By Jude Odo (Regional Editor, South-East)
In the heart of Enugu State, the Adada River was meant to become a lifeline for thousands of people. In 2011, the Federal Government flagged off the construction of the Adada River Dam, a ₦2.57 billion project designed to provide potable water, electricity and irrigation to communities in Enugu North Senatorial District.
The project was facilitated by the late Distinguished Senator Ayogu Eze, who described it as “the biggest Federal Government project in the area since the establishment of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, over 40 years ago.”
The contract was awarded to Roudo Nigeria Limited, with approximately ₦289 million reportedly paid as mobilisation to commence work. The project was ambitious: a homogeneous earth dam measuring 347.565 metres in length and 18 metres in height, with a reservoir capacity of 2.978 million cubic metres.
It was expected to transform the largely agrarian communities, create employment opportunities, support irrigation and provide a foundation for the development aspirations associated with the proposed Adada State.
However, the dream appeared to falter barely a year after its commencement.
By April 2012, Senator Eze had petitioned the then Minister of Water Resources, calling for the immediate revocation of the contract. According to the petition, work had progressed no further than site clearing, which had itself reportedly become overgrown with weeds.
In the petition, Senator Eze alleged that the contractor’s conduct was “calculated to defraud the people of my senatorial district and embarrass me, who is the project facilitator.” He called on the Ministry to recover the mobilisation fee, prosecute the contractor for alleged fraud and award the project to a more experienced company.
However, according to the account available to MMS Plus, the petition did not produce the desired action from the Ministry.
A Decade of Uncertainty
For more than a decade, the Adada Dam project has remained shrouded in uncertainty, with conflicting accounts over its status and level of completion.
While official pronouncements have continued to suggest progress, the communities that were expected to benefit from the project remain sceptical.
In 2025, the Federal Government reportedly reaffirmed its commitment to completing the Adada Dam by 2026, while some reports placed the project at 78 per cent completion. The Minister of Water Resources has also described the area as “a paradise yet to be discovered.”
But residents of Enugu North are asking a fundamental question: if the project is indeed at 78 per cent completion, why have its promised benefits remained largely elusive?
As far back as 2020, the Nsukka Zonal Forum petitioned the government, noting that nine years after the project commenced, it remained “largely on the drawing board.”
Community groups have continued to point to persistent water shortages, the absence of the anticipated irrigation benefits and the unfulfilled promise of electricity generation.
Investigation by MMS Plus indicates growing concern among stakeholders in Enugu North that the Adada River Dam project must not be allowed to disappear into the annals of abandoned government projects.
A structural engineer, Dr. Godwin Eze, told MMS Plus that stakeholders in the zone should take strategic steps to compel the contractor to return to the site or account for the funds received.
“We shall form a united coalition of traditional rulers, women’s groups, youth associations and community leaders and engage the current Senator representing Enugu North, Distinguished Senator Ikeje Asogwa,” he said.
According to him, the Senator should be presented with the project’s historical documentation, including the contract details, mobilisation payment and records of the project’s prolonged abandonment.
“He must be urged to sponsor a Senate motion demanding a transparent status report on the Adada River Dam Project,” Eze added.
Similarly, Chief Anayochukwu Ugwuanyi told MMS Plus that stakeholders should petition the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and renew their demand for action.
He said the government should provide clear answers to several questions: Is the original contractor still responsible for the project? Has the contract been revoked? How much funding has been released since 2011? And, critically, what is the basis for the reported 78 per cent completion figure?
A prominent political figure in Nsukka, who requested anonymity, alleged that the Adada River Dam project had become a vehicle for financial mismanagement rather than the development intervention originally intended.
He said a critical appraisal of the project revealed what he described as “a persistent pattern of financial mismanagement, contractual breaches and a damaging lack of transparency,” arguing that the situation pointed to systemic problems rather than mere bureaucratic delays.
“It was painful that the project awarded in 2010 was deliberately delayed after a sum of ₦289 million was paid as mobilisation. It significantly stalled and failed to progress beyond site clearing a year after its groundbreaking,” he alleged.
These allegations could not be independently verified by MMS Plus.
The newspaper also sought to establish the position of the contractor and other parties involved in the project.
Mr. Sam Erouh, who was reportedly the Managing Director in charge of the Adada River Dam Project in 2010, could not be reached for comment despite efforts by MMS Plus.
The Adada River Dam project was conceived as a transformative intervention that would provide water, support agriculture, generate economic opportunities and improve the quality of life of communities across Enugu North.
Instead, more than a decade after its commencement, the project has become a source of frustration and unanswered questions.
The central issue is no longer simply when the dam will be completed, but what happened to the original contract, the mobilisation funds and subsequent allocations, and how the reported level of completion can be reconciled with the reality experienced by the communities.
For the people of Enugu North, the Adada Dam must not become another abandoned-project statistic. What they are demanding is transparency, accountability and a clear pathway to completion.
The people deserve the water, electricity, agricultural opportunities and economic prosperity that the project was intended to deliver. The time has come for the relevant authorities to provide definitive answers and, most importantly, complete the project.
