As a believer in Jesus, you can approach each day with boldness and confidence. Why? Because He is with you, and in Him is everything you need. That means if you need provision for something today, provision is with you. If you need wisdom today, wisdom is with you. If you need strength, joy or peace today, they’re with you. Hallelujah!
Friends, you can be confident today, knowing that all of your needs are supplied spiritually, physically and emotionally, because the Lord is with you. And best of all, He’s promised never to leave you! Isn’t it good to know that you will always have whatever you need, any time you need it?
Today, please don’t let the devil’s lies, or pressure from the world, keep you from taking hold of everything the Lord has in store for you. Open your heart by faith, and receive whatever it is that you need right now. Just begin to thank Him for His provision in your life, and move forward in confidence and strength, knowing that the Lord is with you!
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9, ESV)
Let’s Pray
Yahweh, thank You for loving me. Father, thank You for Your faithfulness. I know that You are closer to me than the air I breathe. Thank You for supplying all my needs. Today, I receive Your promises in faith, and choose to cast all of my cares on You, in Christ’ Name! Amen.
Did you know that you were created with power and authority? Today’s scripture tells us that you have the mark of authority of the Almighty. We don’t often hear about signet rings anymore; but in Bible times, they were very significant. The signet ring was used to identify the message or messenger, and the authority they had. In other words, you knew something was from the king because it was marked by his signet ring. It was representative of power and authority. God has chosen and set you apart to be identified with Him. Hallelujah!
When you have someone’s power and authority, it’s like having power of attorney; you have the authority to act on behalf of that individual. As a believer in Jesus, you are marked with His seal. Think of all you have access to today!
Today, think about the authority you have. Everything God has is available to you—healing, provision, strength, peace, joy. You have been given authority to unlock His abundant blessings and power over all the forces of evil in Jesus’ name. Accept His seal, and you will be marked to live the abundant life He has in store for you!
“‘…I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the LORD Almighty.” (Haggai 2:23, NIV)
Let’s Pray
Yahweh, thank You for choosing me and calling me Your own. Father, help me to fully understand the authority and power You’ve placed in me, through Your Son and Holy Spirit. I receive all the supernatural blessings You have for me today, in Christ’ name! Amen.
I learnt while in Africa that rain is symbolic of God’s blessing and favour. Someone once said God’s Word is like rain that causes us to flourish and blossom. Scripture says we should live like a well-watered garden, vibrant and growing. We should live under a cloud of God’s blessing.
I’m told a cloud is formed when moisture rises up from the earth into the atmosphere. Eventually, the moisture is so abundant that the rain begins to fall. In the same way, your praise is like the invisible moisture that rises up to heaven and forms a cloud of blessings which will activate an outpouring of God’s blessing, favour and provision in your life. Hallelujah!
Today, if you feel like you are in a dry season, begin to praise and thank God that He is bringing you through to a place of refreshing. Praise God and magnify Him for His goodness until your praise forms clouds of blessings. As you turn up your praise, God will send down rain of blessings, and you will experience His abundant outpouring in every area of your life!
“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth. It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10–11, NIV)
Let’s Pray
Yahweh, today I praise and honour You. Father, thank You for this day. Thank You for giving me life. Thank You for making me new. Thank You for saving me and filling me with Your peace and joy. Hallelujah. I bless Your most Holy Name. God, please rain Your blessings on me today. I love You, in Christ’s Name! Amen.
We serve a God of favour and blessings. He longs to pour them out on you. He wants to show you His goodness and provision. Your part is to be diligent. Be diligent in seeking His ways and following His commands. Be diligent with how you treat others and what you have in your hands, your time and your resources.
The Bible tells us a parable about three men whose employer entrusted them with some money. Two of them were diligent and invested the money and received great returns. The third man was afraid and buried what he was given. The first two men were rewarded and praised for their diligence, while the third man was rebuked for not being diligent.
Today, look for ways to be diligent with what you have in your hands. Whatever you do, do it with excellence. Be the best you can be and go the extra mile even when you think no one notices. When people don’t notice, God notices, and He promises to reward the appetite of the diligent.
“…the appetite of the diligent is abundantly supplied.” (Proverbs 13:4, AMPC)
Let’s Pray
Yahweh, thank You for Your favour and blessings on my life. Father, I will be more diligent. Teach me how to live in excellence and do everything to the best of my ability. God, I give You all the glory for my past, present and future, in Christ’s Name! Amen.
In Scripture God is called the Great I AM – to many – the greatest title for God. Through this title He’s saying, “I am everything you need. I am the Creator of the universe. I am the one who spoke the worlds into existence. I am your strength. I am your wisdom. I am your protection. I am your provider. I am your way-maker. I am your problem solver. I am your dream giver. I am your victory!” Hallelujah!
