By Adeyemi Adekunle
For 17-year-old Chenemi Oche, early February 2023 will forever remain a gloomy and tainted period in his memory.
Chenemi was at the peak of preparation for the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE) when news of his father’s death was broken to him.
On that fateful day, Aminu Oche, Chenemi’s father, was crossing the Abaji-Lokoja Expressway when a hit-and-run driver knocked him down.
Despite being rescued and taken to the Abaji General Hospital, Oche did not survive the accident due to the severity of his injuries.
Chenemi’s father was the sixth resident of Abaji, the boundary town between the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Kogi state, to be killed on the highway by hit-and-run drivers between January and February that year, according to locals.
Abaji, one of the six area councils in the FCT, is a central place where farmers from smaller communities bring their produce to sell.
Commuting to schools by children, farms, and even religious places for residents of Abaji often involves staring death in the eyes — crossing the ever-busy expressway.
For many, crossing the expressway was like embarking on a daily suicide mission, but they have no option but to dash across the road to pursue their normal activities.
While undertaking the treacherous road crossing, many locals have met their untimely death. Some who survived have lived with the scars — a permanent disability or life-threatening injuries.
Chenemi Oche , a secondary school leaver, and farmer
A death trap for residents
The Abuja-Lokoja Expressway, which cuts through Abaji, was envisioned as an economic lifeline, connecting the northern region to the east, south, and west. It is arguably one of the busiest roads in the country.
However, what was intended to be a blessing is now a source of sorrow for the people of Abaji and those of neighbouring communities.
Many have lost loved ones and breadwinners while attempting to cross the dual carriageway due to the absence of a pedestrian bridge.
One of the portions which pedestrians use to cross the expressway despite the risks involved
As the volume of traffic on the expressway increases every year, the number of cases of residents being killed by overspeeding vehicles also keep rising due to the lack of a pedestrian bridge.
In January 2018, Alhaji Adamu Baba Yunusa, the Ona of Abaji and chairman of the Council of Traditional Rulers in the FCT, appealed to the Ministry of Works to construct a pedestrian bridge in his community.
The traditional ruler said the need for the ministry to construct a pedestrian bridge became urgent due to incessant accidents that claimed the lives of his people on the highway.
A visit to Ona’s Palace exposed people’s skepticism about the contractor.
On October 22, 2024, this reporter visited the palace of Ona the on a fact-finding mission regarding the Abaji Pedestrian Bridge Project. The Chief of Staff to Ona explained the journey so far.
The Chief of staff spoke of his concerns regarding the impact of unfulfilled government promises on the community.
He said, ‘’although affected houses have been marked for demolition to pave the way for the pedestrian bridge, but many unfulfilled promises like the Abandoned FCT University of Science and Technology and abandoned roads project that have ravaged the community and other adjoining communities have made it difficult to believe in any project coming into the community.”
This sentiment reflects the prevalent distrust and disappointment felt by many residents, especially affected residents whose house were marked
He said the negotiated amount has been reduced by three.
‘’There has been apprehension among house people in Abaji because they were supposed to be paid in 2021 when those houses were marked
But it was until July this year 2024 that they got their payments.
“They complained to Ona about the cost of building materials which had tripled in the market compared to when the compensation was initially negotiated. But after persuasion from the Ona of Abaji, so that it would not look like we are against the government and the development it’s bringing to our communities they collected the money’’.
When questioned about the palace’s knowledge of the construction firm handling the project and what’s being done to hold the contractor accountable, the chief of staff confirmed that they were aware of RCC as the contractor and that they had sent pleas through letters to the Hon. Abdulrahman Ajiya, the member of the House of Representatives representing Abuja South Federal Constituency who is from the community for the bridge project to be executed. He said that one of the impacts of the letter written to the minister was the recent compensation paid to owners of affected buildings in Abaji.
Ibrahim Bisalam, a resident of Abaji and commercial motorcyclis
Ibrahim Bisalam, a resident of Abaji and commercial motorcyclist, has witnessed how residents have been knocked down on the road many times.
He shared his grief and frustration.
“A pedestrian bridge would have cushioned our anguish of losing our loved ones on this road,” he lamented.
“You see, this road has not only taken lives of people but has taken the breadwinners of homes away; people who were not anywhere close to their prime,” he added.
Bisalam’s voice, ladened with sorrow, reflects the collective heartache of a people grappling with avoidable losses and anguish.
In Abaji, Bisalam said many children have become orphans, wives widowed, and parents left childless owing to the failure of the authorities to act.
