In November 2019, Musa Adamu, a 35-year-old construction worker, was injured when a building collapsed on him while he and his coworkers were demolishing it. He was rushed to Kuje General Hospital and later transferred to the National Hospital in Garki, 37 km away.
After five months of treatment, Adamu was left with a spinal cord injury, impairing his lower body and requiring a catheter. Now living with his family of six, he struggles financially, relying on community support, and faces the added challenge of long hospital visits.
The Gwarinpa General Hospital, which has been under construction since 2010, remains incomplete. In 2012, the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan approved the development of a 220-bed hospital to meet the growing healthcare needs of Gwarinpa and nearby areas. However, during a visit to the site, UDEME found a partially completed structure surrounded by local huts from the Rugan Fulani community.
The administrative building had been roofed and plastered, but the main building remained unfinished with only a roof frame in place. Neglected construction materials and equipment were scattered across the site. Kabiru Muhammad, a former worker at the site, told UDEME that the last work was done in October 2023.
Remarks From Some Residents
Musa Umar, the chairman of Miyetti Allah in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) and leader of the Rugan Fulani community, expressed disappointment over the abandoned hospital project. He lamented that community members are forced to seek medical care elsewhere when they fall ill and admitted they have lost faith in the project, describing it as seemingly unattainable.
Salamatu Abubakar, a nursing mother and resident, shared her struggles with inadequate healthcare facilities. She explained that residents often rely on the Gwarinpa General Hospital in Lifecamp for antenatal care, but long wait times of up to five hours and early staff closures make it challenging. She recounted how her neighbor had to deliver her baby at a private hospital, which her husband could barely afford.
In some cases, local nurses and health practitioners step in to assist with childbirth in the community. The budgets for 2019, 2021, and 2022 allocated N500 million, N519 million, and N400 million, respectively, for the hospital project. According to Eyemark, a government accountability platform, the project was planned to span nine years, with the first phase expected to be completed by 2022. However, UDEME was unable to confirm the amount of funding actually released for the project, as officials refused to provide the information.
Efforts Made To Finish The Construction
The project falls under the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and is overseen by the Health and Human Services Secretariat. After two visits to the secretariat, UDEME sent a letter requesting information about the project to the FCTA, but has yet to receive a response.The contract for building the hospital was awarded to Mabelt Construction Co. Limited.
An independent lawyer hired by UDEME found that the company, based in Port Harcourt, is owned by Aseminaso Nyingierefaka, the brother of former first lady Patience Jonathan, who was in office when the contract was awarded in 2013. The lawyer’s report revealed that there is no record of contracts granted to the company in its file at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), which is unusual given the size of the contract.
Mabelt Construction, founded in 2006 in Rivers State, has three other directors: Ibiye Nyingierefaka, Patience Nyingierefaka, and Mary-jane Nyingierefaka. In 2015, a company resolution replaced Ibiye with Goodluck Nyingierefaka, Aseminaso’s son. Patience is thought to be Aseminaso’s wife. In July 2010, shortly after Jonathan became president, the FCT’s Health and Human Services Secretariat announced a tender for the contract. In 2012, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the project’s construction.
Olajumoke Akinjide, who was the Minister of State for the FCT, told the press that the hospital project was awarded at N3.8 billion. Mabelt Construction is among the companies allegedly used by Mrs. Jonathan to secure government contracts, according to sources at the EFCC. Mrs. Jonathan has been involved in several scandals, including a two-year legal battle with the EFCC, which led her to forfeit $8.4 million and $9.4 million in 2019.
Efforts to contact Mabelt Construction through messages, email, and a Freedom of Information request were unsuccessful. UDEME was unable to locate the company’s registered office address. Amina Miango, a lawyer and project manager at Law, Democracy, and Journalism, stated that while the contract award itself may not be illegal, it is morally wrong for the president’s wife to influence contracts to benefit her family. Procurement specialist Luckman Raji shared this view.
However, another lawyer, Christiana Longe, argued that the contract award was unethical, citing Section 57(12) of the Public Procurement Act 2007, which addresses conflicts of interest in procurement processes and calls for ethical conduct. Longe also mentioned that they had contacted Patience Jonathan’s aide, Ibarapakaye George, but had yet to receive a response.
Reason For The Delay
A site worker, who requested anonymity, informed UDEME that the project is still under evaluation before contractors can receive payment. He highlighted several challenges affecting the project, including disputes with local residents, delays caused by redesigning the hospital—a process that took nearly three years—payment delays, and cost reviews.
Additionally, the rising prices of materials and equipment since the project’s award in 2013 have further complicated progress. He claimed that approximately 80% of Phase 1 construction is complete but was unable to provide financial details.The worker expressed frustration, stating that his superiors hold all the financial information but refused to disclose further details or share contact information for his colleagues.
Despite the setbacks, residents of the Gwarinpa community remain optimistic about the hospital’s completion. Aisha Sulieman, a resident, shared that having a medical facility nearby would greatly ease life for her family and other community members.
