Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A public expenditure tracking platform, Tracka, has raised serious concerns over the non-implementation of a N100 million project budgeted in the 2025 Federal Government budget for the supply of tricycles to a community in Akwa Ibom State, revealing that the project remains untouched and that community members were completely unaware of its existence. In a post on its official X handle on July 15, 2026, Tracka disclosed that it tracked the N100 million allocated to the "Provision of 10 Tricycles with Accessories as Empowerment to Afaha Atai-Uyo, Akwa Ibom State" and found no evidence of execution. The platform further stated that the community was not aware of the provision before its visit, raising questions about the transparency and accountability of the implementing agency.
According to the project details, which were published on the Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group's website, the project was coded ERGP12231329 and was listed under the 2025 Appropriation Act. The project description read: "Provision of 10 Nos Tricycles With Accessories as Empowerment to Afaha Atai-Uyo, Akwa Ibom State," with a total budget of N100,000,000. However, when the Ibesikpo Asutan Shadow Budget Group, a partner of Tracka, visited the vicinity on November 28, 2025, they could not find any concrete information concerning the programme. The findings from that visit indicated that the project had not been implemented, and the community was unaware of the allocation.
Tracka, an initiative of the civic technology organisation BudgIT, is a community of active citizens that tracks the implementation of government projects to ensure service delivery and accountability. The platform enables citizens to monitor budgetary capital expenditure and constituency projects in their respective communities and provide feedback. The organisation has previously uncovered numerous instances of abandoned or unexecuted projects across the country, with a 2026 report indicating that out of 2,760 projects tracked, 92 were found to be fraudulent. In the Niger Delta region alone, Tracka monitored 48 federally funded projects across Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Delta, and Rivers states, finding that 13 had not commenced and two were untraceable despite confirmed funding.
The call for transparency in the Afaha Atai-Uyo project comes amid growing scrutiny of constituency and zonal intervention projects, which have often been criticised for lacking proper oversight and failing to deliver tangible benefits to communities. In the 2025 budget, the Federal Government approved over N163 billion for Zonal Intervention Projects, with Akwa Ibom State receiving N5.34 billion. However, Tracka's findings suggest that a significant portion of these funds may not be reaching the intended beneficiaries. The platform has previously raised alarms over "wasteful" empowerment projects, noting that over 50% of nominated projects from 2016 onwards have been empowerment programmes that are often vague and difficult to track.
Tracka has formally called on the Federal Ministry of Transport, the implementing agency for the project, to provide the public with details of the project and facilitate its execution. The platform's demand underscores the need for greater accountability in the management of public funds, particularly for projects that are meant to empower communities and improve livelihoods. The discovery of the unexecuted N100 million project in Afaha Atai-Uyo is a stark reminder of the challenges facing Nigeria's budget implementation process and the persistent gap between government promises and delivery.
As of the time of filing this report, the Federal Ministry of Transport had not issued a public response to Tracka's call for transparency. The Ministry, which is responsible for overseeing transportation-related projects, is expected to provide clarification on the status of the N100 million tricycle project and outline steps to ensure its execution. The people of Afaha Atai-Uyo, who were unaware of the budget provision, now await answers and action from the authorities. The case highlights the critical role of civil society organisations in holding the government accountable and ensuring that public funds are used for their intended purposes.
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