A pedestrian being helped on a motorbike after a hit-and-run driver knocked him down on the Abaji-Lokoja expressway on October 6, 2020
“Many who have sustained life-threatening injuries due to accidents on the road have been confined to a space and are living to tell their tales,” a disappointed Bisalam further laments.
Perhaps recurring incidents of hit-and-run on the expressway account in part for the rising cases of road accidents in the nation’s capital.
In the first quarter of 2024, a report by the identified Abuja, Kaduna, and Nasarawa states as having the highest number of road accidents in northern Nigeria.
The NBS said 1,471 Nigerians died across the country from 2,662 cases of road accidents in the first quarter of the year.
The report indicated that the FCT accounted for 273 cases of road accidents — the highest in the north region — within the period, due to speed limit violations and other factors.
However, the FRSC Abaji sector command could not provide data on the number of deaths linked to the absence of a pedestrian bridge in the locality.
An operative of the corps, who did not want to be named because he is not authorized to speak on behalf of the agency, said they are not able to record the cases of some deaths on the highway most times due to the failure of the residents to report cases of hit-and-run.
“Many of the incidents are either underreported or not reported at all,” the FRSC officer said.
“Most of the time, we also read such incidents in the media about a pedestrian being killed or knocked down, while some don’t even get to the public.”
A cheery news and dashed hope
Amidst hopelessness and grief as families continued to lose loved ones on the road, former President Muhammadu Buhari on May 17, 2019, brought what looked initially like a relief to the people of Abaji with the award of a contract for the construction of a pedestrian bridge on the expressway.
Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of Power, Works, and Housing at the time, told State House correspondents that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the contract for the construction of a pedestrian bridge at Abaji.
“The FEC approved the construction of an interchange and pedestrian bridge at Abaji for N7.197 billion to address the perennial problem of accidents in that place,’’ Fashola had said.
The news that the federal government had considered their plights and acted in the right way was long-awaited by the residents.
They were anxious, hoping that the decision would end their agony because, according to Bisalam, the ex-minister’s address was very assuring.
He said they all looked forward to seeing the commencement and completion of the project in a short while.
Babatunde Fashola, former Minister of Works, Housing and Power addressing journalists on 17th May 2019
However, almost five years after the contract was awarded to one of the construction giants in Nigeria, Reynolds Construction Company (RCC), the project has not kicked off.
Findings revealed that the pedestrian bridge was awarded at the time the construction firm was working on the dualisation of an expressway. The dualisation was awarded to Dantata and Sawoe Ltd. and RCC.
While Dantata and Sawoe Ltd was allocated the road work from the Abuja Airport junction to the Sheda area of Kwali Area Council, RCC was given the portion from Sheda, in Kwali area council to Abaji Area Council.
Residents said they have not sighted any official of the Federal Ministry of Works or those of the RCC on the road in respect of the pedestrian bridge. Many claimed they were not even sure of the exact location of the proposed pedestrian bridge.
Bisalam, whose commercial motorcycling takes him around the community daily, told this reporter that he had never come across any place where construction work for the bridge is taking place.
Another resident, Haroon Haruna, a youth leader, popularly known as Officer Light in Abaji, said he has not seen any official of the Federal Ministry of Works or construction workers measuring land or digging ground for the project.
Haruna, the spokesperson of the Abaji Youth Vanguard, said the lack of infrastructure has been a subject of agitation among the residents.
“The issue of a pedestrian bridge has been a top discussion for a very long time. It is long due in Abaji,” he said.
A look through the youth group’s social media page affirms that.
Alhaji Nasir Aminat, a member of the Abaji Youth Vanguard, had on the social media handle of the group called the attention of Philip Aduda, the immediate senator representing the FCT, to the need to construct a pedestrian bridge in the community.
Hon. Abdulrahman Ajiya, Member House of Representatives Abuja South.
Haruna, who has also lost some relatives on the road, is more vocal in his campaign for the pedestrian bridge to be constructed.
On September 30, 2023, he posted a message on social media, appealing to Abdulrahman Ajiya, the member of House of Representatives representing Abuja South Federal Constituency, which comprises Abaji, Kwali, Gwagwalada, and Kuje area councils.
Haruna commended the lawmaker but emphasised the need for a pedestrian bridge in Abaji.
Also, on November 1, 2023, the spokesperson of the youth group sent out another post, seeking an intervention on the issue of the pedestrian bridge after losing one Malam Lemu, a member of the community, reportedly knocked down by a hit-and-run driver.
