Stakeholder influence on cost performance of riverine construction projects in the Nigerian Niger Delta: evidence from completed public intervention projects
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Purpose This study aims to investigate how stakeholder actions influence the cost performance of riverine construction projects in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region, with emphasis on governance practices, contractor conduct, environmental disturbances, community engagement, and broader contextual risk management. The research makes a clear distinction between cost performance and cost overruns by defining cost performance as the degree to which actual expenditure aligns with the approved budget, while cost overruns specifically refer to expenditure that exceeds the approved completion estimate or baseline. The assessment is based on archival project records comparing initial and final project costs, as well as documentary evidence linking the relationship between stakeholder actions and observable cost outcomes. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative archival research design drawing on documentary evidence from 48 completed public intervention projects carried out by intervention agencies as well as stakeholder-related data involving 57 stakeholders. Project cost records, attendance sheets, and meeting reports were carefully analyzed to determine how stakeholder actions such as contract re-awards, redesigns, pending payments, contractor conduct, and community disruptions influenced project cost performance. The analysis combined archival cost data with stakeholder documentation using thematic coding and descriptive summarization, while cross-checking records and applying standard coding processes improved analytical consistency and minimized bias. Findings Stakeholder actions were found to significantly influence cost performance in riverine construction projects. Contract re-awards and redesigns yielded positive cost performance by reducing escalation risks in certain situations. However, issues of contractor failure, pending payments, insecurity threats, force majeure events (flooding), legal battles, and community festival disturbances negatively influence cost underperformance, and out of the 48 projects reviewed, 12 had effective cost performance and 36 had poor cost performance, highlighting governance deficiencies and community disruptions as the primary causes of cost escalation. Research limitations/implications The findings are limited to 48 completed projects carried out by two government intervention agencies and stakeholder-related data involving 57 stakeholders within a specific riverine context, limiting their generalizability; future research should expand geographically and incorporate quantitative methodologies. Practical implications The research highlights that to enhance cost performance in riverine construction, it’s crucial for policymakers, intervention agencies, contractors, and host communities to work together. Key strategies include implementing transparent payment mechanisms, improved contractor screening, early stakeholder mapping, proactive community participation, adequate recording of variances, and adaptive planning for riverine threats, which are critical for mitigating cost inefficiencies. More broadly, the study shows that cost performance cannot be improved solely by technical planning but rather through accountable governance, institutional coordination, and stakeholder engagement mechanisms that are responsive to the unique sociopolitical and environmental variables of the area. Social implications Improved stakeholder coordination and transparent administration can repair community confidence, mitigate sociopolitical disturbances, and promote sustainable infrastructure delivery, ultimately improving living conditions in Niger Delta riverine communities that have historically been marginalized. Originality/value This study provides empirically grounded and region-specific evidence on the largely unexplored relationship between stakeholder actions and cost performance in Niger Delta riverine construction projects. By linking archival cost records data with stakeholder meeting evidence, this shows that cost performance in these environments is shaped by governance quality, stakeholder coordination, community engagement, environmental disruption, and proactive risk management. The study extends stakeholder theory to a complex riverine and sociopolitical construction context with wider relevance for cost management and sustainable project delivery in fragile and logistically constrained project environments across developing regions worldwide.
Institution: Durban University of Technology
Language: English
Field: Decision Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7225729818