In Scripture David says “Though I am surrounded by troubles, You will bring me safely through. Your fist is clenched against my enemies. Your power will save me” (Psalm 138). Do you feel like David today? Are you surrounded by all kinds of difficulties and enemies? Maybe you are tempted to just settle right where you are.
Today, you need to get your fire back! Instead of focusing on how big your problems are, focus on God the I AM. Your water when you’re thirsty, your food when you’re hungry, your helper when you’re helpless, your hope when you’re hopeless. He is everything you need. He is the Great I AM, and He is the one leading and guiding you into victory!
“God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.” (Exodus 3:14, NIV)
Let’s Pray
Yahweh, thank You for being the I AM – everything that I need to live. Father, I choose to focus on Your greatness today despite my difficulties and enemies. God, I receive Your provision and victory, in Christ’s Name! Amen.
I always thought that grace was unmerited favour, but recently I’ve learned it’s also God’s supernatural empowerment on your life. Throughout Scripture, we see God giving daily grace, power, and provision to His people. When the people of Israel were in the wilderness headed toward the Promised Land, God gave them manna each morning to eat. It would just appear on the ground. But, He specifically instructed them to gather up enough for that day only. In fact, if they gathered more than that, it would spoil. God was teaching them to trust His grace and that He would bless them every single day.
God doesn’t give us grace for a year at a time, or even a month at a time. Oh no! Every day God has a fresh supply of grace, favour, blessings, wisdom and forgiveness.
Today, you may be wondering how are you going to make it through this season in your life? One day at a time. Look for His grace today. Look for His provision today. Look for His hand of favour, because God promises to supply everything that you need just for today!
“Give us this day our daily bread…” (Matthew 6:11, NKJ)
Let’s Pray
Yahweh, I thank You today for Your grace and favour. Father, I know that You have a fresh supply of everything that I need physically, spiritually and emotionally, I receive them today. God, help me to trust You more as I seek Your face daily. In Christ’s Name! Amen.
Everybody likes a reward whether earned or unearned. God likes to give rewards He longs to pour out His favour and blessings on you. He wants to give you His goodness and provision. He promises to do His part, but you have to do your part and be diligent. First of all, be diligent in seeking His ways and obeying His commands. Then, be diligent with what He has already given you, your time and resources.
Scripture says in Matthew, there were three men whose employer entrusted them with some money called talents. Two of the men were diligent and invested the talents, used them and received a great return. The third man was afraid and buried what he was given. The first two men were rewarded and praised for their diligence, while the third man was rebuked. He got no return or reward!
Today, follow the example of the two men who used their talents. Look for ways to be diligent with what the Master has placed in your hand. Whatever you do, do it with excellence. Be the best you can be and go the extra mile, even when you think it goes unnoticed. Understand that when people don’t notice, God notices and promises to reward the appetite of the diligent!
“…the appetite of the diligent is abundantly supplied.” (Proverbs 13:4, AMPC)
Let’s Pray
Yahweh, thank You for the favour and blessings You’ve placed in my life. Father, today I will be diligent. I will strive to live in excellence and do everything to the best of my ability. God, I give You all the glory for every reward I have and will receive, in Christ’s Name! Amen.
One of my biggest pet peeves is the lack of praise for God amongst believers. We were created to praise God. Praise is powerful! Praise is putting your faith in action. Just as putting your physical body into action to make it grow strong, putting your faith in action through prayer and thanksgiving will cause it to grow strong too!
The Bible says about Abraham: no unbelief made him waver regarding the promise of God. What does it mean to waver? It actually means to go back and forth. It’s a very unsteady posture. Spiritual wavering is when we go back and forth in believing the promises of God. Wavering shows up in our words and actions. When you speak contrary to God’s promises, you are wavering and unsteady. Abraham never had unbelief or doubting thoughts. It basically says that he didn’t let it control him or cause him to waver in his words, actions and thinking. He took captive every thought and stood strong through His praise and worship!
Today, take captive your thoughts through praise to God. Praise makes you stable. It makes you strong. Decide today to put your faith into action by thanking and praising God all throughout the day! As you do, you’ll grow strong and live the life of victory God has in store for you!
“No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God.” (Romans 4:20, AMP)
Let’s Pray
Yahweh, today I bless Your name and lift You up! Father, thank You for life. I thank You for breath. I thank You for provision, healing, strength and joy. God, I praise You for abundantly supplying all my needs so that I can be a blessing to others, in Christ’s Name! Amen.
The search for the last 11 months has been to find an antidote against the Covid-19 pandemic. In early December there were shouts of celebration when a vaccine was found, and fear began to dissipate and faith got stronger. Do you know we have a vaccine, an antidote against sin and fear? The first thing many people would say is faith; however, the Scripture tells us that it’s love, for perfect love is what drives out all fear. Hallelujah!
