BudgIT’s service delivery monitoring platform, Tracka, has revealed widespread cases of unexecuted, abandoned, and fraudulently delivered public projects across Nigeria, amounting to about N24bn.
According to Tracka’s 2024/2025 report titled “The People and Government Oversight: Connecting the Dots in Service Delivery,” unveiled in February 2026, Enugu State recorded one of the lowest proportions of unexecuted projects at just 1.1 per cent, placing it among the best-performing states in terms of project implementation.
Other states with low rates of unexecuted projects include Niger State (1.9 per cent), Bauchi State (3.9 per cent), Katsina State (4.4 per cent), and Ebonyi State (5.6 per cent).
In contrast, the report identified Benue State (40 per cent), Ondo State (32.4 per cent), Kwara State (30.4 per cent), Akwa Ibom State (27.3 per cent), and Sokoto State (25.6 per cent) as recording the highest proportions of projects that were not executed at all.
The report noted that these five states account for 28.8 per cent, or N2.19bn, of the total N7.60bn tied to projects that received funding but were never implemented.
On abandoned projects, Tracka highlighted Taraba State (29.9 per cent), Abia State (20 per cent), Nasarawa State (10.5 per cent), Adamawa State (7.5 per cent), and Ogun State (7.1 per cent) as the worst affected.
Collectively, these states account for 97.5 per cent of all abandoned projects tracked, representing N7.8bn out of N8bn already disbursed. However, 17 states recorded no abandoned projects within the period under review.
The report also raised concerns about fraudulently delivered projects—those marked by fund diversion, repeated budget allocations for previously completed projects, or substandard execution.
States with the highest rates of such irregularities include Imo State (17.4 per cent), Lagos State (12.7 per cent), Kwara State (11.8 per cent), Abia State (10.7 per cent), and Ogun State (8.3 per cent).
Together, they account for 57.1 per cent of fraudulently delivered projects, representing N8.61bn out of the N15.07bn disbursed for such projects.
Providing state-level insights, the report showed that despite a 6.9 per cent revenue increase in Benue State between 2023 and 2024, only 22 per cent of tracked projects were completed, while about 42 per cent were abandoned.
In Ondo State, only 25 out of 101 tracked projects were completed, with a significant number either unstarted or abandoned, reflecting a widening gap between increased budget allocations and actual service delivery.
Similarly, Kwara State recorded 12 fraudulently delivered projects out of 102 tracked, raising concerns about procurement integrity and contractor accountability.
In Akwa Ibom State, allocations surged by over 959 per cent, yet implementation outcomes remain under scrutiny, while Sokoto State continued to face execution gaps despite increased funding.
The report also assessed performance in Abia State under Governor Alex Otti, noting improved internally generated revenue but only 39 per cent project completion, alongside cases of abandonment and fraudulent delivery.
In Nasarawa State and Adamawa State, persistent implementation challenges were recorded despite fluctuating allocations, while Ogun State and Imo State showed significant execution gaps and irregularities.
Even Lagos State, despite its strong fiscal capacity, recorded cases of fraudulently delivered projects, underscoring governance concerns.
Reacting, civil society organisations blamed corruption, weak accountability systems, and poor planning for the trend.
Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Auwal Musa, said project abandonment has persisted across administrations, driven largely by corruption, political transitions, and inadequate funding.
Similarly, Executive Director of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran, attributed the problem to a lack of sanctions for erring officials and the politicisation of governance.
Both experts called for stricter oversight, enforcement by anti-graft agencies, and a shift towards prioritising impactful, well-planned projects to ensure value for public funds and improved service delivery.
