Tracka Report Exposes 92 Fraudulent Projects, Billions Wasted Nationwide

Tracka, BudgIT’s civic platform for tracking public projects, has released its 2024/2025 Project Tracking Report, uncovering widespread cases of abandoned, incomplete and fraudulently executed government projects across Nigeria despite substantial budgetary allocations.

The report, contained in a statement signed by Nancy Odimegwu, Senior Communications Associate, revealed that Tracka monitored 2,760 projects across 28 states during the reporting period, exposing deep gaps between public spending and real development outcomes.

Out of the projects tracked, 1,438 were completed, 660 were ongoing, 99 were abandoned, 471 were not executed at all, while 92 projects were classified as fraudulently delivered. These fraudulent cases involved diversion of funds, relocation of projects without approval, payments for projects executed in previous budget cycles, partial implementation, and poor-quality execution.

Imo State recorded the highest incidence of fraudulent projects at 17.43%, followed by Lagos (12.73%), Kwara (11.76%), Abia (10.67%) and Ogun (8.33%). Together, the five states accounted for 57.1% of all fraudulently delivered projects, representing ₦8.61 billion out of the ₦15.07 billion disbursed in this category.

The report also provided sector-focused insights, assessing dam projects, revitalised primary healthcare centres, and federally funded projects in the Niger Delta to better understand how public investments translate into community impact.

Following repeated national grid collapses in 2024, Tracka tracked 16 dam-related projects across 13 states valued at ₦432 million. None had been completed at the time of assessment, with four abandoned, six progressing slowly, and six yet to commence despite funding.

In the healthcare sector, 47 revitalised primary healthcare centres were tracked across 25 states. While 26 showed visible improvements, 12 were under renovation, eight had no intervention despite budgetary provisions, and one was completely abandoned. Many affected communities continued to suffer poor access to healthcare due to inadequate staffing, weak sanitation and poor equipment.

In the Niger Delta, Tracka monitored 48 federally funded projects across Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Delta and Rivers states. Of these, 29 were completed, 13 had not commenced, four were ongoing, and two were untraceable despite confirmed funding.

Despite the challenges, the report highlighted 15 success stories attributed to active citizen engagement, including healthcare facility upgrades, school renovations, erosion control projects, disability empowerment programmes, and improved access to clean water in several states.

Reacting to the findings, Head of Tracka, Joshua Osiyemi, stressed the critical role of citizen oversight in ensuring accountability. He noted that while Tracka monitored only 11.2% of budgeted projects, broader citizen participation could significantly reduce corruption and improve service delivery nationwide.

The report called on the government to publish detailed project information, ensure timely release of funds, strengthen supervision, and prioritise socially impactful projects. It also urged anti-corruption agencies to act proactively and encouraged citizens to actively monitor projects in their communities using platforms like Tracka.

According to Tracka, the 2024/2025 report stands as both a warning and a call to action, stressing that without accountability, public resources will continue to be wasted, but with citizen engagement, public spending can deliver meaningful and measurable impact.