When we truly comprehend how much God loves us, what can we possibly be afraid of? For God is love. When we are one with God through a relationship with His Son, we are wrapped in perfect love where we can find strength and security. We can find peace. We can find refuge, provision, and hope in His love. His love knows no limits. It has no boundaries. His love never changes. There is nothing you can do to make Him love you any more or any less. So let’s celebrate this breaking news Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Today, open your heart and receive the vaccine of God’s love made at Calvary. Don’t go into 2021 without it, you will be vulnerable to the pandemic of sin. Daily meditate on His goodness and faithfulness. As you do, those old fears will melt away. Sin will cease, and you will move confidently into the life of victory He has prepared for you.
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…” (1 John 4:18, NIV)
Let’s Pray
Oh, Yahweh, I come before You with a humble heart, begging for the vaccine of Your love. Father, please show me Your love and fill me with Your peace and hope, and remove the pandemic of sin and fear. God, help me to be an example of Your love for the people I come into contact with. I bless Your Name today that I have the victory over sin through faith in You, not just now but forever, in Christ’s Name! Amen.
One day I received a gift card that I stored in a special place for so long that I forgot I had it? Most gift cards have an expiration date, and if you don’t use it, you will surely lose it! The same is true with the Word of God. No, the Word doesn’t ever expire, but we have to take action and use His Word in order to receive His promises. Just like you exchange your gift card for the things you need at the store, His Word gives you the power to receive every promise He has for you.
When you declare His Word and keep your heart and mind open to Him, you are using the gift. You are opening the door for Him to move in your life. For example, if you’re facing lack in any area, receive the gift of provision by declaring, my God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). If there’s a mountain in your way, receive the gift of victory that says, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).
Today and every day, use the gift He’s given you. Make His Word a priority and don’t let it depart from your mouth or your blessings expire. As you do, He’ll make your way prosperous, and you’ll enjoy the abundant life He has for you!
“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” (Joshua 1:8, NIV)
Let’s Pray
Yahweh, thank You for Your Word which is truth to set me free. Father, I determine in my heart to use my gifts before the expiration date, and set Your Word into motion in my life. God, keep me close to You so that I can please You in everything I do, in Christ’ name! Amen.
Are you battling sickness? God wants to give you healing. Are you struggling with a broken relationship? God wants to give you restoration and peace. Are you facing a need–physically, spiritually or emotionally? God wants to give you provision. God desires for you to live in victory in every area of your life.
The Scripture says He always causes us to triumph through Christ Jesus! No matter what you may be facing today, God wants to make you more than a conqueror, and supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory. Today’s verse starts by saying, “Thanks be to God.” In the Bible, when God’s people were going into battle, many times they sent the worshippers out in front of the warriors. When you choose to be thankful and bless the Lord in the midst of your battle, you are making a way for Him to move in your life.
Today, start by thanking Him for His goodness. Magnify your God; don’t magnify your problems. Give Him thanks and make way for victory!
“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory [making us conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57, AMP)
Let’s Pray Yahweh, today I say thank You for Your mercy and faithfulness. Father, thank You for always leading and guiding me into victory! God, I receive my victory right now for this trial I’m going through. I celebrate and magnify You and bless Your holy name for my total deliverance, in Jesus’ Name! Amen.
There are two kinds of prayer – the prayer of form and the prayer of faith. The repetition of set and the customary phrases when the heart feels no need of God, is formal prayer.
We should be extremely careful in all our prayers to speak the wants of the heart and to say only what we actually mean. All the flowery words at our command are not equivalent to one holy desire. The most eloquent prayers are but vain repetitions if they do not express the true sentiments of the heart. But the prayer that comes from an earnest heart, when the simple wants of the soul are expressed just as we would ask an earthly friend for help, expecting that it would be granted – this is the prayer of faith.
The publican who went up to the temple to pray is a good example of a sincere, devoted worshiper. He felt that he was a sinner, and his great need led to an outburst of passionate desire,
“God be merciful to me a sinner.”
Luke 18:13
After we have offered our petitions, we are to answer them ourselves as far as possible, and not wait for God to do for us what we can do for ourselves. The help of God is held in reserve for all who demand it. Divine help is to be combined with human effort, aspiration, and energy. But we cannot reach the battlements of heaven without climbing for ourselves. We cannot be borne up by the prayers of others when we ourselves neglect to pray; for God has made no such provision for us.
The unlovely traits in our characters are not removed, and replaced by traits that are pure and lovely, without some effort on our part!
In our efforts to follow the copy set us by our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall make crooked lines. Yet let us not cease our efforts. Temporary failure should make us lean more heavily on Christ.
The more you pray, the more you will find to pray about, and the more you’ll be led to pray for others.
Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:12, 13
Pray With Me Heavenly Father, I look up to you in this time of change. Allow me to have the courage to change my life for the better. Allow all my burdens to be risen up to you as I know that You will see me through. Forgive those who have done evil and allow me to do the same. Teach me to love with an open heart and open spirit. Take time for me today to help with all the trials you have set out for me and allow me the strength and energy to follow you. Give me the blessings to find a new home, keep my family together, and bless those who are away, may they be strong and know how much love is out there. Let them know you and I are thinking of them and missing them dearly. Bless me with love, strength, wisdom, health, courage, forgiveness, and a willingness to learn.
Did you know?
Here are five facts about prayer, including survey data on Americans’ prayer habits and historical instances of prayer intersecting with the government:
A Pew Research Center survey conducted in 2014 found that 45% of Americans — and a majority of Christians (55%) — say they rely a lot on prayer and personal religious reflection when making major life decisions. The same survey found that 63% of Christians in the U.S. say praying regularly is an essential part of their Christian identity. In 2014 — in the case Town of Greece v. Galloway — the Supreme Court ruled that U.S. legislative and administrative bodies may begin their sessions with a prayer. On some occasions, however, the high court has rejected other types of state-sponsored prayer. For instance, in 1962’s Engel v. Vitale, the court famously struck down a policy requiring public school students to begin their day with a nonsectarian prayer.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation unsuccessfully challenged the National Day of Prayer in court. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in 2011 that the group, which aims to promote the separation of church and state, did not have legal standing to challenge the law.
For many Americans, every day is a day of prayer. More than half (55%) of Americans say they pray every day, according to a 2014 Pew Research Center survey, while 21% say they pray weekly or monthly and 23% say they seldom or never pray. Even among those who are religiously unaffiliated, 20% say they pray daily. Women (64%) are more likely than men (46%) to pray every day. And Americans ages 65 and older are far more likely than adults under 30 to say they pray daily (65% vs. 41%).
Luke 7:18-23 ‘And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Are you he that should come? or should we look for another?
When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto you, saying, Are you he that should come? or should we look for another?
And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight.
Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.
And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me’
John had spent weeks even months in a dark dungeon with little company except rats so it is easy to see how he could have begun to question himself and indeed the messiah he baptised in the river Jordan proclaiming Him as the Lamb of God
When we take our eyes of Christ fear and doubt eat away at childlike faith and rob us of the truth that set us free. Without his presence we see walls instead of open doors, we see problems instead of answers and hopelessness instead of hope
God can only keep us in perfect peace as we keep our minds firmly fixed on him
What do you see when you look at Christ? Do you see a crucified saviour or an empty cross, a vacated tomb and a risen saviour who has given you victory over death and hell?
Do you see your sin or do you see a Saviour?
Do you see the sin that so easily overcomes you or do you see Jesus who became sin with your sin so that you would be the righteousness of God in him? Have you not heard that he is faithful and just to forgive you all your sins and to cleanse you of every sin as you repent and turn from them?
Do you see sickness and disease destroying your body, robbing you of strength or do you see Jesus who took your infirmities and carried your sicknesses and by whose stripes you are already healed?
Do you see yourself struggling with debt, drowning in poverty, hear a bank managers abusive remarks or do you see Jesus who became poor with your poverty that you would become rich with his riches?
Do you see an empty purse or a cruse of oil that will never run out? 1st Kings 17:14-16
Do you see yourself living a pauper’s life or do you see the Lord who has promised to provide all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus? Philippians 4:19
Do you see the devil when temptation overtakes you or do you see your saviour Jesus who always makes a way of escape when you ask him so that you may be able to bear it?
Do you see fear and defeat robbing you when unbelief sets in or do you see Jesus who always causes you to triumph? Have you not heard that God did not give you a spirit of fear but of love and power and of a sound mind?
Do you see no way out of captivity and misery or do you see Jesus who releases the captives and who is your joy and your strength?
Do you see your many afflictions, or do you see Jesus who delivers you out of them all?
Do you see death when you have lost someone you love or do you see Jesus the resurrection and the life
Do you dwell on the loss of a loved one or on the gain that Christ purchased for them for in Him ‘death has no sting and the grave no victory’ for from the moment we are absent from the body we are present with the Lord? In Christ they are risen indeed
Do you spend your days in sorrow or do you see that while weeping lasts for a night joy comes in the morning?
Do you look at the darkness which can so easily overtake you, or do you turn your eyes toward heaven and see his glorious light; his life, his hope, his peace which will cause you to laugh in the face of adversity.
In Christ there is endless joy, hope that springs eternal, health that springs forth speedily and victory that is yours always”¦
Open your eyes and fix them on the Crucified saviour now risen for your sake
Dark days vanish when Christ comes, all things change when Jesus comes to stay
Former Argent partner Tony Giddings has been confirmed as development adviser on the £1.3bn “Super Prisons” programme, the first of which is already being built in Wrexham.
