EFCC probes abandoned N14bn Asaba-Onitsha road project

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has launched an investigation into the abandoned 11-kilometre Summit Junction-Asaba-Onitsha Head Bridge Road project in Delta State, following the expenditure of approximately N14bn by the contractor, Hartland Nigeria Limited. EFCC official disclosed the start of the probe on Monday, stating that investigators visited the site to assess the situation.

The investigation stems from a petition by Rev David Ugolor, a publisher of The Common Good Letter, who requested the anti-graft agency to probe allegations surrounding the award, funding, execution, and supervision of the project. Minister of Works, David Umahi, had also raised concerns about the contractor's failure to complete the road, despite receiving N14bn, during an August inspection of road infrastructure along the Agbor-Asaba-Onitsha corridor.

Ugolor's petition aimed to facilitate an independent and legally sustainable investigation into the allegations, emphasizing the need for evidence-based findings. The EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, was unavailable for comment at the time of reporting.