Haruna said there is no accurate data on the number of deaths caused by the non-availability of a pedestrian bridge in Abaji.
While the site of the project is not known to many villagers, a few people who claimed to know the proposed location faulted the choice of the place.
Abubakar Suleiman, a civil engineer who told this reporter about the location of the project, questioned the choice of the site for the pedestrian bridge at the “Abaji-Toto junction”.
He argued that “in civil engineering, a pedestrian bridge should never be sited at a junction”.
He explained that such infrastructure is meant to save residents from danger and not place them in harm’s way, warning that a junction is already a high-risk area for both pedestrians and vehicles.
Though many believe that an ever-busy expressway such as Abaji needs more than one pedestrian bridge, Suleiman is optimistic that a single facility of such nature would “significantly” reduce the number of residents getting killed or injured while crossing.
Gwagwalada and Kwali area councils that are neigbhouring Abaji have pedestrian bridges. Gwagwalada has two, while Kwali has one that is yet to be completed.
Zakari Emirokpa, died on April 13,2022, after being hit by a vehicle while attempting to cross the road.
“Despite Abaji’s urban setting, its relatively low population density means one bridge would suffice for now,” he said.
Also, Gabriel Omodiale, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Gabbs Civil Engineering, Abuja, told this reporter that the construction company ought to have advised the government against the choice of the location of the project.
Omodiale said siting a pedestrian bridge at the intersection would be inappropriate.
However, some residents said they recently saw some officials marking structures at the Tooto-Abaji junction for demolition.
One of those who spoke to our correspondents, said they were told that the impending demolition exercise was in connection with the planned construction of a “flyover”.
But what they were not told is whether the flyover is the same as the long-awaited pedestrian bridge.
“Although it is a good thing, I feel that the Abaji pedestrian bridge is more paramount now than anything anyone can think of,’’ the resident, who asked not to be named, said.
A look through the 2023 and 2024 budgets showed that no provisions were made by the federal government for the construction of a flyover in Abaji.
FG paid N428m to RCC, but no work is done
A search revealed that the project was captured in the 2020 federal government budget and funds have been released to the RCC to commence the construction of the project.
Data available on govspend, which tracks federal government spending, shows that between November 4, 2020, and October 13, 2021, RCC received payment in three tranches, amounting to over N428 million for the construction of the Abaji pedestrian bridge.
The government paid N261,784,053.16 on November 4, 2020, to the construction giant, according to the record.
On December 22, 2020, RCC got N108,073,183.28, while on October 13, 2021, N53,714,285.71 was released, which made the total amount paid to be N423,571,522.15.
Despite these payments, the construction firm has not been seen in Abaji to commence work on the pedestrian bridge as at the time of filing this report in November.
Reynolds Construction Company(Nigeria) Limited, Headquarters in Abuja
Reynolds Construction Company(Nigeria) Limited, a subsidiary of Switzerland-based SBI International Holdings AG (SBI), which in turn is a Subsidiary of Shikun & Binui Holdings Group, based in Israel, prides itself as being at the forefront of global civil engineering, specializing in large-scale infrastructure projects. Its expertise encompasses every aspect of major infrastructure development, from conducting comprehensive feasibility studies and environmental assessments to intricate design and engineering processes, its mission statement indicates.
Reynolds Construction Company (Nigeria) Limited is currently controlled by Adedayo Solomon Odeyemi, an architect, as the chairman. Odeyemi is a Nigerian who is also a member of Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON) an association charged with the regulations of architects’ activities in Nigeria.
Architect Adedayo Solomon Odeyemi, RCC Chairman
According to the Reynolds Construction Company (Nigeria) Limited website, Nader Yusuf is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Asi Cohen Haelion is a director, while Kola Salisu also occupies the position of a director.
But further CAC search reveals more key management personnel of the company who are Swiss nationals. The secretary of Reynold Construction Company (Nigeria), Sanyasec Limited, is another firm situated in Ibadan Oyo State established as secretarial and financial firm and controlled by a Nigeria, Zaccheous Oludayo Ososanya.
Research further shows that the secretary of Reynold Construction
Sanyasec Limited is a Subsidiary of Miscellaneous Services and
Sanyasec Limited is a Subsidiary of Miscellaneous Services and Investment Ltd where Zacchaeus Oludayo Ososanya, who controls Sanyasec, the secretary at RCC, is also a director.
