Flooding: Enugu resident sends FOI request to FG over abandoned Ivo Dam project

A involved Enugu State resident, Mr Jude Ogbonna, has written to the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, requesting the discharge of all paperwork relating to the Ivo River Dam Project in accordance with the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, 2011.

His request comes days after flooding wreaked havoc on a number of communities in Aninri Local Government Area of the state.

The letter, dated October 13, 2026, and titled “Application for All Relevant Paperworks Relating to the Award of Ivo River Dam Project/Ivo Multi-Purpose Earth Dam,” was sighted by DAILY POST on Thursday.

Ogbonna, a writer, requested particulars of the contract from the ministry, together with the letter of award or award discover, contract settlement or service-level settlement, invoice of portions (BOQ), project specs, bidding and procurement data, approval paperwork, fee and disbursement data, in addition to project standing and completion reviews.

In the letter, he mentioned he understood that the Ivo River Dam Project, also called the Ivo Multi-Purpose Earth Dam, was first captured within the nationwide funds by former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2009.

“I additionally perceive that D.A. Construction Limited and Anbeez Services Nigeria Limited had been concerned within the contract in some unspecified time in the future.

“If the info I’ve are appropriate, the project supposedly commenced in 2012.

“However, it has remained largely abandoned 14 years later, a development that has led to recurring disasters, especially in the surrounding Okpanku and Mpu communities in Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State,” he said.

Ogbonna described the latest flooding as solely considered one of a number of incidents that had affected the communities over the years.

“That specific incident was simply the tip of the iceberg, as many unreported circumstances of devastation had occurred previously in the identical areas due to the abandoned project.

“While public outcries have reached the representatives of the zone, there have been conflicting accounts of why the Ivo River Dam Project/Ivo Multi-Purpose Earth Dam was abandoned. It is in gentle of this that I’m requesting all of the paperwork relating to the project since its inception, because the folks of Aninri really deserve to know the reality in regards to the project.

“Please use your good office to help my people understand the root cause of this menace, which has continued to cost them their lives and property,” he added.

Under the FOI Act, the ministry has seven working days to reply to the request.