A sweeping civic oversight report has exposed deep-rooted failures in the execution of federal government-funded projects across Nigeria, revealing billions of naira lost to abandoned, uncompleted and fraudulently delivered schemes.
The 2024/2025 Project Tracking Report released on Thursday by Tracka — BudgIT’s citizen-driven monitoring platform — uncovered 92 projects worth ₦15.07 billion that were falsely reported as completed, despite clear evidence of diversion, poor execution or outright non-delivery.
Tracka monitored 2,760 projects spread across 28 states, painting a troubling picture of public sector accountability.
While 1,438 projects were confirmed as completed and 660 remain ongoing, a staggering 570 projects fell short of expectations. Of these, 471 were never executed at all, while 99 were abandoned midway.
Fraudulent Execution
According to the report, the fraudulently delivered projects involved practices such as relocating projects to unauthorised locations, paying contractors for work already done in previous years, executing projects partially, or delivering substandard outcomes that failed to meet approved specifications.
Imo, Lagos, Kwara, Abia and Ogun states emerged as major hotspots, collectively accounting for 57.1 per cent of the fraudulent projects — valued at ₦8.61 billion.
Beyond general infrastructure, Tracka conducted focused monitoring in critical sectors, including water resources, healthcare and federal interventions in the Niger Delta.
In response to repeated national grid collapses recorded in 2024, the platform tracked 16 dam projects across 13 states, with a combined value of ₦432 million. None of the projects had been completed. Four were abandoned entirely, six showed slow progress, while another six had not even commenced despite approved funding.
Healthcare infrastructure also raised serious concerns. Tracka assessed 47 revitalised primary healthcare centres in 25 states and found mixed outcomes. While 26 facilities showed visible improvements and 12 were under renovation, eight showed no evidence of intervention, and one facility had been completely abandoned.
The report noted that many communities continue to travel long distances for basic medical services due to inadequate staffing, poor equipment and sanitation challenges.
In the Niger Delta, 48 federally funded projects were tracked across Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Delta and Rivers states. Of these, 29 were completed, 13 had not commenced, four were ongoing, and two could not be traced despite confirmed budgetary allocations.
Project Outcomes
Despite the widespread failures, the report highlighted 15 success stories where citizen involvement helped improve project outcomes.
These included the revitalisation of the Kaida Sabo Primary Healthcare Centre, renovation works at Nawairudeen Primary School in Plateau State, the completion of a previously stalled healthcare facility in Ikirun, empowerment initiatives for persons with disabilities in Katsina, erosion control projects in Rivers State, and borehole installations in Akwa Ibom.
Speaking on the findings, Tracka’s Head, Joshua Osiyemi, underscored the power of civic participation in curbing corruption and improving governance.
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“If just five per cent of Nigerians actively engage in monitoring public projects, we could effectively oversee up to 50 per cent of government spending,” Osiyemi said. “That level of citizen oversight would drastically reduce corruption and significantly improve service delivery and quality of life across communities.”