Chancellor George Osborne and Justice Secretary Michael Gove unveiled the major new prison reform programme including plans to build 9 new prisons in last year’s spending review, with five of the new prisons to be open before the end of this parliament. The government will also expand existing prisons in Stocken and Rye Hill.
Giddings said “he was hoping to instil the Argent ethos of “more collaboration” with construction suppliers into the government’s approach to procuring prisons.”
Giddings will provide support in the provision of management, technical capability, and systems to manage the planning, design, procurement, and delivery of the construction of the new prisons.
Giddings said “He understood the £1.3bn of funding was ring-fenced and highly unlikely to be threatened by recent political and economic turbulence.” and “admitted the prisons programme timetable was “challenging”, with sites still to be acquired, but he said the aim was to be on site with at least some by the end of the year.”
The new programme will apparently modernise the prison estate to make it even more efficient, safer and focused on supporting prisoner rehabilitation while selling aging, inefficient prisons on the prime real estate to free up land for new homes.
But would God Use Prisons to Rehabilitate?
Imprisonment is littered throughout Scripture. As a young man, Joseph was thrown into prison in Egypt (Gen. 39:20). Samson, after having his eyes put out, was made to work in a grinding mill prison house of the Philistines (Jdg. 16:21). Jeremiah spent many of his days in the “court of the prison” (Jer. 32:2).
The modern prison system borrows ideas from the Catholics and Quakers—two different sects of Christianity. But does this mean prisons are biblical? Not exactly, the above examples all occurred in nations not governed by God.
Britain’s Old Prison System
Britain used to punish criminals through swift execution of verdicts, which were generally performed publicly to bring shame and humiliation to the perpetrator and prevent similar crimes from occurring. Typical sentences involved being whipped or a stint in the stockades.
Jails did exist, but they were only used to hold criminals awaiting trial and sentencing. However, the elite in the UK soon saw this system as archaic and inhumane and was determined to improve it through a complete overhaul.
In this newer system, men were placed in a tiny cell and given only a Bible to read. This marked a move toward imprisonment as the primary form of punishment.
Not Much Has Changed in Modern Prisons
Today’s prisons have three basic objectives: punish a criminal by taking away his time, remove him from society (in an attempt to reduce crime as well), and rehabilitate inmates to become functional members of society upon release.
The problems inherent with this system have remained the same for years: recidivism (repeated relapse into criminal acts), overcrowding, cost and, most telling—despite the large amounts of funding—the utter inability of the system to contain crime.
It is claimed that super-prison development will also allow over 3000 new homes to be built, boosting house building in urban areas and helping thousands of working people achieve their dream of owning a home. The Victorian prison site at Reading will be the first to be sold.
By investing in the prison estate, the government said it will reduce running costs in prisons by £80 million a year. The new prison investment will also fund video conference centers, allowing up to 90,000 cases to be heard from prison instead of court.
According to Justice Secretary Michael Gove, “currently half of criminals re-offend within one year of being released, and nearly half of all prisoners go into prison without any qualifications.”
The Government has also claimed that the prison programme will reduce reoffending through creating the physical conditions for Governors to achieve improved educational, training and rehabilitative outcomes, and aims to reduce the cost of transporting prisoners between courts and prisons. This builds on the probation reforms undertaken in the last Parliament, which will reduce the costs of the system and reinvest them into extending probation support to 45,000 short-sentence offenders for the first time, to tackle reoffending.
“We will be able to design out the dark corners which too often facilitate violence and drug-taking.” stated Michael Gove
Around 10,000 prison places will move from outdated sites to the new prisons, significantly improving rehabilitation.
There is little doubt in most societies and religious traditions that prison is necessary for this sin-sick world, however, this is still not what God intended.
While modern prisons are plagued with mounting problems, God’s Way involves swift sentencing and swift punishment.
“God” of Modern Prisons
There is one future case, though, in which God will use a sort of “supermax prison” for His own purpose. A sentence for someone He deems unfixable—but whose imprisonment will yield tremendous results!
The Nigerian construction industry is mostly concerned with the development and provision of projects such as roads, bridges, railways, residential and commercial real estates, and the maintenance necessary for the socio-economic developments contributes immensely to the Nigerian economic growth (Bureau of Statistics, 2015). Butcher and demmers (2003) described projects as an idea which begins and ends by filling a need. However, a project fails when its idea ends without meeting the needs and expectations of its stakeholders.
Nigeria Has Become the World’s Junk – Yard of Abandoned and Failed Projects worth Billions of Naira!
Hanachor (2013), revealed that projects form part of the basis for assessing a country’s development. However, a damming report from the Abandoned Projects Audit Commission which was set up by the Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011 revealed that 11,886 federal government projects were abandoned in the past 40 years across Nigerian (Abimbola, 2012). This confirmed the assertion by Osemenan (1987) “that Nigeria has become the world’s junk –yard of abandoned and failed projects worth billions of naira”.
