QUESTIONNAIRES ON CAUSES OF PROJECT ABANDONMENT IN NEGERIA

Title First Name.. Other Names ...........................................

Please tick where necessary
1.

Area of specialization
a) Architect

b) Engineer

c) surveyor

d) contractor

d) Student
2.

State Of Residence
a) Port Harcort

3.

b) Akwa Ibom

Bayelsa

Years of Experience
a) Less than 10yrs

KEY:

c) Delta

SA- Strongly Agree

b) 10-20yrs
A- Agree

US- Unsure

S/N

CAUSES

Improper Project Estimates

Bankruptcy Of Contractor

Inflation

Incompetent Project Managers/Poor Supervision

Bad Weather/Climatic Conditions

Death Of The Investor

Faulty Design Construction

Inconsistencies In Government Policies

Disbursement Delays

10

Improper

c)
D- Disagree

above 20yrs
SD-

SA

Documentation/Poor

Documentation

agreement
11

Poor Site Management

12

Community Interference

13

Lack Of Proper Risk Assessment

14

Leadership Instability

15

Corruption/Compromise/Bureaucratic Bottleneck

16

Mistakes During Construction

17

Unplanned Urbanization System

18

Land Or Legal Disputes

Of

Contract

Strongly
A

US

SD

Disagree

INTRODUCTION
Longman Dictionary (2005) defines abandon as to stop doing something because
there are too many problems and it is impossible to continue.

The abandonment of development projects can be defined as the act of discontinuing

any activities or maintenance works on such development project within a time frame of the
contract agreement and with no intention of returning back to the development (Spelman,
1993). Planning is foremost thing to be done if projects are to be completely executed
(Akindoyeni 1989).Corroborating, Ogunsemi (1991) the successful completion of a project
depends on adequate planning which also includes financial planning. The sight of abandoned
projects scattered across the length and breadth of Nigeria is alarming.
BACKGROUND OF STUDY
Construction industry in Nigeria had been a major source of employment for 70% of
labour force in the country, thus it controls the capital flow, as well as labour resources . The
unceasing abandonment of these development projects is so shocking in the developing
countries such that Nigerian has remained one of the countries in such difficulty (Ayodele and
Alabi, 2011; Kotangora, 1993; Osemenan, 1987).
Abandoned projects including Building, Civil Engineering and heave engineering
development project like: houses, churches, schools, roads, bridges, dams, tunnels, airport, sea
port etc. litter the whole Nigeria. Osemenan (1987) reported that Nigeria has become the
worlds Junk-yard of abandoned projects worth billions of naira and it is greatly unthinkable
that Nigeria blessed with so great potential in the construction industry can experience such
magnitude of project abandonment. Various studies on causes of project abandonment in Nigeria
generally has identified policy inconsistency, egoism of leadership on project conceptualization
instead of impact on the citizenry, funding, lack of planning amongst others. This study is aimed
at determining the major root causes for project abandonment and proffers solution to arresting
the ugly trend in the future with a view to addressing the decay in higher education in Nigeria.

OBJECTIVE OF STUDY

The purpose of this study is to investigate and assess the causes and effects of
development projects abandonment in Nigeria. Hence, the objectives of the term paper are: to
investigate and determine the causes of development projects abandonment and point out the
most prevalent of all of them through the use of questionnaires and a model system; to proffers
solution to arresting the ugly trend in the future.

LITERATURE REVIEW
The importance of the construction industry in the development of any nation cannot be
under emphasized. The industry provides the needed infrastructure for the growth of the

