Perceptions of Causes, Effects, and Solutions to Abandoned Public Building Projects in Benue State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the perceptions of causes, effects, and solutions to abandoned public building projects in Benue State, Nigeria. Three research questions guided the study. The study adopted a survey research design. The study used the entire population of 34 respondents made up of building professionals and supervisors. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation for answering the research questions and a t-test was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that there are many types of abandoned public housing projects in Benue State such as government quarters, public toilets, and warehouses among others. Findings also revealed that lack of proper analysis, delayed disbursement of funds to the contractors, and non-continuation of projects by successive regimes are some of the causes of abandonment of public house projects in Benue State. Findings further show that a professional team ensuring proper monitoring of the progress of work, timely disbursement of funds to contractors, background check of contractors’ financial capacity before awarding a contract, and implementing strict penalties for both parties for breach of contract are some of the solutions to the problem of abandoned public houses projects. It was concluded that the causes of abandoned public house projects are surmountable with the implementation of the solutions proffered. It was recommended that the government of Benue State should ensure timely disbursement of funds to contractors to ensure projects are completed within the specified time.