Abandoned projects including building and other civil engineering infrastructure development projects now litter the whole of Nigeria.
Physical projects do not only provide the means of making life more meaningful for members of the community where the projects are located, successful projects also result in empowerment and collective action towards self improvement (Hanachor, 2013).
This Issue of Abandonment Has Been Left Without Adequate Attention for Too Long, and Is Now Having a Multiplier Effect on the Construction Industry in Particular and the Nigeria’s National Economy as a Whole. (Kotngora, 1993)
PROJECT FAILURE
Project Failure might mean a different thing to different stakeholders. A project that seemed successful to one stakeholder may be a total failure to another (Toor and Ogunlana, 2008). Some stakeholders, more especially the project users and some private owners, think of failed projects as a situation where a completed building project collapsed, a situation where by a completed dam project stopped working after few days of completion, or a completed road project that broke down after few months of completion. Other experienced stakeholders, such as engineers and architects conform to the iron triangle by Atkinson (1999) which states that the most strategically important measures of project failure are “time overrun”, “cost overrun”, and “poor quality”.
Turner (1993) noted that a project fails when the project specifications are not delivered within budget and on time;the project fails to achieve its stated business purpose; the project did not meet the pre-stated objectives; the project fails to satisfy the needs of the project team and supporters; and the project fails to satisfy the need of the users and other stakeholders. Lim and Mohamed (1999) cited in Toor and Ogunlana (2009) clarified that there are two possible view points to project failure namely; the macro-level and the micro-level. They further explained that the macro view point reviews if the original objectives and concepts of the project was met. Usually the end users and the project beneficiaries are the ones looking at the project failure from the macro view point, where as the project design team, the consultants, contractors, and suppliers review projects from a micro view point focusing on time of delivery, budget, and poor quality.
In the early 1990s, the failure as well as the success of any project was determined by the project duration, monetary cost, and the performance of the project (Idrus, Sodangi, and Husin, 2011). Belout and Gauvrean (2004), also confirmed that the project management triangle based on schedule, cost, and technical performance is the most useful in determining the failure of a project. Moreover, a project is considered as an achievement of specific objectives, which involves series of activities and tasks which consume resources, are completed within specifications, and have a definite start and end time (Muns and Bjeirmi 1996, cited in Toor and Ogunlana, 2009). Reiss (1993) in his suggestion stated that a project is a human activity that achieves a clear objective against a time scale. Wright (1997) taking the view of clients, suggested that time and budget are the only two important parameters of a project which determines if a project is successful or failed. Nevertheless, many other writers such as Turner, Morris and Hough, wateridge, dewit, McCoy, Pinto and Slevin, saarinen and Ballantine all cited in Atkinson (1999), agreed that cost, time, and quality are all success as well as failure criteria of a project, and are not to be usedexclusively.
FACTORS OF PROJECT FAILURE
Cookie-Davies (2002) stated the difference between the success criteria and the failure factors. Hestated that failure factors are those which contributed towards the failure of a project while success criteria are the measures by which the failure of a project will be judged. The factors constituting the failure criteria are commonly referred to as the key performance indicators (KPIs).
Timeand Cost Overrun
The time factor of project failure cannot be discussed without mentioning cost. This is because the time spent on construction projects has a cost attached to it. Al-Khali and Al-Ghafly, (1999); Aibinu and Jagboro, (2002) confirmed that time overrun in construction projects do not only result in cost overrun and poor quality but also result in greater disputes, abandonment and protracted litigation by the project parties. Therefore, focus on reducing the Time overrun helps to reduce resource spent on heavy litigation processes in the construction industry (Phua and Rowlinson, 2003). Most times, the time overrun of a project does not allow resultant system and benefits of the project to be taking into consideration (Atkinson, 1999). Once a project exceeds the contract time, it does not matter anymore if the project was finally abandoned or completed at the same cost and quality specified on the original contract document, the project has failed. Furthermore, Assaf and Al-Hejji, (2006) noted that time overrun means loss of owner’s revenue due to unavailability of the commercial facilities on time, and contractors may also suffers from higher over heads, material and labour costs.
Poor quality/Technical Performance
The word “Performance” has a different meaning which depends on the context it is being used and it can also be referred to as quality. Performance can be generally defined as effectiveness (doing the right thing), and efficiency (doing it right) (Idrus and Sodangi, 2010). Based on this definition of performance, at the project level, it simply means that a completed project meets fulfilled the stakeholder requirements in the business case.
