After her graduation from apprenticeship in late 2021, Taofeeq Folake, a hairdresser, hoped to have a blooming business that would fetch her money to manage her aged mother and her family, but this aspiration fell through because she lacked funds.

Though she was able to rent a shop, the unavailability of the necessary instruments for her job forced her to lock the shop.

“I can’t do anything in the shop since all the tools that I need are not there, even the hair dryer that I bought is with my mum and dust has eaten it up because I’m not using it. If these instruments are complete, I’ll open the shop,” Folake said with a sad heart.

Upon winning the 2019 elections, Ashiru Oyelola Yisa, the Senator representing Kwara South Senatorial District, nominated the construction of some skill acquisition centres with a joint budget of N224,000,000 at different locations, and the project was placed under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and awarded to Shawwal Multilinks Services Ltd. in 2021.

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WRAPPED BY WEEDS, NOT ACCESSIBLE

But Folake’s ordeal didn’t end there. As her shop remained locked, her income suffered a drastic defeat.  “Although I know how to do some big works in our business, I can’t do it because I don’t have the needed tools. My customers only patronise me when they have petty things to do and the payment for this cannot sustain me, let alone my family,” the young mother of two told FIJ.

Folake said that to sustain her busunes, she used to borrow some tools from her master, whose shop is not far from her place, or her friends who are in the same line of work as her. Due to the hidden reluctance usually displayed by these people whenever she approached them, she thought that this borrowing would not really help her business.

“If a customer comes with a lot of work, I resort to borrowing from my master or friends who all work around here,” she said. “But I don’t want to do that anymore because the reluctance to give these tools out is always shown on the face of these people clearly. They will tell me that I must not stay for long with it or I should return it immediately.”

“It would be a day of trouble and unnecessary shouting over my head if I fail to return it after use. This lack does not help my business. I wish I could have my own. There will be peace of mind for me.”

Meanwhile, one of the multi-millionaire projects had been built and completed as of January 2023 when FIJ visited its premises on Alubata road, Oju-Irin area, Oluyemo Community in Offa, Kwara State.

Residents who spoke with FIJ noted that they envisaged that the project would serve as an avenue for youths to learn various vocational skills and provide employment opportunities and economic growth to the community. But despite completion, it remains inaccessible for use and is now overgrown with grasses.

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Efforts to get access to the building were futile. FIJ observed that the front of the building was occupied by a motor mechanic who turned it to his plant.

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To unravel what has been deposited in the building, this reporter had to find his way through the filth and bush that surrounded the back of the premises. In a check through the windows, FIJ could see and ascertain some equipment like sewing machines, electronic hair dryers, washing bases and a generator locked inside the building.

DASHED HOPE: BITTER TALES OF RESIDENTS

Like others, Taofeeq Jimoh, a resident of the community had “high hopes” when he woke up to see the construction of the centre in 2021, but his dreams have not come to pass.

Narrating how the community welcomed the project with euphoria then, Jimoh said that they were all happy but not anymore now.

Jimoh said, “Just as it is with any developmental project when we saw what was being built, we were happy because we thought it would foster progress, boost our employability and alleviate poverty, but after its completion, we’re still waiting for it to be opened. We want it to be opened one of these days. This is our hope now so that the equipment kept inside would be distributed out to artisans.”

“If opened, there is a tendency that it would alleviate poverty and raise employability as we are in a third world country where there is nothing to fall back to. I don’t know why the project is not yet open, but if I were to talk to him (the lawmaker), I would inform him about the high expectations of our people.

“We are appealing to him to come to our aid because I think there are some projects after this that have been opened. I don’t know why this particular project is being delayed too.”

Another local, who asked not to be named, said that although he was aware of the completion of the building, he could not explain why it had not been opened for use by the lawmaker. “It is just a building which is not yet equipped,” he said.

PROJECT AWARDED TO INACTIVE COMPANY

By virtue of the provisions of the Company and Allied Matters (CAMA) Act 2020, all incorporated companies are required by law to file their annual returns with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), a government agency saddled with the responsibility of registering companies in Nigeria, at least once a year. Companies that do not comply with this are labeled as ‘inactive’.

FIJ can report that although the building was completely erected, the project was awarded to an inactive company. On the website of the Corporate Affairs Commission, findings reveal that Shawal Multilinks Services Ltd. is inactive.

Pursuant to Section 16(8)(d) of the Public Procurement Act 2007, a company is disqualified from partaking in procurement proceeding or holding government contracts if it “is in arrears regarding payment of due taxes, charges, pensions or social insurance contributions, unless such bidders have obtained a lawful permit with respect to allowance, deference of such outstanding payments or payment thereof in installments”.

The company is shown to be inactive because it has failed to pay its annual dues in the last two fiscal years as stipulated by the provisions of the CAMA Act. Thus, the award of the project to this company contravenes the law.

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‘A WASTED EFFORT’

Anthony Adejuwon, the accountability lead at Urban Alert, a civic-tech initiative that works on open governance and data-driven transparency, said that the project is a wasted effort since it is yet to be accessible after completion.

“It is not just about building the structure, it is about ensuring that it works for the people. Since the center is not open to be used, the money allotted to the project is nothing but a waste. This lawmaker has done nothing for the community because the centre has not yielded the expected purpose. When the accessibility is proven, we can then say he facilitated a project,” he said.

Adejuwon called on the lawmaker to commence the distribution of the equipment to avoid prosecution by the anti-graft agencies since the project is built from public funds.

“It is so unfortunate that the Nigerian government lacks the robust mechanism to track the distribution of the said equipment to artisans that need them and the onus lies on the community members to question this from the lawmaker. This equipment should be rightly distributed so that it won’t later end in the hands of the politician’s party members,” he urged.

Seyi Oyetunbi, a development expert at GovernMend, a nonprofit organisation committed to driving change in government policies through political education, noted that the inaccessibility of the centre is not only “bizarre but also condemnable”.

“The inaccessibility of the centre which is built with taxes is tantamount to mismanagement of public funds. This inaccessible facility is even more disturbing than one that never existed, and our democracy frowns at it because it displeases the populace. It could as well generate chaotic reactions that may set the community on fire,” he told FIJ.

LAWMAKER UNREACHABLE, AIDE FRUSTRATES COMMENTS

On July 30, 2022, the personal assistant/media aide of the lawmaker, Olaitan Adeyanju, assured that the equipment in the building, which was supplied two weeks earlier, would be rolled out without further hindrance, while saying that the project would be commissioned soon. Nine months after, FIJ can report that the project is still inaccessible and the equipment not distributed.

When FIJ contacted Adeyanju for comments on the findings, she assured again that “it will be commissioned and put to use anytime soon”, corroborating our earlier check that “the last tranche of equipment was supplied not too long ago”.

However, she failed to respond to further questions from this reporter. She pledged that she would call back in a moment. As of press time, she was yet to return the call and did not respond to messages.

FIJ’s attempt to speak with the lawmaker directly was frustrated, as texts and an email sent were not responded to.