Bulmun Dakwal
Standing on what was meant to become the Mangu Bye Pass, Elisha Gutuwas points not to a busy highway bustling with heavy duty trucks, but to patches of maize and millet now growing where bulldozers once worked.
The land chosen to ease congestion in Mangu town has slowly returned to its original purpose. Thick grasses now cover long stretches of the abandoned route. In some places, the graded path has almost disappeared entirely beneath vegetation. Nearby, an unfinished bridge stretches halfway across a stream before ending abruptly, its exposed concrete pillars serving as a silent reminder of another government promise left unfulfilled.
For the people of Daika and surrounding communities, the project no longer represents hope. It has become a symbol of years of waiting.
“As you can see, the people got tired of waiting for the government and are already farming on the supposed road,” Mr Gutuwas told SecretsReporters during a visit to the project site.
“Since the government graded the road in 2021, they have not come back to continue any work here.”
His frustration mirrors that of many residents whose expectations were raised when construction equipment first arrived.
The Mangu Bye Pass was conceived as a strategic infrastructure project designed to divert vehicles, trailers and other heavy duty trucks away from Mangu township, easing congestion and reducing the pressure on the existing road network. Residents believed the project would shorten travel time, improve road safety and stimulate economic activities between Mangu and other neighbouring communities.
Instead, what remains is a half executed project that has continued to consume space in government budgets while making little visible progress in reality.
An analysis of Plateau State budget documents reviewed by Secrets Reporters shows that the bypass has appeared repeatedly in successive budgets over the last four years, raising questions about the pace of implementation and the management of public infrastructure projects.
The journey began in 2021, when the Plateau State Government awarded a 541 million naira contract through the Ministry of Works for the construction of the Mangu Bye Pass, making resident’s expectations high. High duty tractors and equipment arrived, portions of the route were graded and work commenced on a bridge intended to connect Sabon Gari to Bwai.
However, before long, construction slowed down and eventually stopped. Rather than disappearing from government plans, the project resurfaced in the 2023 approved budget, where another 150 million naira was allocated under the road construction programe for the “Construction of Mangu Bye Pass.” The fresh allocation suggested that government intended to continue work on the road after the initial contract stalled.
Yet budget implementation records reviewed by SecretsReporters indicate that despite the appropriation, no meaningful progress was recorded during the implementation period. For residents who had watched construction halt years earlier, the additional allocation brought renewed optimism that quickly faded as the project site remained largely deserted.
Two years later, the bypass again found its way into government spending plans. This time, the 2025 budget described it as the “Construction of 13KM Mangu Bye Pass” and significantly increased the allocation to 1 billion naira more than six times the amount provided in 2023. On paper, the increased budget felt like a renewed commitment to completing the long-delayed project. However, budget implementation records tell a different story.
Documents show that out of the 1 billion naira allocated for the bypass, only 60 million naira had been released during the reporting period, representing barely six percent of the approved allocation. The figures raise fresh concerns about whether the repeated budgetary allocations are translating into meaningful construction activity on the ground.
Each new budget announcement raises hopes that construction will finally resume. Each passing year without substantial progress deepens public scepticism.
When SecretsReporters visited the project corridor, the signs of abandonment were unmistakable.
The road that was once graded has become overgrown with weeds. In several sections, grasses have reclaimed the graded surface, making portions of the proposed bypass almost impossible to identify. The unfinished bridge leading towards Bwai remains suspended in time, preventing cars from using what should have become a major alternative route into the community.
For commercial driver Polycap Nanjwan, the abandoned project represents more than wasted public funds. It represents years of unrealised expectations.
“I remember when I saw people grading the road,” he recalled.
“My colleagues and I were very happy because we believed that once the bypass was completed, all the heavy trucks and buses would use that road. Traffic inside Mangu town would reduce and movement would become easier.”
Instead, he said, the construction stopped almost as quickly as it began.
“They came, gave us hope and left. It’s been over three years and we have not seen anybody again. If you go through the road now, you’ll see that it has been covered by grasses.”
For Martha Ambrose, the abandoned bridge turned what should have been a shorter journey into an unexpected detour.
She recalled travelling with a family member on a motorcycle after being told they could access Bwai through the newly constructed bypass.
Instead, they encountered an incomplete bridge that made the route impassable.
“We really thought the road had been fixed according to what people told us,” She said.
“But when we got there, we saw a huge gap created by the river and unfinished bridge pillars. We had to turn back and use the old Mangu Bwai road.”
Perhaps the greatest burden has been borne by farmers whose livelihoods were directly affected by the project.
Among them is Polycap Datugum, whose farmland lies along the proposed alignment.
According to him, government officials acquired part of his land when construction commenced, assuring affected residents that the sacrifice would serve the public interest. Years later, he says, neither the promised road nor compensation was given to him.
“My land was divided into two, and this place where you’re standing used to be part of my farm,” he said.
“We believed we would receive some form of compensation, but till today we have not heard anything.”
He paused before adding quietly “The government has not completed the road, and we cannot even farm on the part they took from us. We are hoping that the present administration will continue from where the previous government stopped.”
For accountability advocates, the Mangu Bye Pass illustrates a broader concern about public infrastructure delivery in Nigeria: projects are often announced with fanfare, repeatedly budgeted, and sometimes partially executed, yet communities continue to wait years for the promised benefits. In Mangu, the story is no longer just about an unfinished road. It is about residents who have watched budgets come and go while the bypass remains largely a promise on paper. Each new appropriation has rekindled hope that construction will resume, but on the ground, the overgrown road and abandoned bridge tell a different story.
Promises Revisited, Questions Remain
Four years after the Mangu Bye Pass was first conceived, there appears to be renewed hope for residents.
On July 22, 2026, Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang flagged off the construction of a 19.7-kilometre Mangu Bypass, describing it as a strategic investment that would decongest Mangu town, improve connectivity and transform the area into a major economic hub. According to the governor, his administration reviewed the project inherited from the previous government and expanded its scope from 14 kilometres to 19.7 kilometres, incorporating three major bridges, reinforced stone base, improved drainage systems and engineering standards expected to give the road a lifespan of more than 20 years.
The announcement has once again reignited hope among residents who have spent years waiting for the bypass to become a reality.
For commercial drivers, it promises relief from the daily traffic that have continued to plague Mangu town. For farmers, it offers the possibility of easier access to markets. For businesses, it could open new economic opportunities and reduce travel time for goods moving across Plateau State.
But optimism is accompanied by caution. This is not the first time the people of Mangu have been promised a bypass. They have watched contractors move to site before, bulldozers clear sections of the proposed route, watched bridge pillars rise from the river and also watched construction stop.
To many residents, the concern is no longer about announcements but it is about execution. Will this latest groundbreaking ceremony finally deliver the bypass that has existed on paper for years? Will the promises make in 2026 succeed where previous commitments fell short or will the Mangu Bye Pass return once again to future budget documents while the unfinished bridge, the overgrown road corridor and the reclaimed farmlands continue to tell a different story?
Until then, many residents say they have learnt to greet every new promise with cautious optimism.
Because in Mangu, history has taught them that a budget allocation is not a completed road, and a groundbreaking ceremony is not a guarantee that the journey will finally reach its destination.