CAUSES OF PROJECT FAILURE
A lot of research studies have investigated the reasons for project failures, and why projects continue to be described as failing despite improved management. Odeh and Baltaineh, 2002; Arain andLaw, 2003; Abdul-Rahman et al., 2006; Sambasivan and Soon, 2007; all cited in Toor and Ogunlana, 2008, pointed out the major causes of project failures as Inadequate procurement method; poor funding and availability of resources; descripancies between design and construction; lack of project management practices; and communication lapses
The contract/procurement method
A result obtained from two construction projects which were done by the same contractor but using different procurement methods showed that rework, on the design part which occurs when the activities and materials order are different from those specified on the original contract document, makes it difficult for the project to finish on the expected time (Idrus, Sodangi, and Husin, 2011). This is as a result of non-collaboration and integration between the design team, contractor, and tier suppliers. The rework on the design portion has a huge impact on project failure leading to the time overrun. The traditional method of procurement has inadequate flexibility required to facilitate late changes to the project design once the design phase of the construction project has been concluded.
Nigerian most widely used procurement method is the traditional method of procurement (design-bid-construct) which has been confirmed to be less effective to successfully delivery of a construction project (Dim and Ezeabasili, 2015). And, the world bank country procurement assessment report (2000) cited in Anigbogu and Shwarka, (2011) reported that about 50% of projects in Nigeria are dead even before they commence because they were designed to fail.
The way the construction projects are contracted, in addition to the way the contracts are delivered, contributes to the causes of projects failure. Particularly, among the methods of project contracting is lump-sum or a fixed-price contracting method, in which the contractor agrees to deliver a construction project at a fixed price. The fixed-price contract can be low-bid or not however, once the contract cost has been agreed upon the contract award, it cannot be changed. And, contractors are expected to honor and deliver the contract agreement, failure to do so can result in a breach of contract which can result in the contractor being prosecuted.
Awarding a contract to an unqualified personnel also contributes to project failures. When a contractor places more emphasis on money and the mobilization fee after a construction project has been initiated instead of getting the right workforce and skilled professionals that will execute the project. Instead the workforce chosen will often not be base on competence and required skills rather it will be based on availability. Moreover, poor strategy and planning by contractors who have overloaded with work also contributed to one of the causes of project failure.
Poor funding/Budget Planning
A lot of public projects in the Nigerian construction industry failed as a result inadequate funding, and the difference between the national annual budget and the budget actual released. Most of the Nigerian public projects are signed even before the actual release of the national budget. The difference in budget of the contracted project and the actual budget release can get the contracted company stuck as a result of inflation of prices, scarcity of construction material at the time of the budget release and mobilization to site. Also un-planned scope of work which can be as a result of the contractor working on another contract when he is called back to mobilization to start work. Moreover, poor budget planning is a regular mistake made by some contractors by not undertaking feasibility assessments before starting the design. The construction project should be planned according to the available resources and not according to the unrealistic expectations a client has in mind.
Discrepancies Between the Design and Construction
Limited collaboration between the contractors, engineers, and the architect results in discrepancies between the project designs and construction on site, and further leads to rework. Changes on a project designs, and changing to the scope of work in the middle of construction processes on site can be dangerous, and can lead to time overrun, increase in cost, and most of all can lead to abandonment. Moreover, many cases have been seen where the designs from the architects are not buildable on site, whileIn some cases, most contractors are unable to adequately specify the scope of work for the construction processes on site. Therefore any default on the design by the architect can be an opportunity for the contractor to make more money which might cause the project duration to exceed the time specified on the contract document.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This research starts with a general reasoning or theory which says that the major cases of project failure in the Nigerian construction industry are defined based on time overrun and cost overrun. The findings from the data analysis will help on the decision to accept the theory or not. The research data was collected from the progress report for the month ending of October, 2015 published by the Nigeria of Federal Ministry of works on thirty-nine on-going highway construction projects at the South-South geopolitical zone. The table 1 below shows the information on the data collected which comprises of the project title, contract Number, project description, the contractor that was awarded the projects, the date of project commencement, date of completion and the extended date if any. The scheduled time for each project was specified as follows: project commencement date labeled as “a”,project completion date labeled as “b”, and the extended date labeled as “c”.
Table 1: The analyzed data on the highway project at the South-South zone in Nigeria.
DATA ANALYSIS
The data analysis was done with the use of Microsoft excel. The analysis started by obtaining the number of days between the date of commencement of each project and the date of completion to show the duration of each highway project. And, the number of days between the project completion date and the extension date showed the time-overrun. The project duration and the extended days were obtained with the use of NETWORKDAYS function in Microsoft Excel which calculates the number of working days between two dates excluding weekends and any dates identified as holidays.
The standard deviation between the specified project duration for each highway projects and the extended days was calculated to obtain the extent to which each highway project contract failed on its time of delivery. This was denoted as the degree of failure. The table 1 above showed the projects ranking which was done based on the degree of failure of all the highway projects. The highway projects that were ranked from one to sixteen have low degree of failure and are represented with green color, while the rest are those with high degree of failure and are represented with red color.
