Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Chair of the UN General Assembly’s Fifth Committee, Amb. Jimoh Ibrahim, has warned against cost overruns, schedule delays and failure to achieve expected benefits in the implementation of major United Nations construction projects.
Jimoh gave the warning on Friday during the committee’s ninth plenary meeting of the 81st session of the General Assembly in New York, where delegates considered administrative, budgetary and construction-related matters.
The meeting examined progress reports on major infrastructure projects across the United Nations system, including the Capital Master Plan and the Strategic Heritage Plan of the United Nations Office at Geneva.
Addressing delegates, Jimoh emphasised the need for strict adherence to approved budgets, delivery schedules and the expected outcomes of the projects, stressing that effective project management remained essential to ensuring value for money.
He identified cost overruns, schedule delays and benefit shortfalls as critical challenges that must be avoided in the execution of the projects.
“Let me say clearly that the summary of all we have just said is that everyone here should run away from cost overrun, benefit shortfall and schedule delay in respect of all the projects,” he said.
The Nigerian diplomat further reiterated the committee’s commitment to ensuring that the projects remained within approved financial provisions, met their delivery timelines and achieved their intended objectives.
The Fifth Committee is one of the six main committees of the UN General Assembly, with responsibility for administrative and budgetary matters, including the financial implications of the organisation’s programmes and operations.
Jimoh’s intervention comes amid ongoing scrutiny of the financial and physical implementation of major UN construction projects, reinforcing the importance of accountability, prudent resource management and timely delivery in the execution of multilateral commitments.