Oyingbo, Rivers – Residents of Obeta-Ndoki in Oyigbo Local Government Area, of Rivers State, are facing ongoing hardships due to the lack of access to safe drinking water, nearly 19 months after the federal government released ₦10.6 million for the rehabilitation of their local water scheme.

A recent investigation by Tracka, a civic technology platform under BudgIT Nigeria, has highlighted what appears to be a case of stalled public project execution, with no visible progress on the ground despite full payment to the contractor.

The project, funded under the 2024 budget of the Niger Delta River Basin Development Authority (NDRBDA), was intended to rehabilitate the community's water scheme, including reticulation to distribute water to households.

According to payment records from the federal government's Open Treasury portal, ₦10,604,651.17 was disbursed on June 21, 2024, to Jonac Multi Purpose Company Limited for the work.

However, a site visit by Tracka's team revealed an overgrown and neglected area, with an existing water tower standing idle amid tall grass and vegetation, showing no signs of recent construction or upgrades.

Without the promised improvements, community members including men, women, and children continue to rely on a nearby village stream for all their water needs, including drinking, cooking, and bathing.

Tracka reports that this stream is polluted and shared with animals, leading to frequent outbreaks of waterborne diseases such as cholera and diarrhea. This has exacerbated health challenges in an area already underserved by medical facilities, turning a public health initiative into a symbol of systemic neglect.

Tracka, which empowers citizens to monitor public projects through data and field reports, first flagged the issue in an April 2024 post noting a ₦15 million allocation in the 2023 federal budget for a similar water rehabilitation effort in the same community.

"This is yet another case of taxpayers' money yet to deliver value to the people," stated Tracka in a post on January 11, 2026.

They have urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the contractor and ensure project completion.

Mark, a government project monitoring site, confirms the project's registration but provides no updates on implementation status since its listing in early 2025.

This incident comes amid growing concerns over accountability in Nigeria's public spending, especially as citizens grapple with economic pressures from recent tax reforms. Civic groups like Tracka encourage the public to use tools such as the Open Treasury portal for tracking disbursements and reporting discrepancies.

As of now, neither the NDRBDA nor Jonac Multi Purpose Company Limited has publicly responded to the allegations.

Officials from the Rivers State government and federal authorities have been contacted for comment, but no responses were available at the time of reporting.

Residents of Obeta-Ndoki hope that increased scrutiny will finally bring the clean water they were promised, affirming that access to safe water remains a fundamental human right in one of Nigeria's oil-rich regions.