FINDINGS
The findings made showed that the successfully completed highway projects have no extended days or time overrun, and the successful on-going highway projects are still on schedule and have no extended days unlike the on-going highway projects that have already failed as a result of the extended dates. Other projects have been abandoned because they have exceeded the delivery date as specified on the contract document, and have no extended date of completion. Thus, no work is going on.
Figure 1: Abundance of failed highway projects at south-south zone, Nigeria.
Figure 2: On-going failed highway projects
Figure 2 above showed that 14% of highway projects are still on-going projects because they have not exceeded the original date of completion as specified on the contract document. However, they are heading towards failure because they have been given an extended date of completion which can be as a result of some critical activities running behind schedule, causing delay on the critical path network of the projects. Moreover, the other 86% completely failed because they have exceeded their completion date specified on the contract document.
Figure 3: Successful on-going highway projects
The figure 3 above showed that 63% of the successful highway projects are still on-going because they have not exceed their completion dates, and they are not yet completed. However, those on-going highway projects might end up as failed projects as a result of poor funding, discrepancy between the design and the construction on site, and conflict between the construction parties or stakeholders.
“Say what you will do, and do what you said” or “Say as you will do it, and do it as you said”
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
The idea of knowing what a failed project is, the factors and the causes is very important in project management. Success in project management can neither be achieved nor measured without the knowledge of project failure, its factors, and causes in the Nigerian construction industries. This work has shown that project failure is as a result of exceeded time of delivery, cost overrun, and poor quality. However, the analysis was only done based on exceeded time of project delivery because of the nature of the data collected.
This work suggested a few approaches to help reduce the number of failed projects in the Nigerian construction industry if properly implemented. Firstly, Having good collaboration between the project stakeholders involved in a construction project at the early stage of project conception is most important in order to accomplish the project objectives, and deliver the project on time, within budget, and quality specified on the original contract document (Othman, 2006).
Secondly, Adopting the ISO 9000 technique which is used for quality management will also help in achieving a successful project delivery. This technique states “ say what you will do, and do what you said” or “say as you will do it, and do it as you said”. This technique is not an indication of high quality but it promotes control and consistency which leads to specialization, and improved productivity and quality. Also, adopting the principles of lean construction will help to reduce waste within the construction and stream-line activities in order to improve the on-time delivery of projects.
Thirdly, Learning from the precedent failed projects, how those projects failed, and the reason for their failures. This will help the project manager to plan and mitigate the risks of project failures in the future. And, finally, more seminars and workshops will help to educate and enlighten clients (the federal government representatives), users, contractors, engineers, and architects on what is project failure, the factors that contributes to abundant failed projects, and their causes.
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Protected from the weather and supported by industrial control systems, factories can produce a range of components from simple panels to fully fitted-out modules which are ready to be assembled on site. And here is where the arguments start: advantages include more consistent working conditions and therefore better quality of performance and finishes, less wastage of materials, fewer journeys to site, less disruption of the local neighbourhood, faster construction times, better health and safety. These are some of the benefits which factory built homes can bring.
KREOD Pavilion
“Modular Eco-House System” in cooperation with Vita Giannini 3D design by Antonis Manolessos
Former Granada Cinema, 58 St Johns Hill
“Modular Eco-House System” in cooperation with Vita Giannini 3D design by Antonis Manolessos
“If we don’t keep investigating prefab, we risk squandering a lot of resources and not delivering enough housing.” says Andy Matthews of architect Proctor & Matthews.
An extended experiment into the potential for delivering high-quality housing through off-site construction methods Raines Court is one of the largest prefabricated schemes built to date in the UK. Raines Court consists of 61 shared ownership flats (11×3-bed, 41×2-bed, 1×1-bed plus 8 x live/work units) for public sector key workers and local people in Hackney on moderate incomes on the site of the former dairy products distribution yard on Northwold Road, Stoke Newington. The main components are modular units complete with fixtures and fittings, tiling, bathrooms, kitchens, heating, transported by lorry from York and craned into position. With its steel-framed modules, zinc-clad façade and splashes of vivid colour, Raines Court wears its modular form proudly.
Public opinion is divided on its success as a result of this but it has won several architectural awards and there is no doubting the generous layout and provision of the flats.
At six-storeys in a largely low-rise neighbourhood, the scheme is a radical, bold insertion that establishes a civic presence.
This estate was the second Peabody development constructed using prefabricated modules manufactured and was completed in 2003.
Client: Peabody Trust
Architect: AHMM
Structural Engineer: whitbybird
Contractor: Wates
Principal Supplier: Yorkon
Completion: 2003
Cost: £8.9 Million
Awards:
British construction Industry Awards: Best Practice 2004