On July 16, this reporter reached out to RCC through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) letter for a reaction on the continued delay in the execution of the Abaji pedestrian bridge project and what had been done with the funds released.
Copy of FOI sent to Reynolds Construction Company
However, there has been no response from the construction firm till the time of filing this report.
Also, a FOIA request was sent to the Federal Ministry of Works seeking the details of the project and why it has not elicited no response.
The FOIA request was sent on July 16,2024 and was acknowledged on the same day.
On October 15, 2024, this reporter reached out to the information and communication desk of RCC through its mobile numbers to get facts concerning the project, but the number kept on ringing without response.
On October 17, 2024, this reporter reached the company’s Media and communication Manager, Mr. Olawale Ariyo, after an attempt to see him, a day earlier had failed by the security personnel at the gate of the construction firm in Abuja. This reporter sent an email, whatsapp messages, and calls via his mobile number with no response from any of these communication channels.
When contacted on September 3, 2024, for comments, Mohammed Ahmed, spokesperson of the works ministry, declined to speak on the project and claimed that he was not aware of the FOIA request.
FOI letter sent to the Federal Ministry of Works in Abuja.
However, Ahmed asked that copies of the FOI request be sent to him. The documents were made available on the same day.
A week after sending the copies of the FOI letter to the ministry’s spokesperson via WhatsApp, a reminder was sent to him September 10. But none of these were responded to.
Another attempt for clarity from Works Ministry
For three months this reporter made attempts to get clarity concerning the project from the federal ministry of works.
Amidst this silence this reporter reached out to Mr. John Bello-Onimisi FOIA Schedule Officer, Federal Ministry of Works Headquarters, Mabushi, Abuja, who is also a religious service team via his mobile number WhatsApp. All calls and WhatsApp messages remained unanswered.
Hon.Bar. Orji Uchenna Orji, Special Adviser on yMedia to Works Minister, David Umahi
On October 19, 2024, the reporter reached out to the Special Adviser to the Minister of Works on Media, Hon. Bar. Orji Uchenna Orji, requesting for information concerning the FOIA request submitted to the ministry three months earlier.
The special Adviser said since the request was not specifically addressed to him, he could not divulge any information regarding the contract. He advised the reporter to use the open door channel made available for such requests
A visit was made on October 21, 2024, to speak with the Director of Press at the ministry but the reporter was informed that the director was not on sit and told to wait. The reporter waited till 4.00pm when the reporter without being attended to by any official. The same scenario played out the next day when the reporter visited again.
This reporter also reached out to Abdulrahman Ajiya, the lawmaker representing the Abuja South Constituency comprising Gwagwalada, Kwali and Abaji in the House of Representatives, to find out what efforts had been made to get the project done.
He reached out to this reporter through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Haruna Adamu via WhatsApp.
He said, “great work is currently ongoing as payment for compensation agreed upon in 2021 has been made”.
Adamu said that there have been agitations by affected residents whose buildings have been marked for demolition because what they were paid in July 2024 is no longer realistic because of the cost of building materials which has tripled.
When asked about the number of people affected by the construction work, he said not less than 200 households will have to evacuate when the construction work commences. He stressed that the larger population of people in and around Abaji will benefit from the completion of the pedestrian bridge.
Adamu was also asked if the contractor was the one who paid the compensation to affected house owners, but he explained that the negotiation was between the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) and the owners of the affected building. It was the agency that valued each affected property before payments were made, he disclosed.
This reporter paid a visit to the Federal Capital Territory Development Authority (FCDA) and spoke with a senior official of the agency who was fully aware of the process but pleaded for anonymity. He said evaluation was done in 2021, but full payment was not made until July this year 2024.
On October 14 and 24 and 25 this reporter was at the Department of works FCDA to seek an audience from the Director of Works and the spokesperson but was told they were not available and messages sent to their mobile numbers were not responded to as at the time of filing this report.
When asked why the delay in payment despite the approval of the fund by the former president Muhammadu Buhari administration, he said although an announcement was made for the project in 2019, there were rigorous processes required, like negotiations with the affected landlords and traditional rulers.
“All these were discussions that took not months but years, and don’t forget there is paucity of funds to pay the affected people whose properties were affected”.
When the reporter asked the official if he knew which construction firm and the amount paid for the construction, he said the only thing he was aware of is that the FCDA was charged with creating space for the construction and that the agency had fully fulfilled the assignment by July this year.
This Investigation is supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the International Centre for Investigative Reporting
