Recently, Senator Suleiman Nazif, who represents Bauchi North in the Senate, gave vent to his concern over the alarming proliferation of abandoned projects in Nigeria. Most of these projects have remained abandoned and outlived the various governments that initiated them.

Indeed the problem is as pronounced at the federal as it is at the state level such that all sections of the country and tiers of government are heavily burdened with abandoned and uncompleted projects. A particular project that has been crying for attention for years is the Ajaokuta Steel Company whose completion has remained in abeyance after many administrations spanning decades. The senator’s worry derives from the fact that abandoned projects have remained a conduit pipe through which Nigeria’s resources are siphoned with criminal abandon at heavy costs to the nation.

Most of these are well-conceived projects which if faithfully executed would be beneficial to the Nigerian economy, especially in the area of creating more job opportunities. The plethora of abandoned projects that dot the country’s landscape has been traced to the unwillingness on the part of incoming governments to complete the projects initiated by their predecessors for reasons often tied to corruption.

Another major cause is the tendency of politicians to want to deny their predecessors the credit for projects they inherited. They feel far more fulfilled to abandon such projects and use available funds to start theirs which they can claim credit for. This is totally petty, uncalled for and a great disservice to the nation.

And this is a mistake which the present administration at the federal level can ill afford to make. We strongly recommend that the Muhammadu Buhari regime should take stock of all projects it inherited from the previous governments with a view to completing them before embarking on new ones.

For instance, the administration should continue with the revival of the 117-year old Nigerian rail system which previous regimes have been carrying out considering the importance of rail to Nigeria’s transportation system.  Happily the Minister for Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, has pledged to complete all ongoing rail projects and extend rail lines to all parts of the country.

Other projects that should be pursued with vigour include the Second Niger Bridge, the East/West Road , the Abuja/Kaduna Express, the Enugu/Port Harcourt Express, the Lagos/Ibadan Express, the Lokoja/Abuja Express, the Oshodi/Apapa Express and the completion of the transfer of the power sector to private business.

These and others in their class are not properties of any regime or political party but national assets that will boost the economic and social development of Nigeria.

The interests of the nation must remain paramount and must be pursued at all times irrespective of regime.