economy. Though, government spending is a major contributor to the industry, especially the
infrastructure sub-segment, other sectors also contributed positively on the industrys growth.
Despite, the strategic role of the industry in a growing economy like Nigeria, its contribution to
the Nations GDP of less than 2% is quite negligible when compared with some African
Countries (NBS, 2008).
A Projects development particularly infrastructural projects are intended to provide new
product and service to the community and at the same time promote the beauty of the built
environment, but this benefits are undermined and unattained because of its incessant
abandonment (Ayodele and Alabi, 2011). For example, osemenan (1987) concluded that Nigeria
has become the worlds junk-yard of abandoned projects worth billions of Naira. While
Kotangora (1993) in supporting the fact contended that there about 400 uncompleted or
abandoned development projects costing more than three hundred billion (#300 Billion) Naira
embarked upon by successive governments. The development projects are classified as
abandoned when the expected activities to be performed for the completion of the development
is stopped because of many difficulties surrounding the development (Longman Dictionary,
2005).
Huges, (1986) argues that it is the improper understanding and utilization of the basic
project managerial principles such as improper focus of the management by rewarding the wrong
actions for good and the lack of communication of the project goals that contributes to the
situation. While Chan et.al., (2002) argued that the project abandonment result from the
following: a lack of the project team promise; lack of contractors competencies; a lack of
understanding of risk and liability assessments; a lack of the clients competencies; a lack of the
end users needs; and the
end users imposed restrictions on the project development. Although, all development project
environments are different and every organization operates differently, therefore, a set of causes
may not be transferred from one project development environment to another. But, the use of a
broader procedure for that subsequent project development should be imperative though the
Nigerian development projects environment may seem similar; presenting the same threats to
almost all development projects. Hence, the conceptual investigation of the causes of
development projects abandonment in Nigeria in the subsequent sub-section of this study.

Causes of Development Projects Abandonment in Nigeria

Many development projects as earlier mentioned in the study are by their completion and
provisions predictedwould provide the needed products and services, and that should sustainably
enhanced real properties and its values in any economy. But, for these development projects,
certain issue has remained as the bane to their abandonment in the Nigeria
economy (Ayodele and Alabi, 2011; Efenudu, 2010). These issues/causes subjectively are
numerous such that they include: the inconsistence in government policies; persistent community
eruption and interference; lack of proper project development timing; and inappropriate
allocation of project finance. Others of these causes to development projects abandonment are
identified and enumerated in Table 2, and some of these has also been acknowledged and
evidenced in the works of Ayodele and Alabi, (2011), Akindoyemi (1989) and Aluko (2008). As
such, much more explanations are limited in this literature sub-section but are recognized by this
present study while few earlier stated causes are discussed. The inconsistencies in government
policies as a factor that causes the development projects abandonment is mostly connected to
where government leaderships changes (Efenudu, 2010). The new governments in most observed
scenarios abandon pervious government policies or programs with the hidden understanding of
embracing self-conceptualized projects. Although, this situation manifestation is made worse
during the era of frequent military intervention (1983-1996) in polities in Nigeria, but the NHP
(2011) stressed that even the present and past democratic dispensation had demonstrated this undevelopmental character better by adopting the inconsistency concepts and syndromes in policy
formulation and implementation in Nigeria system. This invariably should affect any other
development project that expects to utilize the products and services ought to be provided by
these projects such as real
Properties. Therefore, a policy that supports infrastructural projects development continuity is
imperative as this would add to improve real properties and its values in an economy.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This study utilized questionnaire surveys to collect data. General causes and effects of project
abandonment were elicited from Quantity Surveyors, Civil Engineers, Architects, Builders,
Contractors etc. around my environ. The general causes and effects of project abandonment were
listed in well-structured questionnaire and administered to Quantity Surveyors, Civil Engineers,
Architects, Builders, Lecturers, and my Civil Colleagues that have practiced for at least ten years
in the South South Nigeria (Port-Harcourt, Akwa ibom, Calabar, and Bayelsa State), these
people were part of the various groups of selected respondents who were identified using
purposive random sampling approach. These questionnaires were administered to the landlords
of property; residents/tenants, estate surveyors and valuers firm and project development
contractors/professionals. The respondent rated each factor on scale 1 5. Out of 50
questionnaires that were administered to the respondent in the study, 40 well completed
questionnaires retrieved formed the data in which the study is based which constituted an 80%
success rate. Based on the assertion by Moser and Kalton that the result of a survey could be
considered as biased and of little value if the return rate was lower than 3040%, the return rate
of 80% is considered adequate. The questionnaires developed using the five point Likert scale
method (5 = Strongly Agreed (SA); 4 = Agreed (A); 3 = Unsure (US); 2 = Disagreed (DA); and
1 = Strongly Disagreed (DSA)), this was then transformed to relative importance indices for each
of the causes (factors) of project abandonment. The completed and returned questionnaires were
analyzed using simple percentages and Relative Importance Index (R.I.I) based on the work of
Lim and Alum (1995). This is given as adjusted in this study as:
R.I.I = (5n5+ 4n4 + 3n3 +2n2 + n1) /5N)
Where:
n5 = Strongly Agree (SA); n4 = Agree (A); n3 = Unsure (US); n2 = Disagree (DA); n1 =
Strongly Disagree (SDA); and N = number of respondents.