Centre for Arts will be the finest of its kind in the whole of Southeast, it also features a shopping mall, at least 1,500 capacity art theatre which will feature dramas, stage plays, and a cinema. The International Conference Centre when completed will make Enugu state even more attractive for business and leisure which is in line with Mbah’s governance philosophy.
Enugu residents are happy to see that Governor Peter Mbah is not just a man who believes in the continuity philosophy of governance, but also a man whose word is his bond, Ekwu eme. He promised to complete the centre during his campaign, most people wrote that off as a mere political point, however, in less than one year in office, construction has begun at the centre.
This monumental project will provide the necessary support for government deliverables and economic transformation, which is readily discernible in Mbah’s quest to grow Enugu’s GDP from $4.4bn to $30bn in 4 – 8 years. So, where it is properly planned and executed, a megaproject like this is an excellent economic development accelerator.
Nnamani Arinze Darlington is a political analyst and a social commentator
