Policy Discontinuity, Abandoned Projects Hinder Nigeria's Development: Ex-Governor

Nigeria's persistent infrastructure deficit is not a matter of insufficient funds, but rather a critical failure in policy continuity, according to Boni Haruna, a former Governor of Adamawa State. Speaking at the 2026 Infrastructure Dialogue in Abuja, Haruna pointed to the pervasive culture of abandoning projects as a major impediment to national development.

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Infrastructure takes time to evolve. There are many abandoned projects in the country because successive governments often execute different projects from their predecessors.

Haruna lamented that political interests often trump the long-term vision required for infrastructure development. "Infrastructure takes time to evolve. There are many abandoned projects in the country because successive governments often execute different projects from their predecessors," he stated. To combat this, he called for the "legislation of continuity" for key national projects, suggesting that once approved by the Federal Executive Council and the National Assembly, projects should be binding on subsequent administrations, drawing parallels with successful programs in countries like South Africa that are backed by law.

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Once a project passes Federal Executive Council and National Assembly approval, it should be binding. Some countries like South Africa succeeded because their programmes are backed by essential laws, not just policy.

Echoing these concerns, Dr. Onuoha Nnachi, Convener of the Dialogue, identified "contract overpricing" as a "cancer" plagting Nigeria's development. He shared a stark example of a power project whose cost ballooned from 6.2 billion naira to 26 billion naira during the approval process, with mobilization fees also significantly inflated. Nnachi stressed the need for Nigerians to confront this issue honestly and move towards "coordinated, prudent financial management" instead of fragmented efforts.

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Contract overpricing is cancerous to Nigeria’s infrastructure.

While the challenges are significant, there are glimmers of progress. Nnachi commended the Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, for attracting over two billion dollars in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) through transparent leadership. Furthermore, the Bank of Industry (BOI) is taking steps to address the funding gap, with its Executive Director, Toyin Edu, disclosing board approval for a one billion dollar loan syndication to bolster infrastructure financing. These initiatives, coupled with a renewed focus on policy continuity and transparency, offer a path forward for Nigeria's development, though the deep-seated issues of political interference and inflated contracts remain formidable obstacles.

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If we don’t tell ourselves the truth as Nigerians, we cannot solve this peculiar problem. We must move from fragmented efforts to coordinated, prudent financial management.