Several unserviceable heavy-duty machines and industrial equipment worth millions of naira are reportedly wasting away across various sites in the country following the failure of the Ministry of Water Resources to conduct a scheduled public auction.
The abandoned assets, which include earth-moving machinery and other large industrial tools, have been left unattended for years at project sites in Gurara Dam (Niger State), Upper Benue, and Lower Benue in Doma, among others. Over time, they have become covered by weeds and exposed to harsh weather conditions.
According to reports, the ministry had on August 20, 2025, announced plans to auction the items in a public notice signed by the Chairman of its Board of Scraps and Unserviceable Items Committee, Mr. Moses Jo-Madugu. However, the process was allegedly halted due to internal disagreements among top officials of the ministry.
Speaking on the development, the President of the Nigeria Association of Auctioneers (NAA), Mr. Musa Kurra, accused the ministry of failing to follow due process and transparency guidelines required by law in public asset disposal.
“Since August 20, 2025, when the ministry advertised its intention to auction the unserviceable assets, nothing has happened,” Kurra said. “The officials have refused to issue any follow-up information or engage certified auctioneers as mandated by law.”
He described the initial advert as “defective and vague,” explaining that it neither invited licensed auctioneers to apply for appointment nor specified the dates and venues for the sales. “Everything is being done in secrecy,” he alleged.
Kurra further revealed that some ministry officials had allegedly taken private contractors to the abandoned sites without involving professional auctioneers. “This equipment was bought at millions of naira but has been left to decay under the sun and rain. Instead of recovering value for government, they are wasting national assets,” he lamented.
He urged the ministry to ensure full transparency and compliance with legal procedures in the disposal process, emphasizing that the Nigeria Association of Auctioneers must be carried along.
“The Ministry of Water Resources must do the right thing. Our objective is for the government to get value from the auction, not to allow valuable machinery to rot away,” Kurra said.
